Not many construction sites make it onto my list of must sees, but Barcelona's La Sagrada Familia is one that does. Designed by slightly out-there architect Antoni Gaudi, the construction of this colorful church began in 1882. And it's still not finished today. As far as I can figure out, there are too reasons for this: ebbs and flows in supply of money, and the fact that it's just a really complicated building!

During my trip to Barcelona, I tried to get to all of the interesting buildings and parks created by Antoni Gaudi. I love his flamboyant, colorful style, and the strange ideas that he incorporates into his designs. But La Sagrada Familia was a special visit that I saved for my birthday treat. And even though it was a grey, overcast day, seeing La Sagrada Familia up close certainly brightened things up and made for a memorable occasion.

When you approach La Sagarda Familia - variably referred to as a church, cathedral, temple or basilica - some angles might just make it look like a Gothic-era building with a few gargoyles or knobbly bits for decorations. If you stand and look at it from the park opposite - blooming with cherry blossom trees when I visited in spring - you can start to see the quirky masterpiece as a whole. But for me, the best and most interesting views come when you climb the stairs (or take the lift, if you're prepared to pay the extra fee and wait in the line) to the top level.

A number of the columns surrounding the top of La Sagrada Familia have already been completed, and they're not what you find on your standard church. Colorful fruit adorns these towers, as well as randomly colored bold patterns and designs.

From the ground level, I also like the Nativity Facade and Passion Facade, and the fact that the latter contains a mathematical magic square fascinated me. The Glory Facade (along with many other parts of the building) is still under construction. Nobody's sure when it will be finished, but at least twenty years more seems to be a fair guess.

La Sagrada Familia is open for public viewing from 9am to 6pm, later in summer. It closes for a couple of days at Christmas and for the first week of the new year. At the moment, a single ticket costs 8 Euros, or you can combine it with a ticket for the Casa-Museu Gaudi (the museum at Park Guell) for 9 Euros - a good deal if you're a Gaudi fan like me.