Spain | Barcelona: Sagrada Família (Part 3)

After a night’s rest, I was pretty much back to normal. We had a few fried eggs for a simple breakfast and headed out. Honestly, figuring out “what to eat for breakfast” has been a daily struggle these past few days—we ended up eating fried eggs for five or six mornings in a row after that, hahaha.

Today we planned to start by climbing a small hill in the city center for a view of all of Barcelona, then head back down to that world-famous building—the Sagrada Família.

Getting up the hill meant taking the metro, transferring to a bus, and finally walking uphill for a bit. The route wasn’t all that complicated, but having just arrived in a foreign country, with no local guide, we still felt a little nervous heading out on our own.

We had a little incident while transferring to the bus—there were three stops near the station, and at first we had absolutely no idea which one we needed. We could only walk around and check the information at each stop before finally figuring out the right direction. Just as we breathed a sigh of relief, someone who looked homeless suddenly appeared nearby, walked straight into the road to stop a bus, and started banging on its windows. We were a little rattled at that moment and could only keep staring into the distance. Luckily, our bus finally pulled in, and we hurried aboard and left the scene.

While waiting for the bus, we also spotted a food delivery rider on a bicycle, wearing a helmet and waiting at a red light without the slightest hint of impatience. That… that damn laid-back attitude.

After a fairly demanding uphill walk, we finally reached the top. Honestly, the view was pretty great. In the distance, the Sagrada Família stood against the endless sea, and the whole city looked as if it were being gently cradled in the palm of a hand. Men and women sat on a raised platform nearby, some chatting, some lost in thought. It had a charm all its own.

Looking down over the whole city from the hilltop, Barcelona’s architectural style became immediately apparent—neat, square blocks, everything in perfect order. It was deeply satisfying to the obsessive neat freak in me.

Once we’d taken in the panoramic view of Barcelona, we continued walking toward the sea.

We also passed a nursing home along the way, with the sea right outside its floor-to-ceiling windows. So peaceful—it made me a little envious.

By the time we got down the hill, it was nearly noon. And of course, it was Sunday, so most restaurants here were closed for the day. A bit willful of them, huh~ But we spotted a restaurant around a corner, and naturally, we had to go have a meal. When the server came to take our order, we realized why this place was open: it was a Chinese restaurant, with a Chinese owner. Sure enough, we Chinese know how to do business, hahaha. We ordered stir-fried noodles, fries, and bread—a bit of a Chinese-Western mash-up. Umm… as for the taste, let’s leave that aside for now. Filling our stomachs was what really mattered.

After eating and taking a short break, we were finally off to today’s main event—the Sagrada Família. A few streets later, we arrived. My first glimpse of it stopped me in my tracks; it felt almost unreal. Then its architecture completely blew me away. The exterior walls were densely covered with carvings of stories from the Bible, and in the sunlight, the scenes on the stone walls looked vivid and alive.

After admiring the exquisite reliefs on the exterior walls, we joined the queue to go inside. You just scan your ticket code to enter, but make sure to buy tickets ahead of time on the official website. Same-day tickets are almost impossible to get in person, and they cost two euros more than online.

With our ticket codes scanned and checked, we officially entered the Sagrada Família. The moment I stepped inside, I was awestruck all over again. It wasn’t the kind of awe that overwhelms you with sheer grandeur, but something that strikes you and makes you quiet deep down. Light streamed through the lofty vaults and stained glass, falling onto the floor in a way that left me utterly amazed. It’s no exaggeration to say that even if you know absolutely nothing about architecture, you’ll be won over by the design and the interplay of light and shadow here.

When we came out of the Sagrada Família, sunset was approaching. We slowly walked all the way to the harbor, with a gentle sea breeze blowing, and came across a group practicing yoga in the sunset. All I can say is, that damn laid-back attitude really makes me jealous.

We wandered around the harbor, then went into a nearby mall and ordered a freshly baked Italian pizza. It certainly looked good, but the taste was just so-so. Honestly, it wasn’t as good as Domino’s, hahaha.

The ice cream here was also really good, with a very rich, creamy texture and relatively reasonable prices. Worth a try.

After finishing the pizza, we strolled slowly along the harbor, with distant lights reflected on the sea, and leisurely brought this lovely, relaxing day to a close.

Oh, right—I strongly recommend going into the Sagrada Família around four in the afternoon. The light at that time is absolutely incredible.