It had continually puzzled me why photos of the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona always had cranes in them. Were the photographersjust not trying very hard? Or was the place so fragile that it needed constant restoration work? It never occurred to me that it might actually just not be done yet.

In the spirit of all the medieval cathedrals that already define so many European skylines, the Sagrada Familia (started in the 1890s) is taking centuries to build. After learning this, Monika and I were actually a bit disappointed and our enthusiasm was somewhat tempered. We had put up with hammering and drilling in the Sevilla cathedral and, to a lesser extent, in Cordoba as well. It was pretty distracting, and unfortunately took away from our experiences there.

It turns out,though, that construction work has a different feel than restoration work; a much more exciting feel. I think it has to do with the act of creation, which is just that much more visceral than simple preservation.



We spied a pair of workers making a plaster form, and geeked out over the exhibits describing the various building materials.



We'd like to return one day when the creation is complete and the scaffolding and cranes have finally been stowed away. We're curious what the space will feel like then.