Ep. 6 – Barcelona, Spain
The home of Gaudí, and an architectural masterpiece. Hear the story of one of Europe's most famous cities and the incredible church that helped put it on the map.
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Transcription:
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Hey hey! It’s Friday and we’re on episode six of The Friday Take Five. To the regulars, you know what we do here, but for the new-comers, a little about the podcast - Each week, the Friday Take Five discovers a new place, with a new story. I’m your host, Mark Moran, and I do my best to scratch an itch for travel bugs and history lovers alike. By the end of this episode, it’s my hope that you’ll walk away with a renewed appreciation for history and a new travel destination to add to your bucket list. With that, let’s discover a new city.
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Barkeno, Barcino, Barcinona... All names for the deeply historical city we visit next on our Take Five journey. That’s right, this week, we’re headed to Barcelona.
As we pulled into the Barcelona Nord bus station and neared the end of the short ride over from France, my excitement skyrocketed. Spain was the second country I was hitting on my trip to Europe and I was overjoyed to get out and explore. Mere steps from the bus station was the gateway to the city, the Arc de Triomf. Not much further stood the Gothic Quarter, La Pedrara Casa Mila, incredible museums, and the Mediterranean. Within minutes, I was basically sprinting to the hostel to throw my bags in a locker, and get out to enjoying, and exploring.
My friends and I quickly found a spot frequented by local university students for food and drink after classes. We were able to enjoy fantastic Sangria, and, being as close as we were to the Mediterranean, I made it my mission to get some good Calamari… I was not disappointed.
Before long, it was off to explore the markets, the museums, the landmarks, and great night life that Barcelona has to offer. Barcelona is constantly alive and we all slept for very little that long weekend. However, by early morning on that Sunday, we still had yet to do one of the things at the top of my list. See the Sagrada Familia in person.
The Tiemplo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia, aka the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, aka the Sacred Family Basilica, had been near the top of my bucket list for over a decade. Since I first saw the church on a postcard on my grandma’s refrigerator, I had been fascinated by the church that began its construction in the 1880s and still to this day has not been completed.
I was determined to experience the incredible monument in person.
Pictures absolutely do not do the Sagrada Familia justice. The incredible detail and story built into the basilica are awe-inspiring. It was so incredibly cool to be walking past a Starbucks only to see one of the most beautiful works of art in the world, which to me, seemed completely out of place...
The beautiful work of art, when completed, will have 18 towers, and 3 facades, of which only two are currently completed. The facades each tell a story of a portion of the life of Jesus. The Nativity facade, facing East, tells the story of Jesus’ birth. The Passion facade, facing West, tells the story of his death and resurrection. The final, south facing facade, tells the story of his Glory even after death. The detail with which these stories are told is truly inspiring.
My jaw dropped thinking of all of the work that went into crafting each minute detail across the facades that had already been completed, and understanding that there was still so much more to go…
The Basilica, which has been under construction for nearly 140 years, is the design of Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi, who came from humble beginnings as the son of a coppersmith, to the artist / architect of some of the greatest art and architectural feats in Barcelona and the world.
Gaudi’s work could definitely be considered… Weird, in that he experimented with different kinds of shapes and metaphors in his work that other architects of the time didn’t dare try, but it’s why I love it so much. Gaudi worked hard throughout his life, with an incredible legacy. There’s the Casa Battlo (Casa Baht - low), Casa Vicens, and of course the Sagrada Familia to name a few of the many buildings he designed in Barcelona.
What amazes me was the dedication to his craft.
He was commissioned in the 1880s to design the Sagrada Familia. For the first roughly 30 years, Gaudi worked hard at the design of the Basilica in addition to his other projects. But by 1910, he had stopped work on virtually everything else to fully devote himself to the Sagrada Familia, which he would continue until his untimely death in 1926.
Incredibly, he never thought he would live to see the end of the project anyway, originally believing it would take 200 years to complete! Luckily, that likely won’t be the case. Though work continued at a snail’s pace, with interruptions caused by the Spanish civil war and more recently, the COVID - 19 pandemic, it’s nearing completion! Officials plan to complete the remaining construction in 2026, which will mark the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death. This is perfect for those of you hoping to hit up Western Europe in the coming years. So, if you get a chance to make it to Spain and Barcelona, then the Sagrada Familia is a can’t miss destination.
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Hey there! Thanks for listening to another episode of The Friday Take Five. If you haven’t already, be sure to give us a rating on podcasting platforms, and don’t forget to turn on notifications and automatic downloads to keep up with our newest episodes. Have your own stories about Barcelona, feedback or recommendations on stories or places for us to cover? We’d love to hear it so follow and dm us on socials @FridayTakeFive or email us at thefridaytakefive@gmail.com. Stay curious, stay adventuring, and have a great weekend!
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