La Sagrada Familia

   Thursday we hopped a city bus tour; there was so much to see that the tour company divided the city into three routes to choose from, so we decided on the red and blue. The red route took us about halfway out from the port, and included the sites of the 1992 Olympic Games. The blue route took us through neighborhoods in the far hillside corners of the city, but also included the modern art cathederal to the Holy Family, La Sagrada Familia. We were out touring all day on Thursday, started out at 10:00 and came back on the 8:15 hotel shuttle.

   I’ve been wanting to see La Sagrada Familia ever since I first heard of it years ago, and it was all and more than I expected. It was so massive that it was hard to get a representative picture either inside or out. We spent a couple of hours there but could have easily spent the whole day. The cathederal has been under construction since 1883 and is projected to be finished around 2030, it is the masterpiece of Barcelona architect Antoni Gaudi.

   After seeing the cathedral, we had an early paella dinner at an outdoor café, then walked back through the La Rambla crowds to the pickup spot for our hotel bus. The city soccer team, Football Club Barcelona is in England this weekend playing for the European Championship against Manchester United, so Saturday will be a big sports day in the city.

   Friday and Saturday will be museum days for us, but we’ll also want to see some of the evening sites. Sunday will be another travel day with an early flight to Paris for our last leg of the trip.