Adventures in Europe: Barcelona, Spain

This morning Melanie and I began our day with mass at Barcelona's world famous Sagrada Familia, still under construction after 130+ years

Somewhat surprisingly, there is usually only one mass a week at Sagrada Familia, and seats are available on a first-come-first-served basis.  Today we arrived about 20 minutes early, and that was plenty of time to go through security and have a prime seat.  Actually, the mass didn't even fill up, which also surprised me.

Once inside, this was the view from our seats.

Not surprisingly, the mass was beautiful, although I found it a bit cold and professional.  Nearly everyone in attendance seemed to be a tourist, which struck me as odd.  I wonder to what extent local Catholics have embraced this incredible church. It seems a shame to me to think that maybe it serves as little more than a tourist attraction.

After mass we were allowed to walk around and see some more of the interior, which normally requires a ticket.

And then we made our way back outside and onto our next adventure.

This piece of art is in the metro station below Sagrada Familia.