Barcelona Part 2.

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Originally uploaded by davidnmartin98

Well, here it is, the second part of the blog on our trip to Barcelona!

The next day, saturday, was to be a day of Gaudi. We got up fairly early, considering we had been partying the night before after the concert, and headed to the Palau Guell. This building is located on a little side street just off Las Ramblas and had been closed for quite a while for renovations. At the beginning of this year they had re-opened the basement and the entrance lobby. It was really quite impressive and provided a good introduction to some of Gaudi basic elements, most noticably the catenary and parabloic arch. We stayed here for about 45 minutes and then headed on our way.

Next stop was the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's huge unfinished cathedral. We had been and looked at the outside about 4 years ago, so I was eager to see what had been done since then, and this time we were going to go inside as well. On the way we stopped off at some shops to buy our lunch. One of the things that we enjoy doing when we travel is to stop at a bakers for some rolls and then find a small deli or store and buy some ham, cheese and maybe some fruit. This time we bought a nice selection of cured hams and spanish smoked cheeses, together with some blood oranges for dessert. We made our sandwiches and ate them sitting in front of the Sagrada Familia.

After lunch, we bought our entrance tickets and headed inside. I was totally unprepared for it to be a huge building site inside still. There was chaos everywhere and the scream of saw and drills was deafening. For those of you who are not aware of the Sagrada Familia, the bulding started in the late 1800's and it is still going on to day! Estimated completion is now 2020! Still, we wandered around and marvelled at the enormous columns and other visible parts. I hope that I am lucky enough to one day go inside the finished piece, but I think 2020 is WAY too optimistic! We checked out the museum downstairs, which is a must see and then headed on our way once more.

Next stop was the Park Guell. Gaudi used to walk from the Park Guell to the Sagrada Familia everyday, so I was curious to do the same thing. He was one fit man! It took us about an hour and it is all up hill. Once there we took some time to wander around and marvel at the architecture. A lot of Gaudi's work looks like something that has escaped from Disney land and this was no exception. Giant colourful chminey pots adorned the tops of the buildings, and the porcelain bench running aournd the open air theatre was very impressive as was the hall of columns underneath.

On the way back to the hostel we checked out the exterior of the Casa Vicens, Gaudi's first commision. This was quite dull compared to the others, but it still provided an insight into where his style was heading. Once we got back to the hostel, we took a shower, a short nap and then headed back out again! Dinner was a Falafel on the street from a super little cafe, recommended by Lonely Plant. You receive your pita with falafel inside and you then get to help yourself to tons of toppings and salads. Very tasty and only 3e each! Then it was off to the bars for a drink. We had a great evening visiting some of the bars for a few drinks in the gay area of Barcelona. At about 2 in the morning we started our walk back. We didn't realise that we had walked quite so far, and it was 3.15am by the tuime we finally made it back into the hostel! Still, fuelled by some wine and beer, it had been a nice walk through the nightlife of Barcelona, a city that really doens't seem to sleep much!

That was our Saturday. Sunday will follow in the next post!

Oh, and just to give you something to look forward to, we have made you another movie! Coming soon.....!

Hope all are fine and dandy!

D&J