We are still in Barcelona! We made a slight change in plans due to a lack of planning on our part. Imagine that!

We had assumed that we could book a room at the same hotel we were staying in when we returned to Barcelona and were sort of counting on it since it was a good price and we received credit on our SW Airlines frequent flyers card which we may need when we get home. Unfortunately there is a huge convention scheduled when we wanted to return and the cost of the same room is triple what we are paying. So, we decided to extend our stay in Barcelona, see the sights we want to see now, and then when we return, just spend one night before we fly out.

Since we didn't have any other reservations, this will work out just fine. In fact, when we head south, we will actually miss the end of high season so things may be a little quieter when we arrive. We'll have to see.

We did take advantage of the added time to go see more sights in Barcelona, including Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia (The Sacred Family) cathedral. This is a Gothic Cathedral that has been under construction for over 100 years. It was the project Gaudi was working on when he died and has been under construction on and off ever since. Much of the original plans and models were destroyed during the civil war in the early 20th century, but through restoration work, the models have been brought back to life and with modern engineering techniques, the cathedral is becoming a reality.

To say it is surreal would be an understatement. It is clearly Gothic in its design because of the signature ribbed vaulting and pointed arches, but the unique flamboyant shapes and expressions make it beyond anything that was buildable during the true Gothic Period. It is also very clear where the original Architect's work begins and ends and where Gaudi took over. It is also clear which parts were built when he was alive and the parts that have been built in the past 50 years since construction began in earnest again. The nave is like a forest of columns with branches of smaller columns that grow out of the bases. Much of this is possible only with reinforced concrete which was not available to the original Gothic Architects. There are molds from the plaster work all over the place and when you enter the cathedral you are entering an active construction site. As an Architect, I wanted to put on a hard hat and go exploring every nook and cranny of the place. I wanted to see how all the details were worked out and really understand the 'how' of it more than the 'why' of it. Oh well!

I did shoot a lot of photos, and some of them are pretty good. It's a hard building to shoot because of the scale and the fact that there are tower cranes and scaffolding everywhere, but the photos should give some sense of the scale and ornate works. I hope you enjoy them!

We will be leaving Barcelona on the 25th for Salou. This is a beach town about an hour south of Barcelona. We plan to work on our tan and do as much wine tasting as we can! We have found that Spain has a lot of wines that are under 2 Euros (about $2.60) and we hope to taste all of them:)

That's it for now.

Eric & Val