Barcelona

I'm a little behind...so here is an update from about the last 2 weeks.

We spent the majority of the week before last in Barcelona. It was the first time we had really traveled far North of Madrid. It was quite different from the South to say the least. We had entered into the Catalonian region where they speak Catalan (a mix of Spanish and French). Here are a few of my favorite highlights from BARCELONA!

The Mercat - Mercado- Market...

It was similar to the one in Valencia in that it was just a mix of anything and everything. Though the Valencian market was bigger, this one was by far more exciting! The colors were brighter, and there were so many different types of fresh fruit, nuts, vegetables and spices, but most exciting of all was the fish. Everywhere I looked there were eyeballs staring back at me...the worst part of all was that some of the unidentifiable sea creatures were still alive, legs and arms moving all around! (I took plenty of pictures...but I'll spare you the grossness!)

The Sagrada Familia! After spending hours studying this cathedral in Humanities and Interior Design classes I finally got to see it in person! It's indescribable! Gaudi was the man with this dream. All of his inspiration came from nature and as you learn about the different influences, the cathedral becomes that much more amazing. He didn't want it to be "blocky" and linear like so many other churches. He preferred rounded, softer lines. The sad thing is that he was killed in a tragic accident before it could be completed. He hadn't really written down his ideas for the cathedral so the dream was basically lost. Those who have continued his work have had to kind of make it up as they go. I hate when there are cranes in my photos (which are ALL OVER Spain by the way...) but this time it was inevitable as they have been there for literally decades. Who knows when this masterpiece will be finished...or if it ever will! El Parque Güell- Another Gaudi gem. He loved this park so much he built his home in it. I felt like I was in Disneyland/a Dr. Seuss book! Gaudi is famous for his mosaic artwork which was all over the park. It was so fun to just enjoy the sunshine, the people and the musicians serenading us!

Plaza España-Every night the fountains in the Plaza España turn on for an incredible show! We watched it our last night in Barcelona and it was the best way to end our trip. The weather was awesome so we joined with hundreds of other people sitting on the stairs watching the fountain show put to some good tunes.

(It's hard to tell just how big this fountain actually was from this picture)