We’ve had a whirlwind of visitors lately, the first being John’s brother Steve and his girlfriend Lindsey who joined us in London for their spring break! They were able to do a ton of sightseeing around London and we even managed to squeeze in a three day trip to Barcelona!
In the square, ready to explore!
Of course we took the 7am flight out of London to maximize our time in Spain, so when we arrived, we were feeling pretty sleepy. Fortunately, we were staying on La Rambla, a busy pedestrian street in the middle of Barcelona, so we were walking distance from most places! Our first day, we had a nice Spanish breakfast, headed to a delicious food market that we would frequent several more times during our holiday, and went to see the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, a beautiful 14th century Cathedral in the gothic quarter.
I found the chocolate in the market!!!
This cathedral included a rooftop walk where we could take in beautiful views of the city–from the Mediterranean up to the hillside. By this point we were ready for our siesta (when in Spain…). We then enjoyed a delicious Spanish dinner, including squid cooked in it’s own ink, some interesting jazz and headed back to bed.
The next morning began with delicious parma ham sandwiches and fresh fruit juice from the market. After an hour of wandering around trying to figure out Spanish Ticket Machines (grrr…) we started our day of sightseeing with the Picasso Museum (a huge museum dedicated to Pablo Picasso’s work). I had no idea how diverse his work was.
Picture taken through the glass on the staircase. Looking through the glass makes you feel like you're underwater!
The museum was set up chronologically, and you can truly see his growth and maturation as an artist. After this museum, we headed to the Casa Batllo, an apartment building designed by Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi certainly had a unique vision, this building taking the form of something you would find under the sea. The lines were all curved, tons of blues adorned the walls, and you could find seashells almost everywhere you looked. After this, Steve and Lindsey went to another Gaudi sight while John and I had a snack. We then wandered down La Rambla, found some great artwork, had some paella and sangria. Then we met Arenaldi who so kindly directed us to an Irish pub where we spent the remainder of the evening. You can’t make this stuff up. 🙂
After some yummy paella and lovely sangria!
Up and at ’em early the next morning. I ran to the market to grab us some breakfast and then we piled into a taxi to view Gaudi’s incredible unfinished masterpiece: Sagrada Familia. Gaudi began work on this in 1883 and it was a quarter of the way finished when he died in 1926. The expected date of completion is 2026–the centennial of Gaudi’s death.
Sagrada Familia
The cathedral is simply breathtaking…we spent more than two hours there, admiring the facades (every side of the building is the completely different, each telling part of Christ’s narrative), taking in the interior (it looks like something out of Willy Wonka), and marveling at the sheer creativity required to create something this grand and this unique–especially almost a century ago. To top it off, Gaudi is buried beneath this cathedral, in a small but grand chapel.
At Gaudi's Park
To complete our Gaudi tour of Barcelona, we ventured to the Park Guell, a whimsical park designed by Antoni Gaudi that offers brilliant design as well as amazing views of Barcelona and the Mediterranean. Each area of the park seemed to have a different theme and the mosaic work was extremely impressive. The highlight of our trip to the park, however, was a band called The Mananers. They are a reggae band, who put on an amazing show in the park. John and Steve were so impressed, they bought the CD. 🙂
After our adventure in the park, we had a bit of time before our flight to do some exploring. First we went to another cathedral in the Gothic Quarter, the one that inspired Gaudi’s work in the Sagrada Familia. It was neat to see the inspiration that led to the masterpiece.
Beautiful Barcelona!
Then, John and I hit the Museum of Contemporary Art, while Steve and Lindsey strolled down Las Ramblas and did a bit of shopping. After that it was off to the airport to catch our flight! What a whirlwind of a trip, but we saw a ton!
Steve and Lindsey spent a few more days in London with us after our Spanish adventure! We got to tour the Houses of Parliament (amazing!) and even fit in some time at a Speakeasy. That was definitely a great week. Come back and see us soon, you two! 🙂
John and CB's Most Excellent Adventure 