After spending a month in Italy.. I was ready to move on to new cultures!
Barcelona - home of Gaudi architecture, was my 1st Spanish city to encounter.
Spent the 1st day doing a bicycle tour through the city dodging Spaniards with their dogs on leashes.
We rode our way past the Cathedral, the city park, the Arc de Triomf, the bull fighting rink, the Sagarda Familia and the beach for lunch and sangria!
Didn't see the infamous Barcelonian who roams the man-made beach sporting nothing but a tattooed speedo on his butt....apparently its illegal to be topless in Barcelona unless you take your pants off too!
Every night in Barcelona was a culinary delight... I ate alot of paella and a variety of tapas and drank lots of sangria!
Walking down La Rambla was definatly an experience... there were more street performers than tourists! And I have never seen such a variety in such little space. Aliens, Zombies, Faries, Trolls, cartoon characters....
By the end of the street I was ready to punch the people trying to sell stupid whistles in the head. As if anyone wants to buy something that makes a sound like a duck mixed with a baby crying.
The markets on La Rambla were amazing... every kind of "food" you could think of and the freshest fruit and vegetables.
The part I loved most about Barcelona was discovering the Gaudi buildings scattered throughout the city.
Gaudi was a Catalan architect whos works had a gothic feel to them.
The Casa Batllo is designed around the concept of the ocean and water. The balconies are shaped to look like skull bones, and the roof tiles looked like scales on a fish. Inside the house there are no straight lines - the walls and cornesses are curved and are patterned like scales and change colour at different angles.
The attic was amazing and felt like I was inside the ribcage of a whale. Glass panelling made it feel like I was actually under water.
It was truely an architectural masterpiece.
Probably Gaudi's most famous work is the Sargarda Familia. The catholic church that was started by Gaudi in 1882 and is still not finished. It is totally funded by donations.
The outside of the church has 2 facades. The nativity facade depicting the birth of christ and the passion facade depicting his death. The amount of detail into the statues are incredible.
The inside of the church was full of construction, stainglass windows half finished, the alter nowhere near completed.
The roof was amazing... sometimes pictures speak louder than words.
It is expected to be completed by 2024.
One of the nights a group of us girls from the hostel made our way to the Magic Fountain.
It was amazing..changing colours and styles with the accompanying music and the MNAC museum lit up in the background.
Madrid was a bit of a let down after the lively city that is Barcelona.
But the company was great, as was the food and the flamenco dancers!!!
Our lunch one day was a bit of a lucky dip... couldnt understand the menu or the waiter! Probably the most enjoyable restaurant experience so far!
I LOVED SAN SEBASTIAN!
Finally found a beach that was even close to those back at home. White fluffy sand and WAVES!
San Sebastian is the surf mecca for Spain.
It was my last stop in Spain and I definatly made the most of it! I soaked up the sun and got my last chance for bronzing my skin, also tried some more paella!
And made some really great friends.
