When I first started poking around Ada, I wouldn't say I found the syntax ugly but I very used to C++ and found it at least a bit odd. Nowadays I find myself expressing the exact opposite of your own sentiment. I wish more languages used a syntax more similar to Ada.
The parts of the syntax I'm very familiar with just get treated by my brain just the same. It's not "busier" in my head because words are written out. But things I'm not so familiar with I can basically just read. And anything really unfamiliar with is easy enough to search.
Syntax stuff falls out of my head pretty quickly if I'm not using it, so I find this particularly useful.
The parts of the syntax I'm very familiar with just get treated by my brain just the same. It's not "busier" in my head because words are written out. But things I'm not so familiar with I can basically just read. And anything really unfamiliar with is easy enough to search.
Syntax stuff falls out of my head pretty quickly if I'm not using it, so I find this particularly useful.