Sagrada Familia

(Monday, 31 August) Our late start today found us looking for breakfast at three in the afternoon. We finally found what Michelle as looking for - a pastelleria! I had to peel her off the window to go inside and buy something to eat. Then we were off to the biggest icon of Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia - an enormous cathedral by Gaudi that has been under construction since 1882 and is still heavily under construction (see photos when we can post - you will see that it is surrounded inside and out by scaffolding and tower cranes). Photos can not accurately describe the plethora of random thoughts provoked by the building. It's ugly, it's enormous, it's a feat of engineering, it's ugly, why did he do that?, how did he do that?, OK, if I step back I can visualize the forest he created with the tall columns with star-shaped tops in marble and plaster, why is there a green tree with white doves?, there is no stained glass in those holes yet...and so on. It is a sight to behold, no doubt. Michelle thinks the most interesting sections were the facades outside of the entrances. Each one tells a story and had a specific meaning and goal to Gaudi. Kenny was sure this would be a tourist trap but was quite impressed. After the Sagrada, we headed to the 1992 Olympic Village (the lodging and watersports area) and the Mediterrenean Sea.
This was our first time to see it and step into it! The water was relatively warm and quite enjoyable considering how hot and sweaty we were. People were everywhere up and down the beach and quite a few were playing some fierce games of ping pong (we guess, there are two paddles and a ball, just no table). Michelle and Kenny played in the water, collected rocks, and then started a long evening walk along the Mediterranean stopping every so often for a tapa or two and a glass of sangia which is a far better option than the local beer. We ended the night at one of the marinas (we took lots of photos of yachts and boats for Jim and Fawn) on a yacht that had been converted into a floating bar. There Kenny had the best calamari he has ever had!