Barcelona Fantasy

So, first thing's first:
pictures from my last post!

We drove past Sagunto on the way to Barcelona

 Yeah, I was on top of the castle on top of that hill last week. Good times.

 And if you look to your right you will see the Mediterranean.

 Actual pictures of me inside a club.

 Actual pictures of me outside a club. Spot the difference. Note the sea.

 So that was Thursday night, then Friday:
We went to the Sagrada Familia

 It's still under construction, but it is so incredible.

The nativity façade, the one pictured above is so amazingly ornate

It's got all sorts of nature and different scenes carved in it, and it shows the early life of Jesus

And then inside

 It is this insanely MODERN basilica, which is so strange.

 But, I mean, it's gorgeous

 Gaudi designed the pillars to look like trees

 Which they totally do

 And the choir loft seats 1,000

It's just really impressive

 And the sun comes through the stained-glass windows and the effect is insane

 My camera took this picture colored right, the window above me is orange

 See?

So cool.

And then on the other side there is the passion façade, which is totally different

 Very austere

 Still cool.

This is what it should look like when it's done. Only the stuff in dark brown is yet completed.

 And it's already massive

 I just thought this was cool.

 Still not over the stained-glass effect

 Reflected on the pipes!

It was a really amazing, and a really moving place, and I'm so glad I went, and I have to go back in 2026 to see what it's like completed!

That evening, Alexz, Elena and I went to Montjuïc. 

 Olympic torch

 Olympic stadium

Olympic seating

 It was all very modern up there,

 Lots of water

 Very pretty

 Wow. I like that picture.

 Actually, yeah. It was great.

And there was more to see...

 This is some random museum. Not sure what, really.

 We first thought it was a church

 Intense photographer Elena

 The botanical gardens

 It was a shame they closed so soon.

 But we left and went around to the front of the building

 and got some incredible views of the city

 LOOK! the Sagrada Familia!

 Aren't we adorable?

 *sings* all the single ladies, all the single ladies

Are having a pretty dang good Valentine's day. 

 A magnificent sunset that I will never do justice

 But I tried.

The museum by night

 We got some great views as we went down

 It was a really pretty area

Sorry the picture isn't great. My camera was misbehaving

Cool pillars. I climbed one of those. (just to the top of the base, don't worry)

 But I climbed it to get a better view of the spectacular fountain show that was going on

 There was music too

It was awesome. 

It was fun. 

I also totally bought a postcard with a similar view on it, but better quality, obviously.

Alright, I think that's the pictures. On to the actual stuff. 

So the next morning we got up fairly early and went to the Casa Batlló, a house designed by Gaudi (same guy as designed the Sagrada Familia. Really important Catalonian architect.).

 It's very groovy

Gaudi used a lot of natural things in his works, which is really awesome, and makes his stuff look, kinda weird. 

 Mushroom fireplace

 That looks like an animal, I just don't know which one.

It looks like a bone if you look closely

There was this beautiful terrace. I wanted to just sit out there and read. It was such a beautiful day. 

BUT there was more to see

And see, look, me, on the terrace. It was so nice.

 Gaudi is also famous for his trencadis style, which involves broken ceramics. It looks awesome. Seen here.

 So there's this massive skylight in the middle of the house to let the light in

 and it just looks really cool.

This is the attic. I just like it. It's kind of tilted, but that's OK. It's calming.

And then we got to my favorite part: the roof!

 It was all just supercool, but the coolest part for me is... oh, hold on
(please note that this is not my picture. I got it from google because my pictures are insufficient.)

So that is the roof of the house.

 This is me standing on the other side of it. (We're back to my pictures now)
So if you notice above, a lot of people think that the roof looks like a dragon. (head on the right, tail on the left. The eye is the cutout.) And the tower, (right behind my head is a sword that has killed him.) The Casa Battló has a lot of fun with this, of course, and do animations to show the dragon waking up. I mean, the advertising for this place is almost disney world-esque, but the thing is, the place is kind of like a disney world of architecture. There is so much beauty and incredible stuff to marvel at.  I mean,

 Can't you just see the arch of the dragon's back?

The scales along his spine? Everything about the house is just sort of... magical.

 These windows from the front look like mouths, and those columns are the bone ones I showed you earlier

And these balconies look like (depending on how morbid you are) either carnival masks or pieces of skulls. It's all just a little bit insane, but beautiful.

After Casa Batlló, we went to Las Ramblas, which is this big touristy street in Barcelona and then went to the market, where I got a delicious mango coconut smoothie thing

 I love markets. There is just so much stuff. It's so cool.

 And they have a fun architectural style too, kind of similar to train stations.

And this one sold candy shaped like hedgehogs.

Alexz and I went to a restaurant in the market here, and had a lovely time, and I bought some coconut (which was excellent) and we met back up with the group to go on the walking tour. It was a really cool tour through the old part of Barcelona, and we got a lot of interesting history and such. The guide was from Estonia, which was interesting, but she'd lived in Barcelona for 4 years, so she had some fascinating things to say about the current political situation in Cataluña (namely, that it's trying to secede.)

 This is the old archive of the crown of Aragon (see history rant a few blogs back)

 A cool ceiling

 Me touching a door that supposedly grants wishes.

 Medieval graffiti. Hehe.

 A cathedral

 A Picasso... thing underneath a sign promoting the referendum about the vote to secede.

 The church where Gaudi prayed.

The oldest synagogue in Barcelona (also possibly Spain. I don't remember)

This is las Ramblas, by the way. It looks better in person (and with leaves on the trees)

So after the tour we went back to the hotel and I went to see the inside of the cathedral

 Which

 was

impressive. But they were also having mass, so I didn't get to see a lot of it.

So after this Elena and I had planned to go to the Casa Milà, which is another very famous house by Gaudi. It was very confusing, because at first we were going at one time and there were a bunch of people, then it was just us and we were going at another time. But anyway, so we get there, but it's kind of late, so we're planning on doing this "Secrets of the Casa Milà" night thing, but it turns out that you can only do this as a guided tour (which is twice as expensive) and it takes an hour and 20 minutes, which would make us late for meeting everybody for dinner, so we said "screw it" and went and sat in a park instead. And I don't even have pictures of the outside, because it is undergoing restoration and therefore totally covered up. Oh well!

We had a nice time in the park, just chatting and watching a fountain, and then we headed to dinner, which was again delicious, and then I headed back to the hotel and, though I was planning on going to bed, decided that I was only in Barcelona once, and I should go for it, so instead I went out to a cafe with Alexz, Jess, and Morgan.

There's this cafe that we actually learned about in Elena's class called "Le Quatre Gats"

which translates to "The Four Cats", but also really messes with my head, because that's Catalán, but "quatre" also means 4 in French, and it's sort of based off that famous Parisian cafe "Le Chat Noir" (it's the one with the famous poster with the black cat on it) and so my language brain sort of screams a bit.

But anyway, this cafe

is based on Le Chat Noir, and is considered the birthplace of Cataluñan modernism. It was frequented by Gaudi, and a bunch of other people (also, apparently the cafe where Javier Bardem picks up the girls in Vicky, Christina, Barcelona, for the more pop-culturally inclined) who were important in the architecture and art world. I think the menu was at one point designed by Picasso. It's that kind of place. But actually, it was also just really cool. It had a nice, very calm atmosphere, and we were totally doing the touristy thing and taking pictures and bothering the waiter with random questions about the cafe,

(and specifically this piece of art, which is helpfully captioned in Catalán. Which none of us speak.)
 but he was also pretty great and very funny, so it was OK. I had a nice cup of really tasty chamomile tea (which is called manzanilla here, which is slightly confusing.)

 and it was served in pretty pots

and some bread with tomato and olive oil, which is apparently very cataluñan, but also tasty

And it was just nice. And, like many things, the little unplanned things wound up being real highlights. I loved going out here and just chatting and drinking tea and having a little snack.

Even if we were totally dorky and touristy about it.

So then I went home and took a bath and went to bed!

The next morning, Elena and I made a second attempt at visiting the Casa Milà. It was pretty early (like, 9am. Yes, I know that you all laugh at my college-student idea of early.) and we were the only two to go, and we had to get it in before the bus left at 11:45, but it was good fun.

We accidentally wound up crossing paths with a Spanish road-race, which was great. And also really hilarious, because the race was blocking one of the main touristy roads that, like, all the famous houses are on, and it was just this mass of runners that was not letting up, but the tourists, with all their luggage and confusion, were trying to cross the street to get to the attractions, and they were dodging the runners, who were yelling at them in Spanish and Catalán to get out of their way, and Elena and I were just dying. Fortunately, we made it across in a mad dash when the runners let up for about 5 seconds.

Then we got to the Casa Milà and went in.

  The pictures don't really do it justice.

 But it is big and ostentatious and impressive.

 And this is what it looks like from the outside more or less, since that was covered up by a car advert.

Also, this what the roof looks like. Remember this.

 Like Casa Batlló it has kind of an under-the-sea feel to it

 Like, the texture on that window behind me looks kind of like octopus tentacles up close

Which is just so cool, because it is very strange and sort of surreal, but also beautiful.

But the best part is the roof

 Which if the whole house is sort of like being under the water,

 The roof is the surface.

 It was also fairly early and fairly empty

 And cool and exotic

 Oh, also, nerd alert, do these chimneys remind you of anything?

 These too, but you can't see it as well.

 Apparently, George Lucas visited sometime in the 60s and decided that they looked cool, and then incorporated that idea into the design of the stormtrooper helmets.

 For the curious, yes, I totally did get a picture of me force-choking Elena in front of a bunch of them, but it is on her camera and she hasn't sent it to me yet. I'll share it when I have it, through.

 SAGRADA FAMILIA

 So I throughout this trip, Elena kept asking me, which was my favorite city- Barcelona or Madrid, because within Spain there is totally a competition. They are the two biggest cities, and they represent totally different cultures and ways of life (Valencia seems to be, interestingly enough, a sort of middle ground). Madrid is literally in the middle of the two Castiles, while Barcelona is the center of Cataluña, and very proud of that heritage. Madrid is very Spanish, Barcelona is more European. Even their football (that's soccer) clubs are massive rivals.

 And I couldn't quite answer at first, because, they both seemed like big cities to me, exciting, bustling, but at times a little, soulless and too busy, but by the end of the trip, really starting with the visit to Sagrada Familia, I realized that I do like Barcelona more. In fact, it was even winning over Elena, who has been a staunch Madrid supporter.

And I think a lot of that is that I saw a lot of Barcelona from above. Montjuïc, Casa Batlló, Casa Millà, Park Guell, they all got me above the city and away from the streets, and that view is incredible. The atmosphere above this city is so worth the trip. It definitely endeared me to Barcelona. It's an amazing city. It's impressive and lovely, and I highly recommend it.

 It's a bit strange

 but ultimately very cool.

And not just because of the stormtroopers.

SO then we had to leave the roof (so sad) and went down into the part of the house that was furnished.
Actually, I lied, we went to the attic

 Which was surprisingly cool.

There was a mirror. 

 We had such a good time

And the perspective was insane.

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled photos to bring you the before and after of the renovation of Casa Batlló. Like, the one on the left was before, and then Gaudi turned it into the one on the left. Just saying'.

I was really excited about the Stormtroopers.

SO THEN we went into the furnished part of the house.

 Which was cool

And also made me realize that I really should have been an 18th Century European gentleman.

 I MEAN LOOK AT THE LIBRARY

I think it would have been great. You make decisions, read books, go riding, travel. I mean, I would have been really responsible. I would have been very progressive and pro-women's rights and suffrage and education for all, but yeah, I think I could have done well.

Also, the record player.

Honestly, I just love some of the detail of this stuff.

People posing like statues is one of my favorite genre of portraits. I really think Elena captured the smirk on the statue's face in this one.

Did I mention that the house was cool and under-the-sea themed?

So then we left and went back to the hotel and I packed up some more and we all got on a bus and rode up a hill to Park Güell. Also designed by Gaudi. He was a big deal.

And, I mean, the park is kind of gorgeous.

I had internet problems and didn't buy my ticket online, so I got a little separated from the group to buy my ticket, but it worked out and I wound up in the park with plenty of time.

 It was a really beautiful day and the park is just amazing.

 Beautiful ceramic patios

 Dorky hair-floppy selfies

 Palm trees,

 terraces

 Still-dorky, less hair-floppy selfies

 I don't even know what this is, but it's cool.

 And then the architecture and the buildings are pretty awesome.

 Look at that!

 PEOPLE BUILT THAT!

 And it totally looks like Candyland.

 I mean, look at that.

But anyway, it was a gorgeous day and we were all just chilling outside. I really just wanted to get my book and sit and read in the gardens. It was that kind of nice, but there was a lot more to see.

 Supercool trencadis

supercool me not taken by myself

 hehe. Candyland.

 I love all the architecture

 And the sculptures

This is a Salamander. It is very, very famous. Like, symbol of Barcelona famous. 

 I am just really impressed at the size of these columns.

And there were cool designs in the ceiling. 

 And really, there was cool architecture

 and then just pretty views

 and funky designs.

 See that cross. I'm about to go to that cross. (It's tiny, in the center, right above the trees)

 And then I'm going to go to that house.

 MADE IT TO THE CROSS!! (seriously, it was a hike)

 and look, Sagrada Familia and the Mediterranean. So lovely.

 The view of the house I'm about to go to from the cross I'm already at.

 AND I MADE IT THERE TOO. Which was not actually as hard as I thought it was going to be. But I only had like 30 minutes left in the park, and I was nowhere near the bus, and I just sort of decided on a whim to run from one peak of the park to the other, and it was fun!

I really loved Park Güell. 

That's really the thing about Barcelona, is that it is an absolutely fantastical place, possibly more so than anywhere else I've traveled. It's mostly the fault of all the modernist architecture, but there are things there that defy imagination, that make you feel like you are in a real-life candyland or sandcastle or under the sea. 

 But there was a lot to see in Barcelona, and so by the time we got on the bus, basically everybody went to sleep. I read and listened to music and looked out the window. We stopped for lunch about halfway through and ran into a bunch of Asian tourists, which is pretty normal, honestly. Then we got back on the bus and came back to Valencia. I ate dinner and went to bed early.

Things have happened, of course, since Sunday, but if you have noticed, it took me for freaking forever to write THIS blog (I don't know why, but it did) so I'm going to postpone writing about this week until I'm on the train and/or bus to Lisbon tomorrow, because I'M GOING TO LISBON TOMORROW. and I have a lot of stuff to do before I leave.

Ciao!