Holiday Part Two...BARCELONA!!

Confession time...

I typically have a fail proof plan for remembering the order in which I did things on vacation.  I use my camera.  I look at the order of my pictures and write from there.  It hasn't failed me...until now.  For whatever reason when I transferred my pictures to my computer, they got all mixed up.  And, of course, I deleted them from my camera.  So...instead of day by day, I give you Barcelona...by subject!

THE FOOD!!

Of course we must start with the very best...and Barcelona has something for everyone.  We sampled a little bit of everything!

Tapas and Paella from all over the city.

Yummy pizza and freshly made pasta from a lovely restaurant called La Tagliatella.

Spicy Indian food from Bembi.

Even some tastes of home with Eggs Benedict from Café Emma

And good ole bar food at George Payne.  *Side note here not about food...the Spanish LOVE our little one.  We thought the French liked her, but the Spanish LOVE her.  She's been getting presents everywhere we go and one friendly cook even tried to take her sightseeing.  Have to keep an eye on her!

THE SIGHTS!!

 

If you like interesting architecture, you MUST put Barcelona on your bucket list.  The city, and most of the architecture itself, is very old but looks modern.  The most interesting architecture was designed by a man named Antoni Gaudi.  Born in 1852, Gaudi paved the way for modern architecture in Barcelona, Spain and, some would say, Europe in general.  Here are two of his most famous works.  The first is the Casa Batllo.

This beauty was originally a house.  That's it, just a house.  Can you imagine living in something like this in the early 1900s?  How awesome would that have been!  It's had several uses sine then including work space and host to private events.  Since 2002, it's been a museum of sorts displaying some of the beautiful textiles and furniture the Batllo family was famous for.  Unfortunately, the line to get in was always ridiculous...even at night...so this was the most that we saw.

If you think that's impressive, let me present to you Gaudi's crown jewel, so to speak...The Sagrada Familia.

The construction of this architectural wonder began in 1882.  Gaudi worked on this project until his death in 1926, when the huge Roman Catholic church was less than a quarter complete.  Some people still feel that it should have been left uncompleted in Gaudi’s honor.  However, it continues to be under construction today.  If you ask me, I don’t think it will ever be finished!  Sadly, we saved this for our last day and ran out of time to go inside.  However, we WILL be going back…so stay tuned for pictures from the inside!

Aside from Gaudi's amazing designs, some wonderful sites to see include the Columbus monument...even if he's not really pointing to the New World like he's suppose to...

The beach is also quite lovely and you are likely to get a bit of a show with all the people attempting to roller blade down the boardwalk.  We only saw a few that actually knew what they were doing.

You also must feed the birds while you are here.  They are crazy!  The little one had a blast trying to get them to land on her arm and all I could think of was a very dear friend back home who would have had a heart attack had she been here!

THE SHOPPING!!

Of course, I had to check out the markets while I was there.  There were some interesting finds as I ventured from stall to stall.

We stumbled along a fantastic little pastry shop along La Ramble called Pasteleria Escriba.  They were really in the mood for Halloween!  I think I will have to make this next year!

I also saw my very first Fnac.  Fnac is like France’s version of a Best Buy.  Not very interesting, I know…but it’s an inside joke in my French class, so I had to include it.

 

THE DRINKS!!

 

Spain is like a wine drinker’s wonderland.  All the wine is amazing and it’s EVERYWHERE!  Check out this beautiful wine shop I found called Villa Viniteca.  Over 600 bottles of wine, some of which can’t be found outside of Spain.  I found a lovely Cava from the year I was married.  The hubs and I will have to enjoy that for a special occasion!

Of course, you must try the sangria.  But if beer is really your thing, take heart in knowing that you can order one the size of your head.  Yep, that’s a full liter of beer.  No, it wasn’t mine, it was the hubs…but it looked funnier in front of my head!

THE PEOPLE!!

 

A lot of my classmates also ended up in Barcelona at the same time we were there.  What a small world it was when we ran into six of them passing by a coffee shop we happened to be having breakfast in!  It was fun to hang out and let loose a little with some of my new found friends!

 

The little one also made friends with some of the street performers.  She really is a social butterfly!

Vacation may be over but the adventure is not…