After Madrid, the next stop was Barcelona, where I met my friend Maria.
As soon as I got off the train and took the metro to my Airbnb, I saw a magnificent church: La Sagrada Familia. It was definitely quite the welcome to Barcelona, but more on that later.
After I met up with Maria, one of the first sites we saw was Casa Batlló.
This building was designed by Antoni Gaudí, and is considered one of his masterpieces. Originally, the building was built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortés (one of Gaudí’s architecture professors), when there was still no electric light in Barcelona. In 1903 it was purchased by Mr Josep Batlló y Casanovas, a textile industrialist who owned several factories in Barcelona and a prominent businessman. Mr Josep Batlló then granted full creative freedom to Antoni Gaudí, putting him in charge of a project that initially entailed demolishing the building. At present, the house is no longer owned by the Batlló, but by the Bernat family.
That night, we ate empanadas at the La Boqueria market. This is one of the most famous markets in Barcelona and it offers a wide variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, sweets, meats, fish, cheese, and dairy.
After dinner, we ended the night by visiting the Plaça d'Espanya, one of Barcelona's most important squares at the foot of Montjuïc fountain and in front of the Museum of Catalan art. After climbing the steps from the the Plaça d'Espanya to the Museum, we could see a spectacular view of the square and the rest of Barcelona at night. A musician was playing Elton John renditions in the background, making it a very pleasant viewing experience.
Remember when I mentioned seeing La Sagrada Familia right when I got off the metro in Barcelona? Well, the next morning I went to tour the inside of the church and it was incredible. It had never seen anything like it in all the churches I have ever visited.
This is the outside of the church, which was also designed by Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí's constructions all have an organic look to them, as he was influenced by nature, rather than by other architect's ideas. The church began being built in 1882 under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar and in 1883, Gaudí took over, dedicating the remainder of his life to the project. He is buried in the crypt of the church. During his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete and it is still in progress of being finished today. Projected finish date is 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.
The outside of the church tells the story of Jesus's birth and death, with a nativity facade in the front and the passion facade in the back. Gaudí's original design calls for a total of eighteen spires, representing in ascending order of height the Twelve Apostles, the Virgin Mary, the four Evangelists and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ. Inside, there are tall columns that represent trees to hold up the church, and beautiful stained glass windows.
More photos of the interior and exterior of the church
A model of what the church will look like when it is finished
Antoni Gaudí designed many other buildings in Barcelona as well, including Casa Milà (on the left) and Casa Vincens (on the right). Casa Vincens is considered to be Gaudí's first major project.
Another striking attraction designed by Gaudí that I visited is Park Güell. The park was originally a residential area for houses and included the house where Gaudí lived until his death. Gaudí designed this park with its high-quality homes in his organic and geometric style, free from rigidity and classical shapes.
During my second day in Barcelona, I saw the Opera House: Palau de la Música Catalana.
This is the work of Modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, a building that some say is even prettier than Gaudí's La Sagrada Família . Built to house the Orfeó Català symphonic choir, today’s musical acts span from choral to pianists, jazz, flamenco, and operas such as La Traviata and Carmen. The big skylight, shaped like an inverted bell on the ceiling, symbolizes the sun with a female choir and naturalistic images, like the roses, surrounding it. The chandeliers on the side represent sunflowers tilting up to the sun.
A famous street that I walked on in Barcelona is called La Rambla, which goes from Plaça Cataluyna to Port Vell.
This street is the go-to place for visitors to buy clothes, souvenirs, ice cream, or anything else they want. It's only a couple blocks away from the Boqueria, so I stopped there for a quick lunch of a burrito and croquetas (a deep-fried dumpling usually with a melted cheese and ham or vegetable filling).
My burrito (chicken & vegetables) and one of my croquetas
After lunch, I decided to treat myself to some ice cream (dulce de leche flavor). As I was walking down La Rambla with my ice cream in hand, all of a sudden, I hear a bird whoosh above me, I feel something on my head, and when I look down at my hands, and I see no ice cream! Only the paper holder is there. A bird had literally stole my ice cream. So that was a first for me.
On the subject of food, another great market in Barcelona to visit is the Sant Antoni Market. Outside the market, all kinds of goods are sold, from clothes and shoes to homewares. Inside, there are displays of vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat. On Sundays, there are second-hand books and stamps for sale too.
Anyway, after touring the opera house and having a more exciting lunch than I intended to, I made my way to Barcelona's Arco de Triunfo.
It looks a little different with its red brick in comparison with France's limestone Arc de Triomphe, doesn't it?
Just past the Arc de Triunfo is Barcelona's Parc de la Ciutadella. Barcelona's vast city park houses a zoo, regional parliament, and plenty of sites and spots for lounging. Cascada Monumental, built with input from a young Gaudí, is a stunning golden waterfall that both wows and relaxes you. Climbing up the stairs of the monument offers another cool perspective of the waterfall and the park.
After exploring the park and city in all their glory, I decided to head to the sea. Barcelona's Port Vell is the oldest port of the city. The port was entirely renovated during the Olympic Games of 1992. Before, the port area was a rundown place, with empty warehouses, marshalling yards, and port factories.
Right next to the Port Vell is Barceloneta, one of Barcelona's most popular beaches.
At one end of the beach there is the sail-like building of the W hotel (shown above) and on the other end, there is the gold sculpture of a fish by architect Frank Gehry. The beach is lined with restaurants, casinos, and a cute residential area with many colorful apartments.
The World Trade Center in Barcelona is also located near Port Vell
Traveling up from the port and sea, I soon found myself at these interesting gardens full of cacti and succulents: Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera.
These botanical gardens are situated at the foot of Montjuïc facing the sea and are named after renowned Mallorcan poet Miquel Costa i Llobera. The gardens display many plant and tree species from the desert, subdesert, tropical areas, and highlands. There is also a huge collection of about 800 different types of cacti originating in many different continents and countries.
As well as the collection of species of cacti and succulent plants, the gardens have panoramic views over the city's coastline and port.
After visiting the garden and seeing the beautiful views of the city, I walked until I found myself at the 1992 Olympic site: Anella Olímpica.
This area in the middle of the Parc de Montjuïc. Next to the imposing Olympic Stadium, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, and the sports complex, the Palau Sant Jordi, stands the striking communications tower designed by the Valencian engineer and architect Santiago Calatrava. This 136-metre-high, steel sloping structure has an outline reminiscent of an athlete's body and has a base covered in broken mosaic trencadís tiles, one of the artistic techniques used by Gaudí.
I ended my second day touring Barcelona with trying paella, a rice dish originally from Valencia (city on Spain's southeastern coast). This classic Spanish rice dish is made with rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood cooked and served in one pan. It was delicious and a perfect end to a long day on my feet.
I also got some ice cream again, and fortunately, I didn't have to share it with the birds this time.
My ice cream (Oreo flavor)
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