Where you enter Sagrada Familia.
A trip to Barcelona isn’t complete without going inside the iconic, yet incomplete landmark, the basilica Sagrada Familia. Just seeing it (outside) with your own eyes isn’t enough. You need to get tickets (in advance) to go inside.
Sagrada Familia isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen, especially lately with the Orthodox churches I’ve seen in Russia, like the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg or St. Basil’s in Red Square.
Sagrada Familia is different because of the architecture. Antoni Gaudi was way ahead of his time, to say the least. Hopefully the whole thing will be finished by the target year, 2026, which will be 100 years since his death.
Anyway, it’s easy to admire the outside, but nobody shows you inside. I’m not sure how you’re expecting it to look. I expected the inside to be just as detailed, but it isn’t. I was surprised, and I’d love to hear your reactions. 
This is the first view you get when you walk in.
Looking up (behind me) at the entrance.
Here’s a panorama of when you enter. I love the stained glass on each side. ↓
You actually enter from a side entrance. From there, there’s a bit to see to your right, but naturally, you’ll spend most of your time going down the longer part of the cross. Here’s a model of the inside of the cathedral. ↓
You enter from the right side and exit the left.
Here’s the view looking straight down the centre. ↓
For me, the highlight of Sagrada Familia is the incredible light coming in from the stained glass windows. If you’re facing the back of the basilica with the view in the previous photo behind you, you’ll get incredible leafy-greens and ocean blues on your right and gorgeous red and orange like fall leaves. Which side do you like better?
Here’s the other side. ↓
Don’t forget to look straight up at the ceiling. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a church ceiling like this, mind you that’s because Gaudi wanted the columns to be like trees so that the inside would look like a forest. He believed that you’re closest to God in the forest, the heart of nature. ↓
What do you like most about Sagrada Familia?
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