In the forest at Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Before leaving Barcelona, Nicholas and I met fellow Seattle-ite and amazing Urban Sketcher Gail Wong and her husband John at Gaudí's Sagrada Familia.  I found Gail mid-sketch in the Basilica!

Construction of the building began in 1882.  It is truly other-worldly...so organic in feel, especially on the outside, but inside it's actually smaller, brighter (lots of light inside) and less textured than I expected.  Nicholas went up the tower elevator, which even he said was "sketchy"-- not for anyone with vertigo or for younger kids, as there is not much in the way of railings and long views down the center of the circular stairs to the floor way way below.  I'm glad I sketched on the ground instead!

This basilica sketch is one of the most challenging sketches I've ever done, as there is so much going on.  The columns are actually different heights and canted in Gaudí's famous hyperboloid curves, and we learned from John, different colors because they are built from different stones based on their ability to carry different building loads.  The effect of looking up and feeling as if you are in a forest peering into the tree canopy is really interesting.

Outside, it was SUNNY, HOT, and humid.

Basilica interior at Gaudí's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

2 minute detail of Sagrada Familia exterior

Sketched sitting on the ground across the street from the Sagrada Familia
with tourists constantly stopping right in front of me to snap a photo.
This is the Passion Facade, construction began in 1954. It is much more
austere than the other side, the Nativity facade which was built
much earlier.  It looks like Gaudí built drip sand castles on the
beaches of Barcelona when he was a child.