España! A beautiful contradiction of old and new.

To us, one of the most striking things about Spain is the contrast of old and new. Ancient statues and buildings and architecture intermingled with contemporary art and buildings. The crosses on the buildings alongside the 100 ft. billboards. Very contemporary fashion alongside the nun in full habit crossing the street. Tapas, Catalunyan black rice, Paella, and tomato bread alongside Starbucks, MacDonalds, and Subway. Traditional Tempranillo, the grape of all traditional wines alongside newly introduced Spanish Pinot Noir, Cabs, and Merlots.

Our apartment is a traditional old 6-story apartment building built in the late 1800s. It is beautiful and old on the outside and contemporary on the inside.

Beautiful and old on the outside, contemporary on the inside.

The old double-decker bus, a must do.

Except for Switzerland, where our friend Chris showed us around, the first thing we do at our new destination is ride a double-decker bus around the city for a day or two, to decide what we must see. These buses allow people to get on and off at museums and other sites along the way. We got separated here for a couple of stops in order to sit on top, which is the only place to be.

The most striking thing about Spain...The Architecture

The church below, the Sagrada Familia, is an absolutely amazing structure built by a man named Antoni Gaudi. He dedicated his life to it once he started, but was unable to finish it after being hit by a tram and killed in 1926. The work on this amazing building is still in process and Ken and I agree that once it is finished, it should be deemed one of the Wonders of the World. Gaudi was a deeply religious man and the building is a moving portrayal of his heart and soul. In addition, this man was a genius.

(Be sure to click on these to see the amazing details, then you can click again on the photo to get even closer and see the very up close details. Just hit the back arrow to return to the blog.)

The church as it stands today. A work in progress. (BTW, we did not take this pic, we could never get a full shot. We got it from the Internet.)

What the finished product will look like. The center structure has not even begun to be built. The architects are using old drawings and notes of Gaudi's to complete the church as he desired. This is a photo of a large drawing hanging in the church.

The sculptures the surround the entrance tell the story of the crucifixion of Christ, while the back of the church tells the story of his birth and childhood. 

A stone portrayal of "The Last Supper." The translation of the lettering in the stone is Jesus words to Judas, What you do, do it quickly. 

Portraying Peters shame after denying Christ three times.

After being beaten, Jesus is presented to the people wearing a crown of thorns. The governor is shown in great distress about the difficult decision he is going to have to make. 

The kiss of Judas to let the soldiers which is Jesus.

A portrayal of the loneliness of Jesus. The three stairs represent the three days between the crucifixion and the resurrection. The knot in the rope symbolizes the torture he suffered. The cane represents his psychological torture and that is just the beginning of the symbolism on this one piece. Every inch of this great building of Gaudi has tiny details that are representative of some part of the story of Christ. The detail is amazing.

Pilot washing his hands and his wife solemnly walking away after she asked him not to convict an innocent man.

Doors. Below is just a one foot piece of a 15 foot door, filled with letters infused with meaning.

Inside, some of the stained glass. 

Looking down one of the towers. We rode to the top, then walked down the winding staircases.

The columns and ceiling inside the main chapel. This is extraordinarily beautiful. Gaudi wanted people to feel as if they were sitting in a forest when they were seated in the sanctuary. He designed the support
columns in the shape of trees and the ceiling to represent the flowers he saw growing in the area. Gaudi was struck with polio as a young boy and therefore had lots of time to think and be close to nature. The inspiration of all is work comes from nature. He was a master of lighting as well as a master of acoustics. This church was designed with nearly perfect acoustics.

A wall on one of the sides of the church. Picture taken from a stairwell in a tower. 

The back side of the church, the birth and childhood of Christ depicted. You could spend days looking at every inch of this wall and still find something new, a part of the story.

The nativity.

Jesus as a young boy teaching (center). Left Mary telling Elizabeth about the upcoming birth. More...

This building is so amazing that the first time you see it in person, it will bring you to tears. It is magnificent and moving. We cannot even touch the surface with these pictures and explanations. These statues and designs are only a drop-in-the-bucket of the hundreds and hundreds. Every detail in every inch of this work is intentional and symbolic. And every inch includes include a dove, a flower, a curve, a color...something with meaning.

Tomorrow, more work by Gaudi and other Barcelona architecture.