April 20-21 Barcelona

Cristóbal Colón


Sagrada Família (Sacred Family?)

We had little time in Barcelona. We left Dublin at 5 in the morning, but the bus never came, so we had to call a cab to get to the airport. It all worked out though, and we ended up costing less the the bus!

So our first day in Barcelona, we walked down Las Ramblas to the Mediterranean (!), stopping to admire the column of Christopher Colombus. If I remember correctly, we ate some delicious cheese and bread under that column. It's funny, we walked through this awesome food market, and some one wanted to go the super market! I was like heck no. Molly helped me order bread and cheese, because she speaks Spanish really well.
Anyway, we walked along the Quay for a while, and then split up for a while. Again, traveling with four is pretty difficult. I don't recommend it.

On the 21st, we went to the Sangrada Familia. It's a cathedral designed by Gaudi, about 120 years ago, and it's still not finished. But boy is it beautiful and trippy. It's inspired by the natural world, and every new architect brings something new to the project. The stained glass is amazing, and I would love to go back once it's finished. The gargoyles were lizards and turtles and other animals. The columns were tree trunks, the windows looked like honey comb. The most interesting cathedral I saw my whole trip.

I also went to the Picasso museum, though it was so well hidden, you'd have no idea it was there unless you were looking for it. If there hadn't been a school group entering at the time, I think we would have walked right past it.
This museum was founded by Picasso's personal secretary, so it has a lot of art work. It has most of his early work, which is my favorite period. I like Cubist still life, but not portraits, so it worked out perfectly. Picasso is sometimes too artistic for me, because I just don't understand it? I appreciate him more after my art history class, but sometimes I just want to make sense of art, and Picasso is all about looking at things in a way that doesn't make literal sense.

Then we ate falafel. Past me tells present me that it was awesome. Present me has no recollection of the event.