Barcelona, Spain

Greetings from Barcelona!

2nd city in Spain and 3rd for my spring break trip.  Barcelona was filled with some of the most unique and creative architectural works I've ever seen.  I was happy to explore the city and enjoy all these amazing wonders.  

Sadly, my time in Barcelona was not filled with good weather.  It rained off and on the 3 days I spent there.  I have been lucky to have wonderful weather so far on my trip and the rest of my travels I was just as fortunate. 

We arrived very late to the city so we woke up later then usual.  We decided to start the day by 

just walking around and seeing what was near our hostel.  We were lucky that one of Gaudi's 

famous buildings was right around the corner from where we were staying.  This house was my favorite of all in Barcelona, Casa Batilo.  I did not go inside the house however; far to expensive.  I still got some great photos of the exterior.  We walked to Barcelona's Arc de Triomf and the part across

 from it.  The park had a grand fountain but it was under construction at the time so it was mostly covered up.

After some time at the park we went to Port Vell and walked around some more.  Of course it was raining the most on our first day!  Ugh!  At the port they had two big museums and lots of boats.  The coolest thing we saw was a monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus with him pointing out to sea.  

We left the Port and decided to head to the famous Sagrada Familia.  This cathedral will be the

 pride and

 glory of Gaudi in Barcelona.  Gaudi designed this building in the very late 19th century and into the 20th century.  Due to many setbacks from money to fires Gaudi was not able to see his masterpiece complete.  It won't be finished until 2022 at the earliest.  Even still under construction the Sagrada Familia was the coolest piece of architecture I've ever seen in my entire life.  Every piece was so detailed and unique I spent a long time just staring up.  The high vaulted ceilings inside were breathtaking.  I have decided to make an attempt to go see the building after it is complete.  This was the only building we paid to 

get into.  I just couldn't pass up the opportunity.  

We decided to take a break during the day to go back to the hostel to dry off and change.  We headed back out after some time had passed and the rain had stopped.  Our last stop for the day was to be Gaudi's Parc Guell.  Only a small part of

 the park is filled with some of Gaudi's designs.  The rest was never completed.  I was just so awe struck by Gaudi's work.  It's just so different.  I can't think of any other way to describe it!  I wish I could put up all my photos.  

Day 2 was not as filled with exploring but we still had a full day.  It was not raining yet so we decided to head down to the Port again and to go to the Aquarium that day.  Apparently it is the largest aquarium in Europe.  As we walked down Barcelona's narrow alley ways we stopped by a cathedral in the center of the city.  It had a beautiful courtyard but is badly in need of repair.  My favorite part of wandering is when I stumble upon some of the cities most popular sites without even trying.  The aquarium was very impressive and lots of fun.  It was however filled with many children.  The trip was worth it just to see the coolest fish I've ever seen!  It's called a

 sunfish and looks completely flat.  Sailors thought it was the reflection of the moon in the water.  But that leaves me to wonder why they named it the Sunfish instead of the Moonfish.  Anyway, here is a great photo of it!  After the aquarium our last destination for the day was the Musica Catalona.  We tried to take a tour but they were closed and we even went on our last day but it was Easter Sunday and they were still closed. 

Our last day we had a midday flight so we didn't have a chance to really do anything that day.  We just walked around some more before heading on the subway to the airport.

I loved Barcelona and really want to go back one day!  The next point on my journey was Venice. 

I've been back for over two weeks now and I've been studying hard for my finals, exercising, and enjoying my final month with my friends here.  I have my first 2 finals on Wednesday!  Wish me all luck!

Love - Erica