The Long Hot Evening and a Cathedral

I spent a long, uncomfortable very hot evening, but I did get to chat with my australian neighbor when I went to open the balcony door. It was his first time in Spain, and he was enjoying it greatly, though he did get mugged and some of the waiters refused to speak to him in English. And it would have been nice if he would have put some clothes on. He was a little pasty.

Anyway, I rigged the beds and alignined them with the window and the floor fans, and I finally got to sleep. Two hours later, it was time to get up and start walking the town. After getting pastry supplies (traditional catalan flatbread with almonds and a bit palmier), I headed to the Cathedral. I passed by the Placa St. Felip Neri, which was fantastically empty considering the amount of people walking the streets, and headed up some windy alleys to until I reached the walls of the church.

Note: Please instert the word "gothic" before any noun used on this post (even "geese"). It's the gothic quarter and I'm writing about a church, so to save time...

I went in through a side wall and was again nicely surprised. Unlike some of the many historical churches in france (and the thousands I saw in germany last year), instead of just walking straight into a church full of pews and statues, I found myself in a center courtyard. Fenced in with intricate metalwork, was a large square with palm trees, fountains, and geese, and through the trees it was possible to see the church spires.


Around the circumference of the courtyard was a high-ceilinged walkway that led to the different chapels. I went in to the gigantic main church area and walked around looking at the wall art, the statutes, and the many digital monitors showing mass times and giving instructions on proper attire. Those were a little jarring. As were the tables with electric candles. I mean, the church has been around since the 15th century. I wouldn't think some candlewax would be the worst thing for it.
However, among the standard accoutrements were the coffins of a duke and duchess that were instrumental to the building of the church. Now, most old churches have crypts and reliquaries, but these were just coffins nailed to the wall. Somehow, this was a little more disturbing than regular gravesites or mausoleums. Dead things on the ground can't fall on you. Kinda hardcore.

And on to Gaudi...