You cannot remain indifferent to the enchantment of Barcelona. The credit goes primarily to the architectural genius of Antoni Gaudi. And if you don't have time to visit every single remarkable house designed by him, it is a must to spend at least a little time on his life's work - the cathedral "The Holy Family" - La Sagrada Familia.
Traveling to any destination with a few hours of a layover at Barcelona airport is enough to make you remember your trip forever. Subway and train connect the terminal to Cathedral Square in less than an hour. And the ability to buy a ticket online in advance gives you quick access to the temple, avoiding the long queue for tickets on the spot. Also, don't forget to keep your chin up on your way out of the subway station, because when you look up, your jaw might drop.
You don’t have to be religious to have a spiritual experience at La Sagrada Familia. Yes, it is inspired by the lives of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, but it extends far beyond the boundaries of religion. The building is like a cult to the divine in people. Gaudi himself claimed that nothing made by men should surpass God's creation. Walking down the aisles of the cathedral, however, we wondered if he had broken his own rule after all.
The first thing that takes your breath away is the eight towers with a height of 170 meters which stand out against the cityscape. You can only imagine what the view will be like when all 18 of them are built according to the project. Yes, you guessed right - the cathedral is not finished yet - it has been under construction for 140 years! This fact on its own says that there is something special about this building.
Looking at the first of the three facades, you will immediately notice what it is. The attention to detail, the complexity of the scenes and the reality of the images are the things that make the cathedral so unique. The audio guide explains that the human figures are made using models who have posed on the spot - the bodies and faces in front of you are of real people - and that is why the images are so realistic. Depending on the time you have available, you can continue to discover scenes from the facade, examine the model of the cathedral showing how it will look like when it is finished, or head inside.
The interior of the Sagrada Familia is no less impressive. Gaudi's idea is to bring the building as close as possible to nature - the columns resemble trees, so a walk inside is like a walk in a huge stone forest. The stained glass of the eastern nave is in warm colors, creating a feeling of early morning, and that of the western nave is in cold colors, as if night is falling. The entire building "breathes" allowing the interior to receive a sufficient amount of natural lighting. Even the crypt was constructed to be illuminated by the sun, something you can’t see elsewhere.
But perhaps the most intriguing place in the temple is the western facade, where a magic square is located (a square of numbers in which the sum of each row, column and diagonal is equal to one number - the magic constant of the square). Unlike magic squares, whose constant is typically 34, however, in this one the constant is 33 – the number of “the Christ’s age”. Later I read somewhere about another message that was hidden in the square. The repeating numbers form the abbreviation INRI - Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum - the inscription that Pontius Pilate placed on the cross that means “Jesus, King of the Jews”. If you have read the works of Dan Brown, you probably already know that he used this very same Gaudi magic square in the creation of his puzzles, adding various interpretations of the numbers.
After testing your observation and arithmetic skills, you can jump in one of two elevators that will take you to the top of the towers. Tickets for them are sold separately and places are limited. Why is this experience worth the while? There are two reasons. First, from the top you will have the chance to see all of Barcelona, down to the port, where the huge cruise ships dock and hide not only the horizon, but also the whole sea. And second, there’s another wonder of math. Viewed from above, the spiral staircase you will descend follows the golden spiral of the Fibonacci sequence. There is no railing, so for the faint of heart the view may prove daunting. But it is unique. By the time you reach the bottom, the vertigo will make you feel like Alice in Wonderland. And no, you cannot use the elevator on the way down.
The towers of the temple are also important in another aspect - the acoustic one. Gaudi skillfully controlled not only light, but also sound. The thousands of small openings on the towers aim to distribute the sound of the bell ringing evenly, so that it can be heard from all corners of the city. In this way, the whole building becomes a huge musical instrument.
If you decide to visit the cathedral, be aware that the Sunday service lasts an hour, sometimes more, so you won't be able to get in before 10:00am on that day. On some others, access to the crypt only may be restricted due to church services. But you can watch them from the nave. If you can afford to take your time, you will surely enjoy the experience to the fullest.
You can view my original post in Bulgarian [here].(https://trafficnews.bg/turizam/sagrada-familiiakamenna-gora-sartseto-grada-252792/?fbclid=IwAR29cRwMRKA8M8KE-qLGT8CR7JbMpRHAhohYHay3seXXNDgp02hE9_WA78s)