Everyone who's been to Europe laments the incredible percentage of monuments covered in scaffolding. With my tongue firmly in cheek I long ago uncovered the Office of Tourist Distractions which is responsible for such inconveniences.
Ok, so here's the bad news: The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is undergoing some restoration work. Some of the Cathedral is covered in scaffolding, including the 12th century Portico of Glory (picture) .
The good news is that if you're at least 12 years old and wear sturdy shoes you can don a hard hat and crawl around the scaffolding to see how the work is going. Yes, they've taken disappointed tourists complaints to heart and are offering a free Portico of Glory Tour.
Read more from Newsweek: In Spain, Tourists on the Scaffolding