Day 9-13:

¡Hola amigos! ¡Ahora estamos en España! Wow, we are now in the iconic city of Barcelona, Spain! I can finally take advantage of speaking Spanish to people! On the whole flight to Barcelona, I told myself I was only a day away from seeing my favorite building on Earth. Can you guess it? I think you can because it's obvious. It’s La Sagrada Familia!

On our way to our hotel, from the private coach window, I automatically noticed that Barcelona’s architecture is so artistic and expressive that I saw it in the material, volumetric shapes, and their balconies. Every apartment/condominium has its unique personality, which is demonstrated very well through material language. We went to the Gothic Quarter when we settled into our hotel. It was the first Gothic cathedral we had been to throughout the trip. When I went inside, I got a dark, eerie feeling compared to some basilicas illuminated with gold and white. But I loved how the rose windows were, and I adored the rose windows and their vibrant colors.

The next day was Gaudí Day, where we visited Casa Mila, Casa Batlló, and La Sagrada Familia. From all three of these sites, I started to see how Guadi is such a great example of using his creative imagination from being inspired by nature and creating it into real-life buildings. It was a warm feeling for me. I didn’t know that Guadi got his inspiration from nature, whether from a pinecone, a seashell, or trees. The nature that surrounds us daily was incorporated into his buildings so vibrantly and expressively to make his vision a reality. I remember just being in awe after the videos that were made in Casa Mila because they reignited the spark in my creativity when designing. Gaudí even designed and articulated the structural supports of the homes so uniquely, not so generic. Guadi set a high example for demonstrating that looking to nature and applying it to real-life architecture is possible and embracing my love for the Lord’s creation.

When it was Park Guell Day, it was such a journey because every tour I took with a group would lead us to something completely different. It was amazing to see all the various shards of glass to create one mosaic. After spending 4 days in Barcelona, it became a city that I fell in love with! I love the energy, vibrancy, and culture of Barcelona. Also, the moments we got to see the Barcelona Pavilion demonstrated the complete contrast of style and how the material language can shape how someone feels and experiences within the spaces. Some parts of me are still processing, and I have seen tremendous works of architecture that will inspire me as an architecture student to keep embracing them. I’ll see you at the next stop; we're off to Bilbao!