Barcelona, Redux

We had a similar day today but with two differences. We discovered an exclusive tennis club close to where we are staying, and talked our way past the security guard and got to see the inside. However, it was a private club, and the pro was not there today, and we could not find anyone to play with. Plus they were having some sort of women’s club match on five of the courts. So after watching some club members play tennis on the red clay, we left. We took the “red” route today and saw different parts of Barcelona, including stopping at the famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral, designed by Gaudi, and which started construction in 1882. It is still being built following Gaudi’s design and is expected to be finished in 2030!

The cathedral is probably the single biggest sightseeing structure in Barcelona. The most interesting part right now by far is the outside. We were surprised that the inside was very far from being finished. Thousands of people make their way to this cathedral every day.

We hopped back on the red line bus and then stopped at a sidewalk café for some beer and tapas.

We also visited a museum right near the university – it was the former palace of King Alphonso XII. It was very good and filled with furnishings and paintings from 1100 on. There was also an impressive antique ceramic, porcelain and pottery collection in dozens of rooms. Margo bought some salad fixings, and made a great salad back at the room. We got some other local foods and had dinner in our room. Exhausted, we went to bed early.

Both days, the weather was sunny & in the 70’s. We enjoyed our days in Barcelona. Here is just a fraction of what we saw at the daily street “shows” at Las Ramblas.