Return to Barcelona

When our walking tour guide asked if anyone had been to Barcelona before, we were the only ones who said “Yes”.

“So you guys just keep coming back?”

“Sure, every 44 years!”

We repeated some typical touristy things in Barcelona, including strolling Las Ramblas and visiting the Sagrada Familia. As noted in our Barcelona to Berlin trip page, we had visited this famous church before, in 1979. But as we sat inside the colourful nave, neither of us could remember seeing the interior of the basilica previously. A quick visit to the timeline on the official website (https://sagradafamilia.org/en/history-of-the-temple) explained why; the foundations for the nave and columns weren’t even laid until 1986. So progress is being made! Not sure they’ll finish in 2026 as projected, but seems like they have a shot at it. When visiting, you should know that you should pre-purchase tickets for a timed entry slot, although if you don’t there is free wifi at the site to try to book on the spot (using the official site). The free online audio guide app is excellent.

Other Barcelona activities were new to us, including the Nit de Foc celebrations (see separate post), a fine free walking tour of the Gothic quarter and El Born with GuruWalk, a visit to the Picasso Museum, and a visit to the underground Roman ruins (included a winery!) that are part of the Museum of the History of Barcelona.

A few shots of our days in Barcelona here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/100countries/albums/72177720309384250