barcelona, day 5

Not much of an exciting day, we got up early to catch our flight back to London. But I snapped these photos of the early morning Mediterranean outside our hostel on the way out:

barcelona, day 4

On Day Four we FINALLY made it to La Sagrada Familia - a cathedral in the center of Barcelona. This building, designed by Gaudi, is still under construction and it's been under construction for decades! It's a landmark of the city and while we didn't go inside (the line was extremely long, it was warm out and money was tight) just looking at the building from the outside was worth the metro trip into the city.

And after Sagrada Familia we headed to our beach again for a full afternoon in the sun. The vendors on the beach selling "coco" (coconut), "mojitos y sangria", "messajes" (massages) and "empenadas" were a disturbance, then an annoyance, and eventually comical.

For our last night in Barcelona, we ventured back to the National Museum for the fountain light and music show. We passed vendors, street performers and giant bubbles on our way to the main attraction.

After the fountain show, we found some amazing Italian food for dinner - I got a veggie pizza with the best handmade crust with bubbles (my favorite!). And after dinner and gelato, Bret and Cameron and I said goodbye after a nice chat on the beach. I already miss them, but they will be coming to visit the UK in early December so I have something to look forward to.

barcelona, day 3

Before Day Three begins, here are some photos of our hostel - our room, the outside, and the view from the front door:

We headed out from the hostel (after a late start due to our late night the night before...) and found our way to Parc Guel, a Gaudi masterpiece. We got a little lost trying to find it, but I managed to ask someone for directions in Spanish, and we found it at the top of a very very steep hill. Thank goodness there were periodic escalators. We met Cameron and Bret at the very top of the park with the best views of the city, and then wandered around. We ate lunch on a shaded bench watching tourists walk through a beautiful columned space where musicians were playing classic Spanish and French music on my two favorite instruments.

Still in Parc Guel, we took some time to enjoy the longest bench in the world:

Day Three ended at the beach. Of course. For dinner we settled into a restaurant along the marina for paella and expensive fruity mixed drinks. We hit a few local bars with Mariah and friends, and then headed home for some much needed sleep.

barcelona, day 2

Day Two began with a metro ride to the National Museum. The walk to the museum was so beautiful, with the Olympic Stadium, Twin Towers, water fountains, Roman columns and a beautiful view of the city:

Inside the museum was a huge collection of Romanesque, Baroque, Romantic and Modern artwork, with an emphasis on Catalonian artists. The museum itself was a gorgeous building. These were some of my favorites (including Dali and Gaudi and Picasso - no pictures of Picasso though, photos weren't allowed)":

After the National Museum we all headed to La Bocqueria, a huge market full of fresh fruit, fish, meat, eggs and mushrooms and fruit juices and candy! It was the most colorful place I have ever been! I think I could lead a pretty happy life selling fruit in the bocqueria in the middle of Barcelona... Anyway, the London crowd met up with Cameron and Bret, we bought some yummy lunch and wandered around in awe.

After La Bocqueria, a group of us broke off and found La Catedral, a gorgeous sight in the middle of an old part of the city. And when my feet were about to fall off, we headed back to the hostel and laid on the beach for the rest of the afternoon.