The frenzy around the temple is proportional to the caliber of what awaits the temple on the 10th: the visit of the Royal Family, the Government, hundreds of bishops… in total, some 8,000 people will attend. Dozens of municipal and company workers are busy setting up stands for the public, structures for giant screens, varnishing wooden benches and cleaning the lake. And meanwhile, among those looking to get a cut and those who want to be there, the furor reaches hundreds of euros. Up to 750 were asked this Tuesday to rent a balcony in the basilica. The ads on Wallapop include photos of the views and detail issues such as that the trees do not cover the asphalt. Some have lasted just long enough to get a screenshot.
Finding a place to sleep in the area is not easy: “88% of the accommodations are not available on our website for those dates,” warns the tourist portal Booking if you search. On the night of the blessing of the tower of Jesus Christ there is an “apartment with views of the Sagrada Familia” for which 872 euros are requested for two people. in the area are offered at between 200 and 400 euros per night. And at the Sercotel Rosselló, which has the terrace with the best views of the temple, they explain that it will be closed that night: “For a private event,” they say without revealing the client.
The furor has also reached the stores. T-shirt with the Holy Family and image of the Pope, style gaudiniano11 euros. bag type toteseven euros. They are hanging on Gaudí Avenue next to red underwear with the silhouette of a bull and thongs with a “I love Barcelona”. There are also small transparent round boxes with the image of Leo XIV on the lid and a rosary inside, 15 euros. And glass glasses with candles and a photo of the Pontiff, pendants or refrigerator magnets. Regarding the rosaries, in a shop on Provença Street the clerk claims that they had them, but “the boss” called them and ordered them to “remove them.”
If the Sagrada Familia is officially a , with almost 13,500 people per hour and square kilometer on a weekday), according to the City Council’s plan to manage mass tourism, in this week prior to the papal visit the overcrowding multiplies. Because there are large closed spaces (due to the assembly of stands and screens), because they do not stop unloading large vehicles with material, or in areas of the squares that flank the temple where touch-ups are being carried out.
The tourist is a being who usually has patience, but that of , trying to keep the staff from sneaking in to take photos from the playground, is at the limit. “They have just fenced off the space with the best view to make themselves selfies“, snorts one of these agents whose salary depends in part on the temple’s contribution to the city. What there is not is Vatican fervor: throughout the perimeter, only a flag of Vatican City on a balcony on Sicily Street, yellow and white and with the shield of the crossed keys and the papal tiara.
Another front is that of shops and bars and restaurants. Within the perimeter of nine blocks that will be closed on the 10th and where only neighbors, press, authorities and guests (upon identification) will be able to enter, establishments will be able to open. But many are thinking about it. Above all, bars and restaurants, which will not be able to put chairs and tables on the street: “We will be able to open, but without a terrace, there can be nothing on the street,” explains María, who runs a churrería and a bar, La Descarada, on Provença Street. “We have decided to close because Wednesday is the staff holiday, shifts would have to be moved and perhaps it is a strange day.” Next door, Zuhaig Abbas of the United supermarket does hope to open. And make money: “Water, Coca-Cola, potatoes, sunscreen.” It is what he hopes to sell to the public. Where they are not so calm is on Gaudí Avenue: bars and restaurants complain of a lack of information about what awaits them now and in July with the departure of the Tour. Yes, clothing stores or opticians will open: “It’s a weekday and the Pope doesn’t come until the afternoon,” says the owner of Mepas, a fashion store.
