the chu's sweet home: Barcelona | Continue to Wander in Gaudí’s Masterpieces

2026.02.18 Sagrada Família/ Casa Milà, Barcelona, Spain

Day 3: We came to visit Gaudí’s most well-known masterpiece: Sagrada Família

Even in the slow season, Sagrada Família remains no.1 attraction in Barcelona, so it is always packed with lots of tourists. I couldn’t book the same time slot as Jess, so I spent the first 2.5 hours simply admiring it from the outside.

There are three main façade that represent the life of Jesus. While the Glory side is still under construction, the distinct designs of the Nativity & Passion sides clearly tell apart that they were made in different eras.

Nativity side was built during Antoni Gaudí's life time

Passion side by the sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs in the 80's

I decided not to go into the features and the history here because there are just too many. I really do think that being there in person, connecting with the details through the local tour guide, feels much more authentic than just reading about it.

With that being said, it is very necessary to walk through the church with a guided tour. Every stone laid, every statue sculpted, every word engraved has its own meaning and story.

It was finally my turn. I usually use “breaktaking” to describe mother nature. Upon entering the church, the man-made scenery right before me truly took my breath away. I finally understood why Europe is such a captivating destination…

The ceiling is held up by the columns that look like interwoven tree branes:

Sunlight filters through the stained glass window, shifting its direction as the day goes by.

The tour concluded with an opportunity to go up to one of the towers. We took the elevator up for the scenic view of Barcelona, and then slowly walk down the spiral staircase, which is about 15-17 stories high...

Jess might have spent nearly three more hours than me in the underground museum since her tour ended earlier than mine…

By the time we finally got to sit down and eat, it was already 2:30pm. We devoured an entire large plate of panini @Vivo Tapas.

Next stop - Casa Milà, another fancy building by Gaudí.

Unlike the colorful Casa Batilló, Casa Milà consists entirely of beige/stone architecture. No wonder it has earned its nickname La Pedrera (The Quarry)

This home was designed by Gaudí for the wealthy family Milà. A visit inside shows a rare look of the pre-WWI lifestyle of the rich people. The Milà family sure had a business mind that they only lived on one floor and rented out the rest as high-end apartment units.

Having visited Casa Batilló, we could tell the rooftop had Gaudí’s signature style all over.

A central courtyard is very common in Spanish architecture. However, it is rare to see the look like this looking up.

We then headed to our dinner reservation @Tablao Flamenco Cordobes. This place is a dinner show restaurant recommended by the online travel bloggers. While it’s a buffet style tapas cuisine, the food didn’t measure up to what we have had. A minor complaint, they kinda ruined the mood for using the other half of our table to discuss their food display (rolling my eyes).

Anyhow, the music and the dance were spectacular. As great as the show was, Flamenco isn’t really a Barcelona thing. If I were to pick again, I would probably save that for a trip to Madrid.