La Sagrada Familia

Bucket list dream achieved

One thing I loved about this pre-planned trip was that it included Barcelona. It's unsurprising because I'm not sure you should go to Spain if you can't see Barcelona while you're there. Another thing I loved about this trip was that Barcelona was the last stop. La Sagrada Familia has been a bucket list destination for me since I learned about it in college art history class. I have been fascinated with it ever since. I've been so intrigued by all the colors inside and if you're familiar with my photography, you know how much I love colored light that touches other surfaces.

When we drove into Barcelona the evening before, we got a glimpse of the outside and it made me emotional to be so close to something I've admired for so long. Of course the real experience was when we finally got to go inside. Our local tour guide was giving us an incredibly detailed tour of the exterior (the Nativity facade, if you're familiar) and while it was very informative, all I wanted to do was get inside so Paul and I snuck off while keeping tabs on our group. It was stunning. I did cry a little and I'm glad I did. It was all part of the impactful experience. It felt a little like meeting your favorite celebrity but then again, I wouldn't really know because I haven't met Robert Downey Jr. or Blue, the Colts mascot. The light was everything I hoped it would be. I did two full passes, one with each lens that I brought. It's hard to describe the actual experience except to say that I loved it. Later, when I added it to my map of churches that I've photographed, I got emotional all over again. I could have spent hours there but the 30 minute experience will just have to do. ...for now.