Weather: 23º C and sunny

This morning we farewelled David and Lesley as they left for the train station and their high speed train trip to Madrid. They are staying in a great location very close to where we stayed. They have 3 days in Madrid before they join their tour of Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Morocco before heading for Ireland and Scotland.

We then headed for the Sagrada Familia. You may recall that we tried to go there a couple of days ago but it was closed for a special function. We walked there hoping that by the time we arrived most of the queue might have gone. It had not, but we tacked ourselves on to the end expecting to know everyone quite well by the time we got to the ticket office and entrance. As it turned out the queue moved very quickly and we were inside after an hour. We were concerned that we were not seeing anyone coming out of the gates and it would be crowded inside. Not so – the place is enormous.
As gaudy and dark as this Basilica looks on the outside it is simply wonderful on the inside. We decided to get the audio guide based on recommendations by our travel guide and it proved to be very illuminating, explaining much of the reasoning behind some of the architectural elements. The museum contained more information on the construction and also had displays of the models that were being reconstructed after some of them were destroyed. The crypt was one of the few places not open to the public. This is where Gaudi is buried.

Building of the Sagrada Familia started in 1882 and, depending on who you speak to, it is planned to be finished in 2026, 100 years after Gaudi’s death. The inside is supposed to be structurally completed already, with some details still to be added. There are 18 towers in all to be built. The tallest 6 have yet to be completed. The centre spire will have a giant cross on it making it the tallest church building in the world. There will be 4 organs, special tubular bells and no doubt other features we did not pick up on.

One of the optional extras when purchasing the entrance ticket is to go up one of the towers in a lift. You can then either walk down a very narrow staircase or take the lift back down. We did the latter.
In summary; we joined the queue at 12, entered the basilica at 1 and left at 4. It did not feel crowded and there was no need to rush the visit. A fantastic visit.

Now for lunch. Found a place nearby and shared a salad and some tapas. Bruce asked for a large beer and Anne some Sangria. Well – the beer was larger than any large beer he had to date – it was at least a litre and probably more. Anne’s Sangria was a more reasonable size.

As we sloshed our way for 2½ kms back to the hotel we had to find a loo. Public conveniences are nowhere to be seen here. We decided the best approach was to find a bar and have a couple of glasses of wine. As it turned out we had walked past the turnoff to our street so probably could have made it to the hotel. Suspect we will sleep well tonight, if we don't have to get up too often that is.