Inside the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia

We went out to breakfast at the hotel (which is included). A got a waffle which looked good.

Granddaughter's waffle

I just scootered around and got stuff from the buffet. A showered after me, so I left for breakfast first. We sat by the window where we could look down and observe traffic. We wondered about the bikes with smaller wheels - I was thinking that maybe they were folding bikes or something.

Reflections in the breakfast room windows of the hotel

Our tour was for 9:00 and originally they said that we would end the tour at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia at noon. So I got tickets for 12:15. Which said that we MUST be there - no refunds. But when we got here, the schedule had changed, and they said we would not be at the Basilica until 1:30 and the place we were going to be right beforehand was Montjuic and we would not be able to get a taxi there. So we just did the old city part of the tour (which I had not done before as the Hop ON Hop OFF bus does not go there) and then get a taxi from there. We were with the regular walkers - some of the "gentle walkers" were split off from our group after we got off the bus. We walked in through part of the older town where deliveries were being made in the morning.

Balconies

Looking into a store

Camera on the balcony aimed at the street below

Our guide took us to see the cathedral and explained which things were original and which were not. Two of the semicircular towers that defended the gate were from the first to the fourth century and one of the aqueducts has been preserved.

Granddaughter listening to the guide

Rebuilt passageway

Outside buttresses

Photographer taking photos of a couple walking toward him

Group in a courtyard

There were masses of tourists. We didn't go into any buildings although I think the other regular walking group did because they didn't have the scooter to deal with. The guide pointed out some stones with knife marks on them and said that was where the craftsmen sharpened their knives. But I think the sharpening came first and then afterward they used the stone to build with.

Whetting stones (with guide's hand)

I don't think they were doing the sharpening on the stones in the side of the building.

Gargoyle

Place de Sant IU

Spires of the cathedral

Out front of the cathedral there were long lines to go in,

Entrance to the cathedral - guide talking to granddaughter

Front of the cathedral

Scam - There are women dressed in white robes with clown wigs who make balloon animals for which they demand payment

and I saw some ladies in white with wigs and I didn't know what they were doing, but I found out later that it is a scam. The ladies make balloon animals which they give to children and then they want the parents to pay money for them. Or else they have to take the toy away from the kid.

There was a tree dropping yellow blossoms all over everything.

Looking up at tree with yellow flowers

Barbara asked A. to take their photo.

Barbara from Santa Barbara and her daughters

We went back to the bus, but we didn't take the bus - we went to find a cab.

The driver was a typical Spanish cabbie - not polite and quiet -jumping his cab into impossibly narrow places, having an argument with a girl on a motorcycle and swearing at the other drivers. It was about 11:00 and we had a hour, so I told him to go up Montjuic and we could see the city from up there

View from Montjuic

and also we saw the botanical garden

Botanical garden flowers

and the Olympic stadium and the cable car.

Catalan flag

He dropped us off at the Sagrada Familia about 11:45,

Sagrada Familia from the park

so we had half an hour to find our way to the correct entrance. The ticket said to be there 20 minutes in advance, but they would not let us in until 12:00.

Detail

Looking up at the towers

Outside detail

Entrance

I had looked up the dress code before we came, and we tried to dress appropriately (except that I was wearing a hat which I don't quite understand why no hats). The site says:
For safety, no hats are allowed inside the nave or the museum except for religious, health or belief-related reasons.
Visitors may not enter barefoot.
As it is a Catholic church, visitors must dress appropriately, following these restrictions:
- No see-through clothing.
- Tops must cover the shoulders.
- No plunging necklines or exposed backs or bellies.
- Trousers and skirts must come down to at least mid-thigh.
Most of the violations were shorts, but there were also a lot of bare shoulders and even some exposed bellies.

Turtle on the Nativity facade

Looking up

When we got inside, someone was singing "Ave Maria" and a little later, they played the organ.

Granddaughter looking up while someone sings Ave Maria

Stained glass

Apostles creed

Stained Glass Windows

Crypt

Looking up

Inside detail - Christ on the cross

We looked at everything in the main church building and then I wanted to get A a ticket to go up the tower. But the ticket place said they could not sell us one because the elevator was not working. That we should go to the museum and come back and maybe it would be working by then. I was not actually interested in the museum so I went and laid down on a bench and waited for A.

Explanation in the museum for turtle on the Nativity facade (where we entered)

When we went back, they had fixed the elevator.

Granddaughter in line for the tower elevator

A went up the tower

Granddaughter's view from the tower

and I sat and waited for her. Then we got a taxi (we had to fight a bunch of other people who also wanted taxis) and went back to the hotel.

We went out to a Pizzeria for lunch, but they didn't open until 7, so we went to another place called La Tagliatella,

La Tagliatella sign

which also had pizza. We had to sit outside because there were steps to get down to the restaurant inside. They gave us good green olives (with pits) to snack on. I got Pane de La Tagliatella which was three breadsticks with variously onion, tomato and olives on them and A shared the one with olives. She got pasta (she is really enjoying eating pasta)

Mezza Luna pasta stuffed with goat cheese and bacon with rustica sauce

and I got

Cuore di tomino

which I had to look up on the menu at home to find out what it was. It was pastry filled with tomino cheese, guanciale, caramelized walnuts and apples and tomato jam. What I thought I had from tasting it was a puff pastry shell with cheese on the bottom and then some ham (guanciale), and then on the top was peaches (or apples) and walnuts. This came with what I thought was strawberry jam (It was tomato jam)

We came back and napped, and then set out about 7:30 for dinner - even though it was early. We ate at a fancy place called Citrus.

Looking out the window of the Citrus restaurant

Granddaughter looking at the menu

I had the

Beef carpaccio with rocket and parmesan cheese

as a starter and A had a salad. Then I had

Chicken delights with sesame crust, prawns and fine soy mayonaise

I didn't like that as well. A had

Veal Paillard with fresh herbs and French fries

For dessert I had

Red berries foam and violet ice cream

I liked the ice cream and the 'foam' OK but there were square gelatiny things with berries which I didn't care for. A had

Warm chocolate courrant with chocolate ice cream for dessert

which she liked. We had two bottles of water (€2.5 each).

We came back to the room at it was freezing cold. We just could not get the A/C to turn off. So we asked for blankets and they did not come. I went down to the front desk and complained and they sent someone up to show me how to turn off the A/C, but it kept going on again even though by now we had it set at 26 deg C. (79 deg F). They do not apparently have blankets in this hotel so they sent up two more duvets. And we did sleep.

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