Don't Call It A Comeback! (3/7/2024)

Hello all,

Today was the earliest day of the trip for almost everyone. Due to yesterday's events, we had to get to the US Consulate General in order for all 6 of us to apply for emergency passports. So, we were up bright and early to get there when it opened at 9. Luckily, last night Matt and Jen spent some time figuring out the public transportation in Barcelona to get us there. So we all left the Airbnb at 8 this morning to get there when it opened or close to. (Parent note: we left the Airbnb by 8:10, which is as close as we've come to leaving at the planned time! After taking a tram to a metro and rushing to switch to another metro we learned that the one we planned to take was not currently operational, but with the help of Griffin's Spanish we found an alternate route that got us pretty close. We got to the consulate general around 9:30.)

Once we arrived at the Consulate General, we found out it was a VERY secure operation. Most of us had brought backpacks (even Matt, who purchased a new one last night) and they all had to be put through security, and the annoying thing was that all the phones had to be turned off and couldn't be brought past the security checkpoint (which turned out to be a mild inconvenience later). We then all took passport photos at a self-serve booth before heading into the area where you fill out the application.

The majority of our time was spent filling out the forms (parent note: a LOT of forms!!!), and part of the form asked for your passport number. So it came in VERY handy that earlier on our trip for our stay in Malaga, the Airbnb owner requested a picture of each of our passports. As such dad had pictures of that exact thing. And even more luckily, his phone, which is one of the TWO things that he had left after the burglary, was with us. However it was still in the security area, so Matt, Jen, and Kayla all went to retrieve the passport numbers from the lobby. (Parent note: we also had pictures of all the passports on Jen's phone from the start of the trip, but they were a little buried. And thanks to Cindie back home who went through our files and sent pictures of birth certificates and SS cards!! Also more fun, a few calls were made at this time to various family members back home get information needed on the forms. Fortunately those family members answered the phone in the middle of the night - 4 am in Minnesota! supplied the needed info. Kayla's mom initially thought it was the crooks who stole our stuff, but Kayla managed to convince her the call was legit!)

After all the applications were submitted, we left with time to spare before catching another metro train to Sagrada Familia. We had purchased tickets for the Basilica several days in advance and our entry time was for 12:30 (approximately an hour later than we left the Consulate General). (Parent note: there helpfully is no clock in the little area where we were filling out the million pages of forms, and our watches had been confiscated as well as our phones, so we had no idea how long we were in there. The last time we spent a ton of money purchasing tickets in advance was for the Sintra Palace tour back in Lisbon, and as you may recall, Gage and Jen ended up missing that tour. So not a great track record! So we were very happy to see we had just enough time to get there.). Several of our crew went to McDonald's for a quick bite to eat before heading in for our tour. (Parent note: we try not to be very American while we are traveling. And going to McDonald's is a little embarrassing. But when you are hungry and strapped for time and it is right there and a cheeseburger is €1.50, sometimes that just is the way to go. I even had one, and i haven't had a McDonald's burger in probably 10 years!)

Exterior Front (top), Back (bottom)

The Sagrada Familia is a VERY large Basilica that started its construction back in 1882, and to this day still remains unfinished. (Parent note: this was Gaudi's main architectural project for most of his life, having been selected to take over from the first architect who left after just one year. After his death in 1926, his drawings and models have been used to continue his vision through the rest of the construction.) The expected completion date is in 2030, which last year was bumped up from 2026. But the tour guide we overheard expected something closer to 2035. Upon completion, the building will be the tallest in Barcelona with a maximum height of 172.5 meters (566 feet), 0.5 meters lower than the peak of the nearby mountain. The interior is designed to be completely open and the architecture of the pillars are supposed to resemble a forest.

The interior is also very well lit, by mostly natural lighting. This is due to the design of the building itself and how it lets light in.

This is all natural light reflecting through the stained glass windows

Model of the completed Sagrada Familia (Grey parts = completed) (Gold parts = unfinished)

Side note about Sagrada Familia: The pictures simply don't do it justice. It was GORGEOUS!

(Parent note: for many of our tours we did the cheap option which is just admission without a guide. For the Sagrada Familia, we opted for a slight upgrade with an audio tour we could download on our phones and listen to as we walked through. It was really awesome and totally worth it. At places in the audio tour you could point your camera at various things and it would launch a little video showing you close up and 360 degree views. Very cool!)

After the Sagrada Familia, we all went to find some lunch and we wound up at a restaurant nearby the Sagrada Familia which was delicious.

(Parent note: note the wine with lunch. After the last 24 hours, we deserved it! I also had my second cheeseburger burger of the day. So while I have been very calm on the outside, those who know me well will understand that two cheeseburgers is about 5 years of cheeseburgers for me!)

After our late lunch we all walked around the area and towards the Arc de Triomf (Spain). The arch served as the grand entrance for the World Fair when it was hosted in Barcelona back in 1888.

The Arch was located near a the Parc de la Ciutadella which had many different sculptures throughout, but most noteworthy was a shut off fountain. The fountain was covered with many different statues and had a large golden sculpture at the top.

(Parent note: Barcelona is know for its many fabulous fountains scattered throughout the city, but alas, most are not operational due to the long drought in the area.)

Once we were done at the park, we started walking around the architecturally Gothic part of town. While we were walking through that area we happened upon a chocolate shop called "Be Chocolate". This happened to be a chocolate/churro shop recommended to Connor by one of his Teammates from Clan Na Gall (Connor and Matt's Men's league soccer team). So we all shared some churros with a milk chocolate dipping sauce. It was AMAZING!

We walked around the Gothic part of town some more and then after making it to and walking Las Ramblas AKA: The Busiest Road in Barcelona. We decided to call it a day and headed for the Metro back home.

It was a long but exciting day today! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more. And wish us luck that we will all receive our emergency passports!

- Connor