more fun in barcelona

We got up early and were 8th in line at 8:45, at the Sagrada Familia. When the doors opened at 9, we headed to the lift, and were in the first lift to the top that day. The views of the city the immense scaffolding, the bizarrely-ornamented towers and facades, the workers casually strolling around at great heights -- it was all just right.

We stayed up there until the crush of arriving sight-seers drove us to the stairs down, and down, and down, and down, back to ground level. Dizzying and fun. Inside the under-construction nave, you can see the plaster forms and skeleton of the someday-to-be-finished cathedral.

In the museum, it was interesting to see a sequence of photos, going back to 1908. It's come a long way, but there's still plenty to be done. It was interesting to see, in the museum, some large sculptures from the original building, that had to be replaced in the 1990s.

From there, we bought the 2-day pass to the daunting Tourist Bus, which, actually, turned out to be kinda fun. The Red route took us, with great seats on top, across the northern section of town. We got out at the Pedralbes monestary, and found its 14th century nave filling with somber, well-dressed folks. A choir was rehearsing, and at noon, a service started, with choral music and what appeared to be a memorial service. We sat in the back for a long time, enjoying the sounds and the light streaming thru the lovely stained-glass.

Continuing on the Red bus, we got off at the palace containing the museums of Decorative Arts and Ceramics. We didn't pay any admission, and nobody asked us to, so we just wandered around. It was pretty interesting, and the building itself, and the grounds, were quite nice.

Eventually, we changed to the Blue Bus, and took its entire route, not getting back to the B&B until almost 7 pm. We were getting tired, so we only got out once, at the Miro museum, and its promise of total wackiness was fulfilled. What a wild and crazy guy - you have to admire vision and creativity like that.

We haven't decided where the Tourist Bus will take us tomorrow, but today was a lot easier than the past two, with more riding and much less walking. Then why are we tired?

Going out for dinner soon. Two more full days, and then we head home.