Spain Cruise: Barcelona Part 2
In this second post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores more of Barcelona, Spain on her Spanish Wine Discoveries Cruise on Azamara.
I am exploring the beautiful coast of Spain on my third cruise on Azamara. The 7-night “Spanish Wine Discoveries” cruise on Azamara Quest kicks off in Barcelona, Spain and wraps up in Lisbon, Portugal. Join me as I explore the many wonderful ports in Spain along the way! This post highlights my visit to the iconic La Sagrada Família.
Spanish Wine Discoveries Cruise Full Itinerary
Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about Pre-Cruise Day 2 in Barcelona, Spain. Looking for info on other stops? Check out the ‘Links’ section at the end of this post!
- Pre-Cruise Day 1 – April 7: Barcelona, Spain
- Pre-Cruise Day 2 – April 8: Barcelona, Spain
- Cruise Day 1 – April 9: Valencia, Spain
- Cruise Day 2 – April 10: Alicante, Spain
- Cruise Day 3 – April 11: Melilla, Spain
- Cruise Day 4 – April 12: Malaga, Spain
- Cruise Day 5 – April 13: Cadiz/Seville, Spain
- Cruise Day 6 – April 14: Lisbon, Portugal
La Sagrada Família
After a wonderful first day in Barcelona, I kicked off day two in Barcelona in style. The focus of my time today was spent at the glorious La Sagrada Família. This is another Antoni Gaudí masterpiece. This Basilica has quite an interesting story…it is still under construction more than 140 years after laying the cornerstone! The original design, by Francisco de Paula del Villar in 1882, was a very classic neo-Gothic style. Antoni Gaudí took over the project in 1883 while he continued to work on other buildings. By 1914, Gaudí was working exclusively on this project, which would continue until his death in 1926. Gaudí, of course, took the design in a whole new direction!
Exterior of La Sagrada Família
There are two primary façades of the Basilica: the Nativity façade (which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ), and the Passion façade (which tells the story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ). The Nativity façade, where the main entrance is, is bright and light and full of spring-like references. The Passion façade, however, is rather cold and simplistic.
Click through the slideshow below to see some images of the exterior of La Sagrada Família:
My first overall glimpse of the Passion façade 
Another angle of the Passion façade 
The soaring and ornate Nativity façade 
Details over the main entrance at the Nativity façade 
Closer view of the Passion façade. Each nook is part of the full story of the crucifixion, told in a Z-direction from the bottom left (Last Supper) to the top (the Crucifixion). 
One of the intricate doors at the Passion façade
Interior of La Sagrada Família
As marvelous as the exterior is, the interior is simply stunning. The symbolism from the exterior main façades is carried inside as well. The colors, for example, are very warm and inviting (reds, oranges, yellows) on the Nativity façade side. The colors on the Passion façade, in contrast, are cold and dark (blues and greens). Also, Gaudí has included many references to nature both inside and out, which is a key focus of most of his designs.
The stained glass here is lovely and very colorful. A closer look shows that the designs are very modern and minimalistic – very different from most other cathedrals and basilicas.
Passion Façade Tower
After a fascinating tour of the main exterior and interior spaces, I then continued my extended tour with a visit up to the top of the Passion façade tower. Fortunately, there is an elevator that takes visitors up to the top! Once at the top, there are several small look-out areas. You then take an interior, narrow, spiral staircase back down to the main level. Along the way down there are several more look-out areas. From these areas you can see some wonderful details of the exterior, as well as some sweeping views of Barcelona.
Some details of the exterior 
Gorgeous views of Barcelona 
Peeking out at Barcelona from a small nook on the way back down 
Such fascinating colors and shapes 
Enjoying the views from the top 
Part of the staircase heading back down 
Pausing in the staircase 
More magificent views 
Taking another quick selfie break! 
The intricate details are just marvelous 
Looking back up at the towers 
One last aerial view of the city 
Nearly back down to the ground level
Visiting the towers provides some mesmerizing views of Barcelona, as well as gives a wonderful opportunity to see some of the fantastic details of the building itself.
Boarding the Azamara Quest
After spending a wonderful morning exploring La Sagrada Família, I then walked back to my hotel. The walk itself was about a mile long, and I took my time to enjoy the sights and sounds of Barcelona on my way back. Once back at the hotel, I picked up my stored luggage and headed over to the port via taxi. I arrived at the ship just as check-in was starting. A smooth check-in process got me onboard quickly. I enjoyed a welcome glass of champagne while getting the mandatory safety briefing.
My Fabulous Suite
I had originally booked a small Continent Suite (really more of a Junior Suite, a larger version of the veranda cabins I have had on prior Azamara cruises) for this cruise since they were having a wonderful upgrade sale at the time I made the booking. I was then given the option to bid for a larger suite before sailing. Luckily, they accepted my (relatively small!) bid and I got upgraded to a lush Ocean Suite! While I absolutely loved my suite, it is definitely going to make it nearly impossible to go back to a ‘regular’ cabin!
My luxurious home-away-from-home for seven nights measures about 500 square feet, with an additional 233 square feet on the veranda. It has a spacious living room with a dining area, a separate master bedroom, and a glorious master bathroom with rainfall shower and separate soaking tub. The veranda includes two lounge chairs, two deck chairs, and a dining table with two additional chairs. My suite was on Deck 6, right at the front of the ship.
Sail-Away from Barcelona
I took some time to unpack (while admittedly giddily “oooh-ing and aaah-ing” about how fab my suite was!). After unpacking and settling in, I headed up to the pool deck to enjoy the sail-away from Barcelona. I sipped on a festive cocktail (no idea what was actually in it!), danced to the wonderful house band rocking out on stage, and enjoyed the last views of Barcelona.
After sail-away I did a quick wardrobe change and headed into Discoveries, the main dining room, for my first delicious dinner onboard. Starter: beef carpaccio, Main Course: seafood paella, Dessert: mango and papaya sabayon with lychee sorbet. I topped it all off with a refreshing French Martini in the lounge.
My first night onboard wrapped up with the Captain’s Toast, which included an introduction to the senior officers of the ship. I was definitely in good hands on this cruise!
Conclusion
My second full day in Barcelona was just as wonderful as my first. La Sagrada Família is probably the most recognizable and well-known landmark in Barcelona, and for good reason. Both the interior and the exterior were simply stunning. Extending my tour by going up in one of the towers was the icing on the cake, providing breathtaking views of both the building itself and the city as a whole. My time spent in Barcelona definitely started this trip off very well, and the good vibes continued all throughout the cruise! Stay tuned for more details about the rest of the cruise in future posts.
Links
Check the main page for this cruise to read more about my adventures:
Click the button below for more information about Azamara:
