14th June

Here’s a warning for you all:  If you drink Sangria at lunchtime with the sun shining on the glorious marina at the Barcelona Harbour after riding all around town on a top deck tour you will soon fall asleep!  Well at least that’s what happened to me. We started the day at the Sagrada Familia Cathedral as planned and even though we were there just after opening hours the queue was already around the block.  Never mind, we are a patient pair from the NT for whom standing in queues is quite a novelty.  A good opportunity for people watching.  This is a phenomenal structure that Gaudi took over not long after it was started and he had always planned for the construction to take 200 yrs, so was never going to see it finished.  While he left exhaustive plans and models of his work he didn’t leave a complete construction blueprint as he wanted input from future generations.  Not only a brilliant mathematician and designer, what a visionary artist he was!  Despite the civil war, when drawings and models were destroyed, construction has continued, all funded by donations and visitor fees, and is expected to be completed in 2025.  The enormous pillars supporting the structure rise up and branch like tree trunks and it was really interesting to visit the museum display underneath which features how Gaudi’s study of nature is integrated throughout his work. 

As if that wasn’t enough to absorb for one day, since we have already bought the tickets, we now take off on a Bus Touristic tour of the city.  Despite the shady plain trees and Jacaranda in full bloom, I spent too much time in the sun without a hat (because I lost it dashing alone a train platform a few days ago). We’ve now added even more items to our ‘must do’ list.  Finally we stop for lunch at the Marina and enjoy a seafood lunch, no wonder I was falling asleep at the table.

We are really impressed by how well planned this city appears to be, how orderly the people move (always walking on the right) and the fabulous recycling system.  The subway is proving to be a fabulous way to move from point to point and musicians are often playing as you approach the platforms which is quite beautiful.