Today was our sightseeing day in Barcelona which was a great thing because it was about 30 degrees and sunny. We started by driving past Nou Camp (F.C Barcelonas home ground and the biggest soccer stadium in Europe holding 100,000 people). We then drove through the streets waiting with anticipation to see the one thing almost everyone knows about Barca, la Sagrada Familia and even though the driver is reeling off stats to try and prepare you (each of the towers is 110 metres high etc.) nothing prepares you for the moment you see it. It is amazing at first sight, truly awe inspiring. The stats are even more impressive. They first started building it in 1882 and since the building process is being funded by donations they expect it won't be finished until 2026. When it is finished it will have 18 towers (17 will be 110-115 metres tall and the tower of Jesus will be 175 metres tall). The towers will represent the 12 apostles, the 4 evangelists, the Virgin Mary and of course Jesus Christ. Also there are two side entrances, the nativity facade designed to celebrate birth and the passion facade which represents death and the crucifixion. The main entrance is the glory facade and represents life and our time on earth. The thing that strikes me as odd and to a level makes the church seem a bit tacky to me is some of the design work which incorporates bowls of grapes on top of spires and things like this. While they all have a meaning in my view it cheapens the experience a little. Unfortunately we didn't have time to go inside as the wait was 2-3 hours long due to the pope being in Madrid for youth week (many pilgrims have stopped on the way to visit Familia). We then hopped back on the bus and headed around the city to view a few more of Gaudi's (the man who designed la Sagrada Familia) buildings and not do they stick out (in a good way). They are very different to the other buildings in Barcelona (and Barcelona there are many different styles of buildings, art nouveau, moorish, modern, gothic) and it really works for the city. Our next stop was Barcelona Cathedral. Once again this was a magnificent church and this time we could go in (even though Sally had to buy a shawl to cover up). The ceilings are so high in all of these places and the details so striking. The chapels along the side of the inside of the cathedral were absolutely beautiful and the altar was extraordinary. We then walked along the medieval city walls and met our bus. We drove up to Montjuïc (mountain of the Jews) which, among other things, most of the 1992 Olympic Games where held here. The fees from the top were amazing looking out over Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea, of course la Sagrada Familia dominated the landscape as there isn't very many skyscrapers in Barcelona and it is so unique. The Olympic sites where cool to look at but to be honest they were nothing special, Melbourne has more interesting sporting venues for sure. We were then dropped at Catalunya Square and had the afternoon to waste. Sally and I had no hesitation heading down La Rambla and peeking into the stalls looking for a few souvenirs (Sally bought a fan with the landmarks on it, I got nothing because everything I wanted was €35 and that is expensive). We came across a shop that was selling little turtles but with no way to get them home we decided we shouldn't. We then went into St. Josephs Market and had a wander around the many fruit, meat and seafood shops. Sally managed to buy about a kilo of fruit for some reason and I bought some chorizo on a stick for lunch. We then took the metro back to our hotel where we got lost for a bit then got a taxi to the right address. We hit up a shopping mall after that and got a fee things and now we are just waiting to go out and have paella and a few drinks for dinner. Of to the French Riviera tomorrow and we are hitting a casino at somepoint, so the next time I fill this in I could be a millionaire or more likely a vagrant begging for change. Have fun and thanks for hanging in there, I realize this was a long one.

Alex