So maybe it was because it was my third attempt, or maybe it's because the deadline for my dissertation is swiftly approaching and I still need to write 8,000 words, or maybe not, but once I finally got inside the infamous Sagrada Family Church today ('sagrada,' for the uninitiated, means 'holy,' lest you think as I did not-too-long ago that the 'Sagrada's' must have made a handsome endowment for the construction of this ecclesiastical edifice) I thought: "I woke early, basted myself in sunscreen, and trudged up a hill for....
...this??"
You see, the church isn't finished. Which I totally knew going into the pilgrimage, but since it's been under construction for about 90 years, and everyone raves so much about it, I thought it would be, well... a little further along.
But no. It's really not finished. Like, the bathrooms don't even have soap not finished.
And I hope the altars to carbonated beverages are not going to be permanent fixtures.
So, if you're in Barcelona and have some time to kill (i.e. do not have a pressing deadline for a several-thousand word dissertation), or if you're an engineer like my dad who probably would appreciate the church in this state more than he would the finished product, then go ahead and make a serious effort to see the Sagrada.
Otherwise, I'd enjoy the view from the outside and wait to come back in 2028 when it's done.The other moral of this story: go with the flow, if life makes something really really difficult for you to do.... it's probably trying to tell you something.
Okay now, cynicism aside... a few of the actual aesthetic aspects...Enjoy!
The pillars are meant to resemble trees.
And! Haha! Just across the street from The House of God... what do we have here, but The House of Jamon... as if to somehow venerate and simultaneously remind exiting Sagrada-ites of the devotion owed to the holy ham.
And you totally thought I was exaggerating when I said the Spaniards deem their cured pig sacred... you know you did.
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2 comments:
Sorry to hear about your experience inside the church. I must say though it's making me feel SO much better for having not gone in when I was there with my familia.
Hope the dissertation is coming along well!
di - glad my experience helped alleviate some of your tourist-regret!
however, an aficionado of architecture recently informed me that if i'd shelled out for the tape-tour i would have found the experience well worth it. not sure i'm convinced, but it's something to keep in mind...
dissertation is going! i've become a hermit!
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