One of the major sights that everyone must see in Barcelona is La Sagrada Familia. This is a Minor Basilica that is the master work of famous architect Antoni Gaudi. This iconic structure is actually still under construction (it was started in 1882).
I took the audio tour, which I highly recommend. The audio actually help give me a larger appreciation for every aspect of the basilica because I understood the meaning behind everything Gaudi planned.
The outside of the basilica has two parts. The entrance façade (at least it is the entrance of the tour) depicts the Nativity of Jesus.
The backside of the basilica depicts the Passion of Jesus, including his crucifixion. It is a very emotional look at the scriptures told through beautiful stone structures.
The inside of the basilica is lite up by all of the stained glass windows. The rainbow of colors filled this magnificent structure with warm and cool light. I took lots of pictures to share but they truly do not do justice to seeing this breathtaking color in person.
After taking the tour I found myself to be a little hungry. To my ultimate delight I found Xurreria Sagrada Familia right across the street from the basilica.
This little shop was making homemade, fresh, hot churros. I was so excited as soon as I saw them. They have been serving up these sweet treats since 1950.
They had churros filled with everything from cream, Nutella, white chocolate, and even different fruit jams.
I grabbed one of the churros stuffed with cream. It had just come out of the fryer. They also covered the outside in sugar (you do not have to get it this way, it is optional). The cream was more like a vanilla pudding.
The churro was nice and hot so it made the cream warm too. The freshness was overwhelming, but in a good way. The dough was soft with only a slight crunch on the outside from the dough being fried and covered in sugar. The dough was also light, not dense at all which was nice. It did not take me long to finish the churro.
It was really cool to watch them actually make the churros. The batter went into this large dispenser that pushed it out directly into the piping hot oil. The guy working the machine then cut the dough right before it went into the oil. He worked so fast masking each batch of churros. Very cool to watch.
I highly recommend stopping by Xurreria either before or after a visit to Sagrada Familia. It was one of the only places where I saw churros being made fresh. They are a must have.
Enjoy!
T
