Spain Day 39

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Took our time getting up and having breakfast, because we weren't rushing for any particular bus into Barcelona, and anyway didn't know hlong the "10 minute walk to the bus stop" REALLY was.
In the event it was only about 13, and we didn't have long to wait for the bus, which took about 25 minutes, and got us into the Plaza Catalunya about midday.
First plan was to call in the TIO which was supposed to be in that square, to pick up a tourist map. Unfortunately the website seems to be out of date, as there's no sign of it, even standing on the precise spot it's supposed to be!
If in doubt, grab a coffee. Then, after one more look for the phantom TIO, looked on a street newsstand for a map. 5€ though? Don't think so! We only really wanted to find the Sagrada Famiglia cathedral, and a phone map could do that.
Next problem - it was 2km away, as the crow flies! (Much more via actual streets). After trying to make sense of charts to see if there was a bus we could catch, we decided to get a taxi instead. 6€ so no big deal.
Admission to the cathedral was a bit of a shock, at 25€ (OAP rate!), but we'd come thus far, and it DID include an English audio-guide, so out came the faithful credit card.
It's probably a decade since we were last in here. Back then, the whole place was a hard hat zone, with lots of stud-walled corridors, and only glimpses of what it was going to be like. It's still a work in progress (target 2026), but now it feels much more "complete," with awesome stained glass and mind-blowing design, and a vast, open, worship area.
The other Antoni Gaudi buildings were already finished last time we saw them, so we weren't bothered about seeing them again. So once we'd seen everything we wanted in the cathedral (including the museum and shop), we found a little café across the road for a late lunch of pizza with wine /beer - deliciius.
Some more photos outside the cathedral, then another taxi to the bus stop for "home."
Quite a tiring day, but well worth the effort (and expense!)

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Comments

[Graeme]

Barcelona
Very nice pictures.we went a few years ago.How many more years will it take.

[TonyAndLiz]

Sagrada Familia
The plan is to finish it by 2026, centenary of Gaudī's death. But it's changed a lot in the 10yrs since we were last there. Then, most of the interior was a building site. Yesterday, it was much more like a church with a building project going on!