The last time we were in Barcelona was 2009. At that time we were traveling with friends, Ron & Marlene Massa, who are on this cruise with us. The highlight then was certainly touring the Sagrada Familia (designed by famous Spanish architect, Antoni Gaudi) church which was still under construction (which began in 1883). I do recall we were able to tour inside but it was nowhere being finished. We vowed to return to see the completed church, which was hoped to be done by 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death. Well, it is 2022 so we are a few years too soon but were eager to see the progress made since our last visit. Good news and bad news:  Construction progress has been made BUT because the church is funded only by private money and Covid has limited visitation by paying tourists so the 2026 date will not be met. Hopefully we will live long enough to see it when it is completed.

Backing up a bit.  Because it has been 13 years since we last visited Barcelona we opted to take the 7.5 hour tour called:  “Barcelona’s Iconic Landmarks” which will hit the highlights of the city (and includes lunch!).  Again it was a modest sized group (~ 25) but we were again disappointed that the local tour guides did not have those “whisperers” listening devices that makes it so much easier to hear what the guides were saying. (Many of us did subsequently complain to Regent about them not being available). Perhaps Covid has impacted the ability of local companies to have them.  We managed to hear most of the conversations by staying relatively close to the guide. We first went to the site of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics where there was a grand view over the city.

After some picture opportunities we were next driven to El Poble Espanyol, a recreated traditional Spanish village built for the 1929 International Exposition. This was new to us. Think of it as a Spanish version of EPCOT without rides. Each section of the village was built using architecture from the main regions of Spain. In these areas were artisan shops and restaurants and in some places there was live music. It was interesting and a lot of fun. It was here we were treated to a leisurely, classical Catalan Spanish lunch and had free time to shop (yes, Yvonne and Gael found

handmade scarfs that called out to them) before re-boarding our bus for the continuing tour.

 

We drove past the famous Gaudi apartments/homes that he designed:  Casa Batllo (1904-1906) and Casa Mila (1906-1910). They were certainly outrageous designs at the time, and probably would be considered that even today. He was WAY ahead of his time.

We then abandoned the bus for a walking tour by the UNESCO World Heritage Sagrada Familia (Holy Family), a Catholic minor basilica still under construction. Because of Covid restrictions and huge demand for tickets to view the inside we were only able to view the church from the outside.  We did walk completely around the exterior and received a detailed explanation about what the design is trying to portray. The church is bold; it is exotic; it is beautiful! It is typical Gaudi!

 

The last portion of the tour was a walking tour of old Barcelona and the gothic quarter, including the Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia.

Tired after the long day (12,096 steps!) it was back to the ship for much needed refreshments, dinner and a production show by the singers and dancers.

We vowed to return for a more leisurely visit to Barcelona and hopefully to see the completed Sagrada Familia. Tomorrow is a day at sea.  Hooray, a chance to relax!