Dads love trivia, don’t they? Some know baseball inside and out. Others know their WWII battles.

My dad knew everything about classical music.

“Did you know, Dave, that when Beethoven first performed his Ninth Symphony, it was so revolutionary it started a riot in the theater!”
“Really, Dad?”
“Yes, really. No one was expecting a symphony with a chorus!”

Every so often, an “artist” comes up with something so ahead of its time, the public just can’t deal with it. I imagine that must have been the response to Antoni Gaudi’s Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, known simply as Sagrada Familia.

I mean, who thinks to build a cathedral that looks like a sand castle! That’s how I see it, anyway. Standing outside the Sagrada Familia, I imagine I’m at the beach, looking at towers, spires and facades built by a giant toddler who set his creation a little too close to the surf. Or perhaps, the builder mistakenly worked in wax, now melting in the midday sun.

Not surprisingly, the church wasn’t universally appreciated when it was first constructed.

Over the years, a number of prominent figures have criticized the Sagrada Familia. Most notably, George Orwell famously called the church “one of the most hideous buildings in the world”. Additionally, Salvador Dalí expressed mixed feelings, describing its beauty as both “terrifying and edible.” He further suggested it be kept under a glass dome.

These days, of course, the Sagrada Familia is considered an architectural masterpiece. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

So what makes the Sagrada Familia so special?

• It’s been under construction for over a century, with completion finally expected for some time next year. Dali once said, “It would be a betrayal to even think of finishing the Sagrada Familia… Let it remain there, like a huge rotting tooth.” Sorry Dali.

• It’s the tallest religious building in Europe. Interestingly, the main tower’s height of 170 meters is one meter shorter than Barcelona’s mountain, Montjuic, thanks to Gaudi’s belief that nothing made by man should be taller than God’s creation.

• To honor all those who worked tirelessly in building the Sagrada Familia, the faces of the builders are embedded within the stone of the building.

• The interior pillars resemble trees. When looking up, the shapes of the pillars and the trees appear to change and morph. Gaudí included images of a turtle and tortoise on the pillars in an effort to represent the water and earth.

• There are elevators inside!

• The Sagrada Familia is no longer a cathedral. Although it was originally meant to be a Roman Catholic church and later a cathedral, Pope Benedict XVI declared it a Basilica in 2010.

Gaudi never saw the fruition of his dream project. Sadly, he was hit by a tram in 1926, with only ¼ of the basilica completed.

I like to think he would be happy with the Sagrada Familia. It truly is a spectacular structure, both inside and out, not to mention Barcelona’s #1 attraction.

Even if it does look like a melting sand castle.

(Apparently Gaudi was a bit of an odd chap. Never one for fashion, he held his underpants together with safety pins. His shoes were made from zucchini roots. His suits were known for being speckled with green mold. A long-time vegetarian, Gaudi ate burned toast for breakfast and at lunchtime, he’d dip his lettuce leaves in milk. Some contemporaries described him as aloof and arrogant. All this begs the question, should we judge the artist by their work or their personality? The great composer, Richard Wagner, was a known antisemite. And of course there’s Sean “Diddy” Combs. Whether the art can stand apart from the artist and be celebrated for its own merit is a question for all of us to decide, individually.)

(Dave Blum is the creator of Dr. Clue Treasure Hunts, www.drclue.com, a teambuilding company featuring over 150 treasure hunt locations worldwide. He has visited over 40 countries in his 60+ years of life and plans to keep traveling until he gives up the ghost. Dave lives in Northern California with his wife, Donica, and their 18-year-old Maine Coon, Ava — an indoor cat who dreams of one day escaping captivity and exploring her own neighborhood Wow Places.)