Barcelona, Spain

The cathedral that houses the Holy Grail
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Ola!

I first arrived in Madrid after London, took a side trip to Portugal, headed down to Morocco and back up the coast of Spain to spend a few days in Barcelona.  Madrid was good, not great.  I expected more, I guess.  When I came up from Fes, I wanted to spend a few days in Valencia.   After the all night bus I arrived about 7am.  I found out that there was a festival going on and Ï could not even find a 5 star hotel with a spare room.  My Lonely Planet book said this festival was not until March, oops!  I wandered around a bit, extremely exhausted.  All I really wanted to do was find the cathedral that housed the Holy Grail.  It took a bit and when I got there  I found out that it does not open until 10am.  I went to get a bite to eat and clean up, that took about 15 minutes.  So, I walked, toured waiting for 10am to come.  I did get to see the Holy Grail, this one is the only one that is recognized by the Vatican.  Took my picture and headed for the train station.  I caught a 1pm train to Barcelona and finally found my way to a bed 7pm that night.  It was a long 2 days for this middle aged woman!  Barcelona is an awesome city, tonne of stuff to do.  I explored the city quite extensively as I arrived 2 days early.  Gaudi´s creations are over the top!  Parc Guell is the best park I have ever been to.  Went on the tourist bus, which I recommend as it gives you a great overview of what the city has to offer.  All for a whopping 20 Euros, which I thought is a bit steep.  Went to the Sagrada Familia, this cathedral will blow your mind.  The size of it is breath taking.  It was started in 1883 and should be completed around 2010, they hope.  The whole thing is a construction site, but worth a visit.  Even the cathedral in the heart of town in is under construction, the facade is too heavy so they are taking it apart.  That is what the spanish are famous for.  Building things, then taking them down and moving it, that´s what they do.  The streets are full of action, theirs a festival going on and they had a tonne of giant mascots wondering the streets, fire eating dragons, you name it they have it.  This place has everything for any traveler.  Good food, beaches, history, festivals any thing you can imagine!  Time to head off to the Cote d´Azur, France!!

One of the best cities I have ever been to!!