For my pal Ms Daisy....because she asked so nicely!

After you have torn your eyes away from the ceiling, you start to take in small vignettes, details.
There is still a place for the traditional features, harking back to the history of churches, stained glass, Gothic windows. 

 Then you look towards the altar. I found this so beautiful.

 

This is a Catholic church, so the crucifix looms large. But I found the figure of Jesus more in the spirit of new beginnings, than the agony of death. The figure is already looking upwards, striving to reach heaven and be with his Father. The canopy is also adorned with a rich harvest, a promise of new life. (phew that was philosophical wasn't it but it was how I felt)

 The sun comes out to play, casting light onto the pillars

Each side of the church is adorned with stained glass, one side being coloured primarily in greens and blues....the natural side, new beginnings

The other side being coloured in reds and oranges, signifying pain, destruction and endings. 

These are the doors to the other entrance, whereas the doors we entered were pretty and natural, these were more austere.
They were textured to look like carved wooden doors but they are heavy cast bronze.
I have forgotten exactly what the words mean, but if my memory serves me right I think it is religious expressions written out in all languages.  
 

 We are now standing outside the doors looking up over the entrance. A complete contrast to the other side. Here we have the Passion of Christ.
This was commissioned and completed after Gaudis death, the artist has looked at drawings and concepts that Gaudi had started on and interpreted them.

St Peter, refusing Jesus three times

 Judas with his hand after accepting the coins.

 This is a clever mathematical thingy, every line adds up to 33, the age Jesus was when he died. There were some other clever maths symbolism to do with dates but I sorta zoned out a little....as I always did in class too!

 The artist made one of the statues with Gaudis face....and the soldiers helmets have a reference to the design on some of the chimney pots on Gaudis buildings

 We got to see a reconstruction of the workroom where Gaudis genius was translated to plans

 

 I really struggled to get the best shot of this building. But this was the school house Gaudi had built for the workers children. He could quite legitimately put up 4 slab walls, peaked roof. Quick and easy. 
But no! There were no straight surfaces, the walls and roof undulated. Again no computer aided design, I don't know how the bricklayers managed it. The roof has steel beams.....again how advanced was this man? There are only one or two pillars inside so floor space is maximised. The children must have been so happy to work in this magical space.

(took this image from the internet)

(and this is from the internet too!!)

 Under this magnificent church is the original church. A window allows the visitors to peek in to what is still a working place of worship, this is where the regular parishioners come to seek peace, and light candles for this extraordinary man, whose crypt is placed where he lived and died making this world a little more beautiful.

 Quite an appropriate Easter posting. I hope you enjoyed the tour.

(I guarantee these are all my own pictures....except the two I did get from the internet.....because I could not illustrate the whole beauty of that school room)
I encourage you to seek further pictures, you will probably see more professional shots but this is my online diary, and my interpretation of a wonderful time on my holiday.....thank you for joining me here.