Top comment from friends/family on hearing we went to Barcelona: "Did you get pickpocketed?"

No!

And now that we've got that important question out of the way, here's a vague summary of what did happen:

I've seen plenty of photos of the exterior of the Sagrada Familia, and yet I was still surprised that it managed to be even uglier in real life. The nativity facade features carvings on top of carvings on top of carvings. I believe this side was 'finished' before Gaudí got squashed by a tram, but I can't help wondering how much more, well,... continue reading »