Nikki Yeager

My third day in Madrid was the exact opposite of my first two. Instead of spending time with my host and having an instant group of borrowed friends surrounding me, I opted for long stretches of alone time seeing the most touristy sights possible - Sagrada Familia, Barri Gotic, La Ramba and Parc Guell. And for those of you who are curious, I did break down and spend the 20E on a big red, doubledecker, tour bus. Because I'm just that cool. 

First stop was Sagrada Familia where I discovered (and then fell in love with) Gaudi*. In Barcelona, every tour and every brochure seems to revolve around Antoni Gaudi, the famous architect and after stepping foot inside his huge church, I can finally understand why. The outside of the cathedral was so intricately designed that even with a 10 minute examination, there were still carvings and details yet to be seen. But that didn't do much but intrigue me so I wondered inside to see what all the fuss was about. 

First step into the doors and I immediately stopped, tilted my head back, and stood there with my mouth hanging open. 

And the group of visitors behind me smacked right into me. Which brought me back to reality. For about 5 seconds. Then I managed to find a nice column to stand next to and continue staring dumbly above me. 

The church was unlike anything I've ever seen. Aside from it bearing Gaudi's obvious nature-oriented aesthetic, it seemed to embody the joyous feeling of "catching the spirit". It seemed fitting if the entire building was filled with millions of shouting, screaming, baptists with a smile on their face. Instead of evoked God-fearing feelings, it made me want to jump up and dance. Sing. Smile. Joke. As if Christianity is supposed to be an elated religion, rather than a stern and stiff-faced one. 

For about an hour and a half I stood there, soaking it in. By the time I managed to drag myself out of the building I was ready to be one of the zillions of Gaudi-obsessed tourists. So off to his failed residential neighborhood - Parc Guell - I went! 

Which is going to have to be another blog post because my laundry is finally done and there are more sights to see!!

*Just FYI: The word 'gaudy' does not come from the name 'Gaudi'. I looked it up because it was driving me insane.