We’re writing Part B of the Barcelona blog from the airport. We have a late flight to Singapore, via Dubai. It’s an hour until we board.

Tuesday

I’d purchased tours of the Sagrada Familia (SF), mostly because our guide Karim, had said we must definitely go there. We’d seen a few Gaudi sites around Barcelona, so were keen to check out this one for which he is most famous.

Catching the metro was easy. We walked up out of the subway, and Rod said, “Oh, there it is!” I mean, he is often Captain Obvious, but in this case, who could blame him. The SF loomed above us – it was already way more impressive than we had imagined.

Our tour promptly started at 11am, which covered information about the history of the church, as well as prior architects who’d tried to place their stamp upon this building. The guide explained that once Gaudi took over, he was given complete artistic control.

It’s hard to imagine what the inside is going to look like, based on the (in part) colourless, busy exterior. It is, without a doubt, the most impressive interior of any building we have ever seen. It is, the daddy of churches. Hamish was taken with the mostly blue toned stained-glass windows, but Rod and I were just overwhelmed. We’re not religious or arty, but it appealed to us on so many levels. The photographs do not do the SF justice – it’s something you have to see for yourself, just like approximately 4 million tourists do each year.

After this, we headed into Barcelona centre, pottered around a bit and had lunch at a seafood stand in the La Bouqueria market. After this, feeling buoyed (partly because Rod had just been paid), we purchased a few handmade chocolates (at about $130/kg!) and wandered around eating these tasty, expensive delights.

Wednesday

Today, we planned a late brunch at a local café in Gracia. Rod and Hamish then went to the Zoo and I went home to pack. I mean, this sounds bad, but I enjoy being the organiser and I quite enjoyed a few hours on my own.  There had also been a muck up with a booking in Singapore, so it gave me time to amend this (and rebook a new place!) It also meant Hamish was occupied instead of being overly excited for the next part of trip.

From all accounts, the Zoo was great. Hamish’s favourite exhibit: penguins, Rod liked the big cats. Rod said it was ‘surprisingly expansive’ considering it is right in the heart of the city. He also mentioned (a few times) that it was very quiet.

Not much else to say, except we found our car drop off point without any problem and I’d like to say Rod has done a great job driving. It’s stressful: wrong side of the road, intense drivers, narrow lanes, wife giving directions…