Barcelona; Tuesday, 20 January, 2004

After an exceptionally sweet breakfast (honey coated croissants with jam!) and solid tar for coffee we set out on our first day in Barcelona. First stop was just across the Ramblas to have a look at the Palau Güell one of the many buildings that Gaudí built. Just from the outside it is obvious that Gaudí had an entirely different approach to architecture.

Next stop was a wander through the old town to the Cathedral. Inside the main tower of the cathedral a lift has been installed so that you can reach the roof easily and it is worth it. There are some stunning views available over the whole of the city.

After the Cathedral and a quick pause for coffee we followed on of the walks in the Time Out guidebook that took us round the main Modanistas buildings. After the walk we had a late lunch and then went out to the Sagrada Familia.

The Sagrada Familia was started over 100 years ago and its still not built! Nowadays the main columns and the towers are up and things are progressing fast enough that it may even be finished by 2017! The views from the towers are spectacular, but not for the faint hearted!

Finally for the day we headed over to one of the most famous Gaudí buildings the Casa Milà. From the bizarre and peculiar roof we watched the sunset.