Gaudi and Tapas

Michael in front of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Temple
see all photos »

We arrived to Barcelona (pronounced Barthelona by the locals) by train from Madrid having flown in a few hours earlier with Easy Jet from Marrakech. We were a little shocked at the hotel prices, but were able to get a 50 euro room about a kilometer from La Rambla. Barcelona was a joy to walk in. We took an architecture walking tour showcasing the Modernisme movement (Gaudi and the Spanish version of art nouveau). The tour was to be about 2 hours, but the guide was so enthusiastic and loved the subject so much, that it took almost 4 hours. We did not mind that at all.

Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Temple
see all photos »

The streets and buildings were a joy to walk amongst, and there was plenty of good people watching on La Rambla, and in the twisty streets of the old town (possibly Moorish influence as it was reminiscent of Morocco). We wandered around the wonderful Mercat de la Boqueria (specializing in food), which made our mouths water. We also ate plenty of tapas and got into the habit of looking around for dinner at about 10pm. This suited our normal schedule fine, even in Trinidad we often started dinner at 10 or 11 after a late night in the office. We also found it great that wine was just a staple with the meal, like bread. Not always something to be labored over as some people will have you believe.

The new Passion facade
see all photos »

We also spent half a day in Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Temple. Due to the construction the most interesting part is in the basement where we saw Gaudi's models and influences from nature including beehives, leaves, waves, caternary curves, and trees. Photos and models show the strange yet brilliant connections he made from natural shapes and forms to architectural constructions. From inside the temple, it really does feel like you are looking up into the branches of a forest of trees.

Pillars resembling tree trunks
see all photos »

We decided to take a break from each other (after 3 months together!) and spent one day sight seeing apart.  Michael headed east down to Barceloneta, the beach area closest to town, to do some people watching and catch up on his book. Erin headed west to Park Guell (pronounced Way), the Gaudi park situated in the hills above Barcelona, which was originally designed with the idea of being a planned community.  It seems no-one bought into the idea and it was turned into a park instead, lucky for us. Unfortunately Erin did not have the camera, so there are no pics of the parc, but you can check it out on the web.  While taking in the beautiful surrounds of the park and the fabulous view of Barcelona, Erin noticed an Asian woman that looked quite familiar sitting along the benches.  After several minutes of discrete staring, it was determined she was the actress Sandra Oh from Grey's Anatomy and Sideways fame. A few other tourists recognized her as well and asked for autographs.

The interior was designed to resemble looking up into a canopy of trees
see all photos »

Our last day in Barcelona was spent catching some rays at the beach (again Michael jumped into the freezing cold water) and pigging out on seafood at the cafes lining the boardwalk.  Our time in Barcelona was brief, but it captured our hearts, and we will surely try to make our way here again some day.