La Sagrada Familia

Today's walk was fairly short, including only two sites, but they were intense projects that I would say justify a whole day. I'll start from the end and work my way back. We went to the Hospital de Sant Pau. It was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner at the beginning of the 20th century. The hospital complex made me think a lot of Gaudi's work. It was a very peaceful place where you could imagine people don't mind being cooped up while being treated. An anomole in a world full of cold, poorly conceived big box hospitals covering the globe. There's aparently a lot of talk about turning it into a museum. Idiots. Aparently good architecture is so rare in the world, they all have to be museums lest they get used for something other than tourism.

We then went to Gaudi's masterpiece. La Sagrada Familia. A project that consumed all of his later life until his death in the 1920's. An interesting side note is that his design for the building coincided with trajic deaths of his friends and family members. He turned down all secular projects and devoted himself to this sanctuary. He only completed the north facade in his lifetime. Since then, a similar south facade was erected, but a stark contrast is evident. There was an intenseness in Gaudi's work, perhaps stemming from his personal connection with the project, that couldn't be replicated, unfortunately.

The building is massive, but the amazing thing is that the model shows it nearly twice as tall upon completion. Absolutely unreal. It's slated for completion in 2026, on the anniversary of Gaudi's death. If and when it happens, I'll definitely be coming back. Pretty remarkable.