The construction of La Sagrada Familia started in 1882. It remains unfinished, though nearing completion, until this time. The construction has outlived its chief architect, Antoni Gaudi. Other architects have stepped in to continue with the work on its original design. It will soon be the largest Catholic church.

Exploring the city

We had very few activities lined up for our first day in Barcelona. It was an early arrival from Valencia and it was too early to check in our hotel room. We took this as a good opportunity to stretch our limbs by walking around the city and explore. La Sagrada Familia was a good place to start. Our booking for a tour was not going to be until the next day.

Valencia

We just arrived from Valencia, Spain. We liked Valencia. It was urban and yet laid-back at the same time. Close enough to the sea for comfortable humidity but not too hot when we were there. It can get really hot in Valencia during the summer months. There were also a lot of expats in Valencia. It was worth thinking about the idea of settling in Valencia … maybe.

We were walking and exploring La Sagrada Familia from outside. The towering church was impressive as we were viewing it from the streets. Pedestrians were everywhere surrounding the vicinity of the church. Stores and vendors were doing good business with the pedestrians. A few of the adjacent buildings have good viewing decks facing the church. Some of them were easily accessible. Some were requiring advanced booking to reserve the choice seats. We thought of walking in to the church through one of its gated entrances. Security was monitoring entry and we knew that they will be looking for entry tickets.

We headed for Casa Mila after exploring the surroundings of the church. Antoni Gaudi was also its architect. We had already purchased tickets to tour Casa Mila. Our hotel room will be ready by the time we finish with our tour.