Barcelona

Barcelona was the first official stop out of Africa and that was exciting in itself.  Being back in a developed city was exhilarating and even though we were completely exhausted after we'd traveled overnight, we got right on the hop on hop off bus to get a feel for the city.  (I may or may not have nodded off here and there due to extreme exhaustion.)

Barcelona is all about architecture.  It was one of those places I just couldn't help but look up.  I loved the balconies on all of the apartment buildings.

Gaudi - oh Gaudi.  For us, his work was the highlight of Barcelona.  I had expected to find his buildings gaudy (no pun intended) but it is breathtaking.  The amount of detail this man put into his buildings is nothing short of amazing.  He is most definitely an artist and if we ever make it back to Barcelona, I'd love to spend more time exploring his work.

Park Guell

La Sagrada Familia

This church is awe-inspiring.  Started in 1882 and continued after Gaudi's death in 1926 when it was less than one quarter finished, the Sagrada Familia is still under construction today funded completely through donations and entry admissions.  (It's expected to be completed in 2026.)

I loved exploring all of the little alleyways and small streets with their shops and cafes.  Often times, we'd feel a bit lost as we'd delve deeper into the city and then almost as if out of nowhere, it would open up to a square filled with people lunching and enjoying the afternoon.

A quick note about weather:  I looked up the current weather for Barcelona before we left and saw highs of 20 degrees.  The Canadian in me said, "Wow, 20 degrees, that's perfect weather!"  However, I had not been out of Africa in 10 months which means 20 degrees was actually 20 degrees lower than my body was used to feeling.  Oh my goodness, we were freezing!  First of all, a high of 20 degrees means that's the warmest it will get, ie, it's like 5 degrees in the morning.  Second of all, we had a bitter, cold wind in Barcelona.  Joe & I were convulsing in shivers the entire time.  In fact, on day 2, I went next door to the mall and bought a new jacket and a warm, knit sweater just to get me through the day.

Barcelona was a great city to explore and there was so much more to do had we had more time.  I guess it means we'll just have to go back.  (This thought turned out to be common in almost every Spanish city we visited!)

Tips

-We stayed at The B Hotel.  We had a really hard time finding a nice hotel in the main area due to the Barcelona vs Madrid football game taking place the same weekend.  In any case, we were happy with this choice.  It was a modern hotel beside a shopping mall and the metro station.  We weren't in the craziness of Las Ramblas but it was easy enough to get to.  We also loved the free internet & the rooftop pool (even though it was way too cold to use it but would be fantastic in the summer!)

-Use the metro system.  It's super easy to figure out, clean, safe & it takes you anywhere you'd want to go.

-You can buy tickets for the Sagrada Familia online which would help you avoid the line.

-Don't save your shopping for Sunday.  Most of the stores are closed.

**BY THE WAY**
Thank you for your kind words yesterday regarding the new blog!  Don't forget to follow along on the right.  If you choose to follow via email, you must click on the link that is emailed to you to activate it otherwise you won't receive the posts!