1.6 million in city proper, 4.5 million in surrounding area, I think most of them were in town on this beautiful day to visit all of the sites we wanted to see! Since the 1800's, Barcelona has worked on infrastructure to encourage tourists to visit, .. it has worked !!
These next pics are from Montjuic hill, where several museums and the Olympic facilities from 1992 still stand.
Do you see the tall object to the left of the statue? It's probably the most visited place, the Sagrada Familia, designed by famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). Construction started in 1882 and is still under construction! Enjoy some pics :
It's a pretty 'wild' design, unlike any other church you'll visit, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau designs. There were thousands upon thousands of tourists circling this one-of-a-kind church! They estimate construction completion after 2026.
Just behind the many, many taking pictures, I noticed some old men (wait- I'M old!) playing a Catalan bowling game, setting up 6-pins and throwing 3 'billets'. The game originated in 1376.
We continued the city tour in the old town, where the Romans' stone walls were incorporated by the 1500-1600-1700's construction of homes and churches.
It seems everywhere Jan and I visit there's a demonstration! Maybe- it's us! They know we're radicals!?
Are you hankering for another pic of a church? Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.
Here's a neat store window near the church.
After lunch we started exploring on our own. Here's Place Catalunya, a nice space to relax and enjoy your empanadas.
The smells, the sights, .. the rush of humanity ... yikes!
On the way back to the hotel we found an umbrella museum!
Very interesting buildings and architecture throughout the city!
What a day! After 22-days of smaller towns and lots of countryside, this crush of humanity was a bit overwhelming! It was similar to our trip last Sept-Oct when we finished up in Paris, after spending time on the Rhine, in Lake Como-Italy, and Switzerland. Tomorrow we visit the Abbey of Montserrat in the mountains. See you there!
Matt wants to be sure you have some Tapas! I loved all the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona. Looks like you didn't get to go in Sagrada Familia? Definitely lots more people where you are now. Mayne the Abbey will be quieter.
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