Last month, our friends, Jess and Ryan, arrived in Madrid to taste the Spanish life and be our travel buddies for three weeks. We’ve managed to do a lot with these fellow Coloradoans, and have had a total blast sharing a bedroom and life with these friends. It has been the highlight of our time in Spain so far…
We took our first trip to Barcelona (or Barthelona in Catalan) in the Northeast part of Spain. All of us agreed in loving the city, the mixture of Mediterranean beaches, seafood, and warm air, and the art and culture. We stayed in Barrio Gotic, a historic part of the city near the old town of Barceloneta where we found grilled squid our first night. Tasty. The street we stayed on was forever shadowed by the buildings that practically touched, a site we’ve grown accustomed to in Europe, but nevertheless amazing. Our studio apartment looked like it had been designed for a Pottery Barn magazine, and served as a place for tons of laughter, playing of Settlers of Catan (our new favorite board game) and fresh homemade seafood dishes (Ryan is a amazing cook…rock on.) We found plentiful mariscos (seafood) for cheap prices at an indoor market off one of Barcelona’s main avenues, Las Ramblas. Mussels, crab legs, clams, and shrimp. SO GOOD!
The city of Barcelona is a mix of both modern and ancient – ranging from the latest in architecture to old ancient Roman ruins to a variety of Antoni Gaudi’s works, the latter serving as the highlight of our time there. Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia, which has been in construction since the late 1800s, was phenomenal, breathtaking and the most unique church we’ve ever seen. We’re sure to return upon completion some day. Barcelona is also host to Park Guell, a showcase of Gaudi’s creative architecture in a number of different structures and arrangements. Park Guell also gave us a great view of the city. Perched atop a hill we saw how congested the city actually is, spreading through the hilly terrain right out to the Mediterranean Sea, La Sagrada Familia a beacon in the distance.
See pics (here) (and don't forget to click the (i) in the middle of the picture when the slideshow opens)
Our friend and professional photographer, Jess, composed these picture videos on a new site she came across. They give you a good 30 second glimpse of our trip. I feel like I’m in a photoshoot. Be prepared to dance while you watch…
Barcelona Flat (here)
Mercat de la Boqueria (here)
Gaudi (here)
On the beach...short sleeves in November!
Dining over a fabulous homemade Barcelona meal of seafood (thanks to Ryan!). This was taken at our way cool flat we rented for the weekend.
Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia still remains unfinished almost 100 years later, but it is spectacular.
On the beach...short sleeves in November!
Dining over a fabulous homemade Barcelona meal of seafood (thanks to Ryan!). This was taken at our way cool flat we rented for the weekend.
Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia still remains unfinished almost 100 years later, but it is spectacular.
2 comments:
What beautiful pictures! You both look so alive and fresh and happy! Vaya con Dios!
Cara
Very interesting blog. We visited Barcelona in September 2006 and stayed for 5 days. We were lucky cause among plenty of wonderful Barcelona hotels we chose one that was in the Raval area, about 10 minutes walk from the Ramblas. Make sure that you have enough time to see the things you want when visiting this great city. And don't expect to see it all in one visit. There simply is too much to see here. I still have to meet the first person that has visited Barcelona and has not fallen in love with this city. Without a doubt this is the greatest place (with people in it) that I have visited so far. Great architecture, nice people, superb food, a relaxed atmosphere, perfect shopping, a nice climate; Barcelona has it all. And somehow, everybody seems to agree on this. Perhaps this is the reason why Barcelona ranks second (after Paris) worldwide in numbers of visitors per year.
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