Barcelona Baby!

Buenos Dias Sweet Friends!

Barcelona has been in my top five places to see for a very long time. I’ve heard way too many wonderful things about the city and I had built it up in my head as the destination of all time. I knew going in that Barcelona was going to have to step up to meet my over sized expectations. Well, I’m happy to report that Barcelona did not fail me. It was indeed a spectacular city with something for everyone. It didn’t hurt that we stayed in a fab and fun hotel/hostel on one of the best streets in Barcelona. If you are ever there, I can’t recommend Casa Gracia highly enough. They are both a hostel and hotel offering dorm rooms and shared baths as well as single/double rooms with ensuite baths. They also offer family rooms that sleep up to six people. They offer free music every night, happy hour at the bar with homemade sangria, paella night twice a week, a large community kitchen, free wifi everywhere, free breakfast and hot coffee/tea 24/7. Staying there really made a huge difference. Oh, take your own blow dryer cos they don’t have them in the rooms and getting one of their community dryers is a huge challenge. I never got one. But that was the ONLY mishap. Otherwise it was awesome!

I was traveling with two other women, so we got a family room with twin beds in the bedroom and a pull out sofa in the living room/kitchen. The room also had a good sized terrace with table and four chairs for relaxing during the sunset. The weather was perfect with highs in the upper 70’s during the day and amazing and glorious sunshine every day!!! I even went to the beach on my last day and soaked up the sun for several hours. It was wonderful!

Barcelona is probably best known for its good weather, its beaches and the works of Antoni Gaudi, specifically the Sagrada Familia to which he devoted the last years of his life. Gaudi was way ahead of his time and many thought he was quite mad but he is now considered one of the greatest architects of our time. His use of recycled materials, light and unusual natural elements (think sci-fi) set his place in history. While the Sagrada Familia is in my opinion his crowning achievement (even though it is not yet finished), his other structures, Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, Palau Guell and Park Guell are well worth the trip. His work is one part Dr. Seuss fantasy and one part 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea! You just have to see it to believe it, so I took lots of pictures!

We started our trip with a hop on-hop off bus tour. I’ve never done one before and this is likely my last one. I’d much rather just walk the city as opposed to being stuck in traffic, but that’s just me. We did a quick two hour tour of the city, hopping off only once at the “Spanish City” a reproduction of a traditional Spanish village (think Epcot) with shops and restaurants. It was built for the Olympics and was meant to be demolished but it became a big tourist attraction so they kept it. Again, it was like going to Epcot, so I’d skip it if I were to go again; but we had to use the toilet and were hungry, so we hopped off and ate, did a little shopping and used the toilets before hopping on again. If you go, be sure to keep your receipt and booklet cos you can get discounts throughout the cities other attractions by producing both. I did use this several times during my trip so that was a bonus.

After our bus tour, we walked down La Rambla. This is the huge pedestrian street that is filled with people, shops, people, restaurants, people and markets. It’s fun but it’s crowded. We went to La Boqueria, a huge open market with 900 stalls and vendors selling everything from fresh fruit and juices to bull tails to fresh pasta to spices and seeds to tapas and cava! They have it all. We split up and ate our way through the market!

We visited Santa Maria del Mar (Our Lady of the Sea) in the Gothic Quarter. It was constructed from1323-29 when Barcelona was a leading maritime power. Almost all of the church decoration was lost or destroyed during the Civil War but the church is still beautiful in its Gothic simplicity and gorgeous stained glass much of which had to be replaced.

We had dinner in Placa Reial or the Royal Square that is graced with a beautiful fountain and palm trees. We chose an outdoor table so we could watch the street performers and enjoy our tapas. Thankfully grilled veggies are always on the menu! 🙂 That and gazpacho! After dinner, we went back to Casa Gracia to enjoy the free music!! Another bonus!!

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and then set out to see the works of Picasso and Antoni Gaudi. We started at the Picasso museum in the Gothic quarter. The buildings themselves are amazing, set in a row of five 13th and 14th century Catalan-Gothic style palazzos that were brought together to house a collection of more than 4,000 works of art. The collection includes paintings, ceramics, sculptures, drawings and engravings and well as Picasso’s sketch notes and pads. One of Picasso’s best known works, the Harlequin is also part of the collection. My favorite was Margeaux the Meth Addict. I’m so not kidding. That was the unofficial name of the painting. 🙂

After the museum, we went to Casa Mila or La Pedrera one of Gaudi’s buildings and a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s a good place to visit to begin your “Gaudi” tour as it gives an overview of his life work. The building itself is worth viewing as it has no straight lines. None. And no load bearing walls. The facade itself is self-supporting like a curtain wall. Gaudi’s style is unique and fascinating. He also included an underground parking garage which was another bold move for his time. The building exterior has undulating wrought iron balconies resembling waves. The building was built for the Mila family to use as their home and for apartments to let. The family lived on the first level with a separate entrance and garage and they let out the other 8 floors to bring in income. Gaudi made use of Art-Nouveau and Catalan modernista architectural styles. The roof top chimneys are surrealistic and resemble science fiction warriors and other fantastical characters. It reminded me of Dr. Seuss! Gaudi turned the functional into art work using mosaics, marble pieces, champagne bottles and other discarded materials.

We stopped for a quick lunch where I had a roasted pumpkin salad at this little organic restaurant. OMG, so yummy!!! We made our way down the street to Casa Batllo another one of Gaudi’s unusual buildings. He actually refurbished an existing building replacing the original facade with a work of glass and stone that bends like a wave. The top of the building looks like the back of an animal, a dragon and appears to have scales and a spine adorned with round pieces of masonry that seem to change colors in the sun. The interior is just as amazing with a grand spiral staircase again resembling the spine of an animal, a room decorated to look like it’s under water; a huge central skylight; stained glass; mosaics and unexpected details in many of the fittings. It’s in a league of its own!

That night we went to a local taqueria near the Sagrada Familia. They served wonderful guacamole, salsa, homemade chips and tortillas. I had the grilled veggie and corn tacos with guac. So good and very authentic – no sour cream or canned black olives! After dinner we walked past the Sagrada Familia. It is so beautiful at night with its white spires and colored interior lighting. Even with all the cranes and scaffolding, and there is a lot, it’s still gorgeous and compels visitors to come in and sit down and be still.