There is an amazing courtyard with fountains and geese right in the middle of the Barcelona Cathedral.

One of the spires of the Barcelona Cathedral.

The rooftops of Barcelona, looking east from the roof of the Cathedral.

Watching the seals at the zoo, especially on a nice sunny day, was one of our favorite past times.

Walking up the Passeig de Gracia, one first encounters these two architectural gems.  Private homes that wealthy merchants, bringing their riches home from the New World, hired renowned architects to design and build, inside and out, right down to the furniture.

The facade of the Casa Mila.

The Passion Facade of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, intentional left by Gaudi to be completed by those who followed.

The Temple Expiatori de las Sagrada Familia is very much a work in progress, entirely financed by private contributions.  Gaudi spent much of his time during his later years, going door to door asking for contributions to help realize his greatest achievement.

The Nativity Facade of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.

A view of NE Barcelona from one of the towers in the Nativity Facade.

The newest section of the temple which boasts a fruit theme.

The architectural school that sits just outside the Sagrada Familia temple, an architectural marvel in its own right.

The longest bench in the world.  It weaves its way around the perimeter of the park that sits atop the would-be "marketplace" in Park Guell, the aborted upscale residential real estate project that Guell hired Gaudi to design.

Gaudi's famous dragon, seen from above, at the entrance to Park Guell.