An "Ah-Ha!" Moment

Have you ever had one of those moments where all of the sudden something totally clicks and makes SO much sense? Maybe it's something you have never thought about before or maybe somethihng that you knew but never understood why.  But if there was a figurative lightbulb in the room, it would turn on the instant that you experience that "ah-ha!" moment? Well I had exactly that kind of moment this weekend in Barcelona, Spain.

Sagrada Familia

Barcelona is the home of the famous architect Antoni Gaudi and dozens of his most well know works.  His buildings are so outlandish and beyond anything conventional that the word "gaudy" descneded from the design of his work.  Gaudi...guady...get it?! Lightbulb, I know.

The altar in Sagrada Familia

When I saw Gaudi's most famous building, Sagrada Familia, it all made so much sense to me.  I have seen alot of churches and cathedrals during my time here in Europe, but absolutely nothing like that.  Gaudi was one strange guy, but genius nonetheless.

Outside Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia is actually still under construction, just as it has been for the past 100 years.  But I am keen to see what it looks like in 2020 when it will supposidely be completed.

Visiting Sagrada Familia and all of the other achritecture in Barcelona was just a small part of my trip to the Catalan region of Spain.  The best way I can describe the rest can be summed up in one word...walking. And a lot of it.  We estimated that we walked nearly 12 miles each day we were there, not even exaggerating.

Lots of walking!

Out right night got off to a pretty late start since Nathan's bag got lost sometime during his flight from London (he got it back the next day though, no worries!)  We ended up spending far too much time in our eerie quiet hostel.  At least there were some really cool girls from Marquette staying in my room so it made the wait a little more bearable.  We had an early end to the night too after we finished dinner so that we could recover from all the traveling hassles and make the most of our first full day in Barcelona.

Riding our air taxi up to the top of the mountain

We walked up, down, and all around that city.  I think the only times we weren't walking were when we got an air taxi up to the top of the mountain, the short time we braved the cold wind of the beach, and when we were eating.  Other than that...we were crusin'!

High up overlooking the city

But it was definitely okay with me because we got to see a ridiculous amount for one day including La Rambla, the Christopher Columbus monument, the castle on top of the mountain, the Olympic Stadium, Port Vell, the art museum, the magic fountain, and the abundance of plazas and beaches.

Olympic Stadium

Thanks to our hometown hero, Joel, we didn't do as much walking the next day but we definitely saw just as much.  Joel studies with us in Reading but is from Barcelona so he showed us a whole different side of the city that we never would have done on our own.

The most delicious juice I have ever tasted

Joel took us to the coolest market I have ever seen.  There was absolutely everything you could want to eat, all in one place!

Loving the beach

He also took us down to back streets to the docks of Port Vell, to relax on the beach for a while, through the narrow streets of the Barcenoleta neighborhood, and to important Catalan buildings like the cathedral, Parliament, and the Arc de Triomf.  I loved getting to see both sides of Barcelona, the tourist side and the authentic side.

This is my new friend, Tommy....

And I definitely can't forget to mention how delicious the food was.  I discovered that one of my favorite dishes is the Spanish tortilla which is a mix of egg, potato, onion, and seasoning.  Boy, I am sure going to miss those! I also had some authentic Spanish paella and sangria...yummy!

Enjoying my last day in Barcelona

So I am guessing that you probably get the idea by now that I throughly enjoyed Barcelona much more than Madird.  But hey, you have to experience some of the not so great places so that you really appreciate the awesome ones!

Although it is going to be a very short stay for me, we are off to Nice, France. Goodbye beautiful Spain, Helloooo French Riviera!!