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The second day, a national holiday in Spain, naturally started with breakfast, where we also had sandwiches for lunch. After breakfast we walked to the metro to go to Hospital Sant Pau.
Don't be alarmed, there's nothing wrong with us! Hospital Sant Pau is a former hospital that is centuries old, mainly used between the 15th and 18th centuries. Gaudí also died in this gigantic and beautiful hospital complex after being hit by a tram in 1929. After seeing this we walked to the Sagrada Família, which is close by. First we had coffee at a small bar, then we went to the Sagrada Família. This basilica is Gaudí's most famous building worldwide and has a total of 18 towers, of which the highest tower should be 172.5 meters (still under construction). Construction began in 1882 and continues to this day, although it is now almost complete. The basilica should be ready in 2026 (the renovated Camp Nou should also be ready in the same year). Inside the Sagrada Família there are beautiful and intense stained-glass works to admire. After the Sagrada Família we walked to Casa Milà, this is an apartment building that Gaudí designed for a noble family. We then walked further to Casa Battló, this is another, older house that Gaudí renovated for Battló. In front of the door of this building there also appeared to be a parade celebrating today's national holiday. October 12 is a celebration in Spanish-speaking countries (read the explanation about this holiday here). During this parade, people were beautifully dressed and danced through the streets to the music. We stood here for a while and watched, eventually we walked further to the Ramblas. This is the most famous street of Barcelona, what the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam is, so is the Ramblas for Barcelona. From the Ramblas we walked to the harbor, where we saw many koi carp-like fish. By now it was already about 4:00 PM and after walking a lot we decided to take the metro back to the apartment. Once we arrived we cooked and ate dinner. Tomorrow we will first do some groceries (due to today's holiday the supermarket was closed, so we have to buy bread for breakfast and lunch tomorrow), then have breakfast and prepare lunch. Then we go to Tibidabo, the highest mountain in this area and then to Parc Güell (unfortunately nowadays only accessible by buying a ticket)!
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