We Are Familia

Even people who have never been to Spain know about the becoming-more-of-a-masterpiece everyday Sagrada Familia Temple. Designed by Antonio Gaudi, Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Temple is a religious experience. And I’m not a big temple or cathedral guy.

Gaudi designed the Sagrida Familia in 1882 and it’s been under construction ever since. And it’s not slated for completion for until at least 2035. Even longer than Boston’s engineering marvel "big dig” project. It’s a labor of love for this community. Craftspeople retire from their regular job, and then spend the twilight of their career leaving their mark on Sagrada Familia. And there’s so much work to be done. The temple is nearly impossible for my amateur photog skills to capture, hopefully these pics will drive you to visit the website at and make a donation. Donations, and the entry fees from visitors, fund this now modern day project. Visit the website to get more of a history and to take a virtual tour. Oh yeah, and donate a few dollars so that when you go to Sagrada Familia you will know you helped this community build a temple. www.sagradafamilia.org



Just as spectacular as the cathedral itself were the views from the tops. I’ve always been a fan of the view—I love looking out on the world from high up. Life seems more peaceful up there. Sweeping vistas of Barcelona gave us our first real views of the Olympic Village and the part of town completely revitalized by the 1992 Games. Once a destroyed beach and slum, it’s now a beautiful beach on the Mediterranean and the Olympic Village itself is now some of the most desirable real estate in town in which to live. Funny how that happens.




Gaudi once said "The patron of this project is not in a hurry." He knew this project would not be completed in his lifetime and he tasked many other creative people to help. Legend actually has it that the original plans for the Temple are lost. Gaudi’s leadership is one of the magical things about this project. Gaudi “got it” when it came to encouraging others to do only those things at which they excel. He discovered his strengths way before HR geeks like me bought the book, went to the class, and now get others to buy into it. I love finding the connections between past and present.



And on the subject of familia, we missed George Michael by just one day.