Barcelona---days 1 & 2 3/8--3/9/11

Plaza Catalunya

calamari, salad and fried egg

crepe, bourbon gelato and orange sauce

The flight from Porto, Portugal to Barcelona was short and got us here with enough time to be able to walk La Rambla for a couple of hours.  This major street that offers everything, especially cafes, was amazingly busy considering it's only early March and it's freezing.  Nevertheless, we zipped our coats and strolled along imagining how even more wonderful it'd be in a few more weeks.  Stopped for lunch of beefsteak, fries, calamari rings, a salad and a fried egg on both plates.  Interesting and actually for being something we don't usually have along with those things, pretty good.  We immediately began planning our dinner--tapas and wine.

Bright and early we are up and walking to La Familia Sagrada, Antoni Gaudi's most famous structure.  It's a magical piece of architecture, all curves and based on nature's shapes.  He oversaw every minute detail (until he died before it was finished) and it has plenty of detail!  The outside of the building
itself is pretty amazing, very modern looking yet having an old world feel.  On one side there are very cubist sorts of statues attached to the outside in many niches, and on the opposite side the statues seem more fluid

and centuries old.

La Sagrada Familia

The inside of the church is a wonder of about 40 pillars that branch off like trees. It's very hard to describe but looking up seems like a forest canopy.  The statue of Christ is hanging from what appears to be a parachute-like structure surrounded by lights, creating a glowing, golden umbrella.

Just when we thought nothing could be more amazing, we went to Parc Guell, a park designed by Gaudi in 1900 that also contained his home.  The park, which begins with 2 gate houses a la Hansel and Gretel and one fantastic lizard made of colored tile, is surrounded by one continuous (and surprisingly comfortable) concrete bench, decorated with beautiful pieces of tile, that serpentines around the flat open space covering about the size of a football field.  Lots of people were sitting, enjoying the sun that decided to pop out while children chased bubbles blown by a man with a homemade bubble wand of ropes.  But that is only a small part of the entire park.  The entire park is probably more like 20 acres with foot paths that wind around various plants and trees. 

At one edge of the park is Gaudi's home, another structure that shows his genius. 

Feet aching, we make it back to our hotel with tummies rumbling and much anticipation for our tapas.  Tonight we try Spanish omelette, roasted pepper salad, and baby squids Andalucian style.  Our dessert is a crepe filled with bourbon gelato and the most fantastic orange sauce I have ever tasted.