After staying until closing of Tibidabo the night before and not getting home until 11pm and not to sleep until a while later (and in general, staying on a schedule of going to bed late and sleeping in the next morning), it was ROUGH waking up to our 6am alarm. But we did it and were out the door by 6:30 to catch our 6:45am bus which took us to Park Guell. We wanted to get to the park no later than 7:30am because 1) it's quiet and it's not crowded - much more enjoyable and lots more opportunities for pictures and 2) after 8:00am, they start charging money for entry and you have to get timed entry tickets. And any time you are traveling with 6 people, making everything you do cost 6x as much, you take advantage of free admission whenever you can, even if it means getting up at 6am!
The famous mosaic lizard at the entrance.
Park Guell was another Gaudi creation, which was started in at the turn of the century in 1900.
At the top, there is a really long bench that swirls and curves around the whole top of the park and it is all covered in mosaics.
Me and my baby
Park Guell..... you were worth the early morning wake up call!
Since we rushed out the door so early, we didn't have time to eat. So after leaving Park Guell, we headed to a Spanish pastry shop and found a playground to sit and enjoy our treats while the kids played.
We had a "Gaudi-themed" day planned. So next, we headed to his "Red House" which is currently a private residence, located at 75 Pauda Street.
It was built in 1903.
Casa Vicens
This was Gaudi's first masterpiece.
And in front of it is my last masterpiece.
Casa Mila
Casa Batllo
While many of the Gaudi homes and buildings and masterpieces, we just oohed and awed from the outside, Casa Batllo was one we decided to go inside and do the full tour.
It was really cool, because the audio guide they gave us came with an smart-phone type device that used to give you a "virtual" experience and look of the house. For example, in order to accommodate all the visitors, there was very limited furniture in the home. But if you held up the phone, it showed all the furniture and rugs and everything in the home. When you held it up to the fireplace, it showed a glowing, crackling fireplace in there, etc. It was really cool!
There was a place where you could stop and record your thoughts on the home and all three girls wanted to leave messages.
Outside courtyard of Casa Batllo
Then it was lunch time!
Spanish tortillas and paella!
La Placa de Catalunya
Oh my gosh, the kids couldn't get enough of this! The plaza was COVERED with pigeons. We fed them and watched them and waited for them to come sit on our hands and arms and heads. As you can see here, Tanner had food all up his arm and on his shoulders waiting for his fowl friends to visit.
And then we headed to Dave's mission home!
He served in the Barcelona mission (the "Lighthouse mission") from 1997 to 1999.
Being back here, brought back a lot of memories!
We went inside and talked to the missionaries working in the office. And Dave had a lot of fun looking around and seeing what was the same and what was different. He spent his first night in Barcelona as a missionary here in this home.
I loved the kids being able to see where he served his mission, hear him speak the language and re-live some of those memories with him.
Hard to believe, he returned from his two-year church mission 20 years ago!
Dave heard there was a Haribo (his favorite candy, but only the Haribo that is actually MADE in Europe. He can absolutely taste the difference and he orders all his Haribo gummies online directly from Europe). So, he was determined to make it to this store!
And then for the major highlight of our Gaudi-themed day (with a smattering of other things).....
Sagrada Familia!!
Learning about the outside....
And then going inside!
Dave and I were last here 10 years ago and couldn't believe how much progress has been made during that time. This magnificent cathedral is still in the process of being built, but it is expected to be completed in 2026.
It is the ultimate masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi and has been "in the works" for 135 YEARS!
Soaking it all in from the pews.
Everywhere you look - up, down, side to side - you see unbelievable detail and architectural genius.
While sitting in the pews, I told the kids to reflect and pray if they wanted to.
Ella prayed herself right to sleep.
I'm not sure how many people can say they've taken a nap at Sagrada Familia.... but Ella can!
The stained glass windows were amazing!
The different parts of the building (depending on height and side of the building) reflected different light. It was pretty remarkable.
Next, we went to the top!
Look how high up! That is Lacey's head peaking up and you can't even see the bottom. But this staircase twirls down for a very, very, very long time!
Up at the very top!
There is a little bridge that connects the two tours. Here we are in the middle of that bridge.
Hi Tanner! Hi Dave!
Holding my baby at the tippy top of Sagrada.
It was cool to see the details of the upper spires from such a close range.
There were a couple little balconies off the towers on the way down where you could stop and see the views of city, while reflecting where you were while seeing those views. Pretty cool!
Down, down, down we go..... Hi Lacey!
Family selfie at the top of Sagrada, while on the bridge.
We finally made our way down and came to famous doors that leave the cathedral.
We tried this shot a million times. Ella could never quite get it ;)
My Familia..... at Sagrada Familia.
One more time.... Ella finally got her feet off the ground!
So glad we got to experience this together.
We ended our day by heading to the night-time water fountain show.
It was a beautiful evening and a beautiful sight!
The show went on for over half an hour and was all set to music.
Pretty cool way to end a pretty cool day.
