I'd seen still photos and even videos of this church. Nothing, I really mean nothing, prepared me for the sight of it when approaching on foot. I was actually stunned. Jetlagged and exhausted, worn out and overheated--suddenly there it/she was. Big, really big! Emotional, bold, fantastically detailed. As much of a surprise as anything were the construction trailers, big blue construction cranes and usual sorts of building gear. This building might be finished in 50 years, perhaps!

Religious services are now held in part of this church. Progress is being made. Can you imagine a wedding here? Fantastic! Begun in 1883 it is now approaching the building time of an ancient cathedral. Ride to the top on a clear day for a fantastic view of Barcelona (about $6.00).

Her footings are surrounded by hawkers, street performers, food stands, shops selling pseudo religious items. Also pickpockets that work though the crowds of people looking up! I hope that when the church is finished most of this clutter is moved away. Perhaps some of the buildings that are much too close can also be removed also to give visitors a better view.

Well, building removal is highly unlikely as many are apartment buildings with shops at street level. At least one building has incredible views of the church at remarkably close range.

When I return to Barcelona, I will take much more time to study and enjoy this building. There is so much detail, binoculars are a good idea. I am amazed when I look at my own photos. So much I didn't see 'live'.

Consider this fact: Gaudi spent the majority of his life working on this building, his masterpiece, and still only managed to finish under a quarter of it. Such is the scale of grandeur and excessiveness of the Temple Expiatori de La Sagrada Familia. It is estimated that another one hundred years, and major investment, is required for the church to be finished, but if the Japanese tourists keep turning up and the corporations continue to pour money in, it may be sooner rather than later that we see the completion of this magnifcent monument.

That leads to another discussion you have to bear in mind when viewing Gaudi's chef d'oeuvre - should the constructors of the New Millenium stick to Gaudi's plans, or should they do what they believe Gaudi WOULD have done if he lived now? Of course, the original plans were burnt during the Franco dictatorship, as they were thought to promote anti-centralist rule and regionalist triumphalism. So when you see the contrasting styles of the Gaudi original 'Nacimiento' (Birth) façade and the modern 'Pasión'(Passion) façade... you can make your own mind up.

It's best to go to Sagrada Familia on a sunny clear day, to ensure great backgrounds to your photos, to get the best out of the stonework, and to enjoy views from the hieghts of one of the existing eight steeples.

Enjoy the organic nature of Gaudi, and appreciate how his aim was to make the building seem like part of the landscape, rather than something that had been built into it. The flora and fruit decorating, and being inherent, in the design, help to achieve this effect.

This is a must for visitors to Barça, as it sets the tone for the rest of the city.

Francesco de Paula Villar drew up the original plans for the Sagrada Família and Gaudí took over in 1883. He directed the work on the cathedral, which in Gaudí's vision was the great modern church that Barcelona needed, until his death in 1926. Even now, more than a hundred years later, work on the cathedral is still not finished. The Sagrada is one of Barcelona's most famous tourist attractions, so expect crowds and long lines when you want to enter the cathedral.

Approach Sagrada Familia (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) from a distance – it takes that to bring the whole project into focus. There is a wonderful park across the street where you can stand back and appreciate some of the magnificence of his creation.

What started as the idea of a bookseller – Josep Maria Boscabella – returning from Rome, a stop in Loreta inspired him to make an expiatory temple in his home of Barcelona that was dedicated to the Holy Family. After disagreements with the first architect whose vision was traditionally neo-gothic, a friend of one of the men on the council brought his friend, named Antoni Gaudi, on board – the rest is history.

This is Gaudí's greatest and most enduring masterpiece. In 1883, a year after work had begun on a Neo-Gothic church, the task of completing it was given to Gaudí, 31 at the time, and he changed everything. It became his life's work – 43 years of dedication - he lived on site for 16 of those years. Only one tower had been completed before his death – he was knocked down and killed by a tram in front of the project in 1926. He knew he would not complete it in his lifetime and was said to have thought it could take another hundred years. I was awestruck to think that he started building this when my grandfather was born – and overwhelmed when I realized it would not be finished in my lifetime.

What we most loved in Gaudí's architecture was its organic feeling – he honored nature in organic structure and symbolism. The columns in the interior are designed to look like trees, when you look up it’s like being in a forest. His design for the spires was said to have been inspired by the jagged profile of Montserrat.

This unfinished church is a symbolic structure with three main façades representing the Nativity on the east, the Passion and Death on the west, and the Glory planned on the south. The scheme of four towers on each façade represents the twelve Apostles. The dome crowning the apse is the symbol of the Virgin. The naves are supported by a complicated structural system of inclined columns and arches. The wall of the apse is adorned with unusual and original plant and animal motifs. The Nativity façade is decorated with organic forms, and its four 107 meter spires with polychrome mosaics crown the facades three doors. The west façade is in an advanced stage of construction, undertaken by a group of architects following Gaudi's original design.

Be sure to take the elevator to the top and look down into this creation. We returned many times over the 2 weeks we were in and around Barcelona – the play of sun bouncing off the organic angles was fascinating and inspiring. The play of the twilight and moon was mesmerizing. Thank you, Mr. Gaudi, for this gift to humanity.

Antonio Gaudi’s masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia, is one of the most recognized cathedrals in Europe. Born during the Catalonian "La Renaixença" near the turn of the last century, it is yet to be completed. Seven spires remain to be built and perhaps one day a roof will cover the main sanctuaries. It‘s hard to say, as Gaudi met his untimely demise before he could clearly illustrate his intentions for the balance of the structure. One thing remains clear; Sagrada Familia represents some of the past century’s most stunning creativity in terms of architectural innovation and showcases Gaudi‘s devotion to the Catalonian spirit.

It helps to visit a few of Gaudi’s ground-breaking and renown designs prior to absorbing the magnitude of Sagrada Familia, his masterwork. Stroll down the Passea de Gracia and locate the five story townhouse of La Casa Battlo, loaded with metaphysical images and whimsy which could be mistaken for child’s play in lesser hands. Look for the balconies protecting residents from foreign streets in the form of conquistador masks while the exterior resembles a scaly sea creature. At the top of Pedrera be alert for the smokestacks that take human form, appearing as if they were cloaked sand raiders from Star Wars. Or notice the serpentine, colorful mosaics and castles forming the railings and walls at Parc Guell that provoke both fright and delight in visitors of any age.

Most of Gaudi’s images represent powerful links to universal icons that call to the deep corners of the soul and mind, touching us in an iconoclastic and indescribable way by forcing an emotional expression that finds few outlets in everyday life. True art accomplishes this brilliantly and differentiates itself from the merely "odd" or "weird." You don’t have to be an art critic to know it when you see it and millions of people do, from the residents of Barcelona who claim Gaudi as their local hero, to the travelers who venture down the coast of Spain merely to catch a glimpse of his impossibly original and executed works along with the Sagrada Familia.

Coming upon this weird, wonderful structure tucked into an unsuspecting everyday neighborhood (as Gaudi wanted it to be), overpowers like an emotional transfusion. It touches the macabre, sacred, fanciful, and childlike places in the psyche, as well it should. The three main facades represent the Nativity, Passion and Glory of the life of Christ. Study the immense variety of detail, as confluent styles conspire to create the whole, great sum of the parts. From one angle a sweet wedding cake, from another a Salvador Dali nightmare; at once a child’s sand sculpture and a studied genius’ unique vision. It’s as if every piece of stone, glass, cement and mortar is infused with the spirit of its astute creator yet reaches beyond through its twelve apostolic spires in reverence to the Creator of all. A church, in the most inspired sense of the word. Art without a doubt.