

Gaudí’s Great Temple - Hooke
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/jun/25/antoni-gaudis-great-temple/

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te_chris
I'm in holiday in Barcelona at the moment and visited the sagrada familia
today. It is truly breathtaking. I honestly wasn't prepared for how incredible
it is on the inside.

I've long since left the church, but in the building I understood and felt a
connection to the kind of spirituality that the building is meant to impart.

It is a magical place.

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dkn
I was there last summer, and felt exactly the same as you. Truly remarkable,
the impression left upon me.

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ojbyrne
I have a couple of wide-angle pictures I took inside this past February. I
think they capture the magic of the nave better than the picture in the
article:

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/ojbyrne/16528392319](https://www.flickr.com/photos/ojbyrne/16528392319)

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/ojbyrne/16714574002](https://www.flickr.com/photos/ojbyrne/16714574002)

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riffraff
thanks for sharing! I was there some twelve years ago and it seems a lot of
changes happened. It is marvelous to see this work actually evolve in my
lifetime, and I have, since I was a kid, hoped to get to see the finished
work...

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gjkood
Two things that amazed me when I visited it years ago:

1\. The concept of long term planning (or rather fits and starts) in building
these monuments. The construction time scale is in the centuries.

2\. The character of the various architects (Gaudi, Subirachs et al) that were
involved at each stage of construction reflected in different parts of the
church.

It makes us think of the relationship between our insignificant lifetimes
compared to the institutions that endure long after we are gone.

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calgoo
I live about 1km away from the Church, and walk by it on a weekly basis. The
only issue we locals have with it sometimes is the amount of tourists around
it, especially when your on your way home from work :P I was there two
weekends ago at the baptism of a friends kid, which was an experience as it
was a "express service" with 15 kids baptized in 30 min.

Edit [spelling]

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devindotcom
Not that you can easily escape it, but if you are ever visiting Barcelona
(wonderful city) be sure to drop by the church - but don't forget to visit his
many other little pieces throughout the area. Highly unique, and highly
refined.

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gjkood
Beautiful, beautiful city (not to mention the people, the food). One of the
high points in my life was spending 3 months there. Every little building has
some unique architectural detail.

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nextos
As a fun point this magnificent building was chosen as cover for Concepts,
Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming:

[https://www.info.ucl.ac.be/~pvr/bookcover.html](https://www.info.ucl.ac.be/~pvr/bookcover.html)

They did so because it's a pretty good example of multi-paradigm architecture,
and the book is all about multi-paradigm programming.

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bryang
It doesn't surprise me, but I am amazed every time I see something like this
and realize all over again just how little of the world I've seen.

I would suppose I've traveled more than the average individual, but I'm still
missing out on so many things. This type first-hand cultural learning is what
truly excites me.

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amelius
If you go there, make sure you buy the ticket online, otherwise you'll have to
stand in a line for an hour.

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eb0la
If you're a photo enthusiast, go UP and visit the towers - you can grab great
pictures from the towers (best in the afternoon so the sun won't spoil the
photos with the sea).

I _highly_ recommend to visit later Casa Batllo (also from Gaudi - 30minutes
walking / 15 minutes metro) and enjoy the views of the sagrada familia and the
city from the rooftop.

If you plan to visit Park Güel do it early in the morning before 1) it's too
hot and 2) before you get tired/hungry - I found the park is too far from
downtown. Use public transport!

