Does anyone know? Last time we were there the facade was still covered with scaffolding.

Thanks very much for any recent info.

TTT

Dukey, when are you going to Barcelona? This week? I'll be there from Thurs - Sun.

Well, I WISH I WERE going this week because I would love to buy you a meal but alas my trip to Barcelona won't be until August 2010 in conjunction with seeing the Passion Play later in Oberammergau and a further jaunt to Vienna, Dresden, and Berlin.

I'm going to be in Switzerland NEXT month...can't wait for that, of course.

Perhaps you'd be so kind as to give me a heads up after your return from Barcelona as to the state of the cathedral. That is going to impact on our final hotel choice for sure.
If it isn't under scaffolding I am sure we'll book into the Colon once again; otherwise stay closer to the Placa Catalunya.

Hope your trip is a wonderful one.

As of beginning of last week, the scaffolding was still in place. You'll still be able to enter the Cathedral. I didn't check as to when the work is expected to complete, tho, so perhaps it may be gone when you get there.

QueScaisJe,

Thank you very much for this updated information.

Do not forget to go the Cathedral either Saturday night or Sunday morning to join in dancing the Sardana.

The scaffolding went up some time around the Inquisition. Do not wish for it to be taken down it will mean the end of days.

Ha ha! So it is a race between la Seu and la Sagrada Familia, then?

Unless there is another civil war and the anarchists destroy the plans again or the latest architect gets run over by a trolley and lay unidentified for days in the morgue, I will bet on Sagrada Familia.

We have been fortunate enough to see the cathedral pre-scaffolding which was when we first went to Barcelona and stayed at the Colon.

I'm thinking at this point it will still be there when we visit in 2010 and so I'm probably going to book in the usual hotel near the Placa Catalunya and stay contented with that choice.

Again, all the comments are deeply appreciated.

Do these posts mean that Gaudi's cathedral has actually been completed???

The last I heard is the revised ompletion date of Sagrada Familia in about 25-35. Some engineers are concerned that the new AVE that runs from Madrid to Barcelona is too close to the foundation of the Church. It is unclear whether that will have an effect or not.

Has anyone heard any different completion dates?

Here is a portion of my 2007 rip reporrt regarding the Church.

The next morning I headed for Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s concrete erection to piety. I wanted to see how much progress they made without me. The last time I checked in was 1999. As you ascend from the Metro, your eyes and nose fill with sand and the smells from the work. The sound of construction drowned out by the murmuring of tourists. There was great progress, although I can only pinpoint certain places. There will be twelve spires when complete, one for each apostle. Currently there are only eight, but I did not ask who was not represented. Most descriptions of the spires allude to melting food usually ice cream, or chocolate. They rise over Barcelona and taper as they grow. The oldest façade looks as dirty and worn as any 13th century Gothic cathedral even though it less than 80 years old. On one pedestal a new white plaster intruder replaces a broken saint.
They completed the Passion facade in 1977. It is an ugly grotesque interpretation of Gaudi’s intentions, austere and geometric. Fortunately, the newer work is in keeping with his sensibility. When you visit the museum in the basement of the Cathedral, you get the distinct impression that the Catalans would like to see Gaudi made into saint. He was killed by a trolley and left unrecognized for a few days. This would make an interesting painting as opposed to other saints like Sebastian, with the arrows piercing his beatified flesh. I would commission Francis Bacon if was not dead himself.
Next year they are considering holding the first service at the Cathedral. Unless things change dramatically, the parishioners would be huddled together with metal scaffolding and the plaster sculptures waiting to be hoisted to their permanent spots. The new high speed train from Madrid to Barcelona will pass within yards of the foundation and some engineers are concerned about vibrations. The Cathedral is now expected to be completed in 25-35 years, at least 100 years ahead of schedule.

Hi Dukey,

Actually, I would have been happy with a glass of Sangria and good company.

Will you be in Central Switzerland during your next visit? More specifically, Brunnen, Zug, Rapperswil or Luzern? I know of a New Zealander who makes great beer at his brewery in Rapperswil. I also know of a great tapas place in Luzern. There's also a very nice Greek place in Zug. And in Brunnen, we could meet somewhere on the lake and enjoy the fantastic view.

Sometimes life is very good.