We spent another three and a half days in Barcelona, which might normally be enough time to see everything, but for us it was not. Mainly because I was really fatigued, being pregnant, so we ended up only doing one major activity per day.
The first day, we went to walk around the gothic quarter, which is a series of narrow stone alleys lined with boutiques. It is fun to go shopping there, though everything seems marketed towards tourists. On the way there, we went to Arc de Triomf, and the park behind it. The two dogs enjoyed chasing the birds, which included the typical boring pigeons, but also these bright green parrots which I have only seen in Barcelona.
Restaurants in Barcelona were diverse, affordable, and high quality. We actually went to a Chinese restaurant and an Argentine restaurant--the Argentine restaurant, called Restaurant Graella Alfonsina was by far the best Argentinian food that I have ever had. We ordered empanadas, and the mixed platter for two of grilled meat. I would suggest ordering meat less cooked than you would like--I ordered medium and ended up with almost well done. The Chinese restaurant is nothing to write home about, but it was nice comfort food for me.
We bought tickets online to see the Sagrada Familia. Before going, my husband told me it was the most beautiful cathedral he saw in his life. Having visited many cathedrals, I was skeptical, but he turned out to be correct. I was really blown away by the Sagrada Familia, and think now that Gaudi is a genius. I was never a fan of Picasso, so I didn't pay much attention to the texts lauding Gaudi. The Sagrada Familia is an impressive blend of classic style with modern architecture and the personal artistic touches of Gaudi himself. The outside is beautiful, but the inside put me in complete awe. We went in the afternoon, so the sun was coming in through the stained glass on the west side windows. The entire cathedral was awash in colorful light. Apparently Gaudi designed it so that the east side windows would have cool tones, and the west side would have warm tones.
Nature was a major inspiration for Gaudi, so he designed the inside of the cathedral to look like a forest. He wanted there to be as much light as possible, so it is designed to be bright. This is in contrast to a lot of other cathedrals that I have seen, which are really dark inside. There are random details that reflect his love of nature--for example, a turtle carved below a pillar, and panels above doors that feature flowers and dragonflies.
Supposedly the cathedral will be finished in 2020.
The first day, we went to walk around the gothic quarter, which is a series of narrow stone alleys lined with boutiques. It is fun to go shopping there, though everything seems marketed towards tourists. On the way there, we went to Arc de Triomf, and the park behind it. The two dogs enjoyed chasing the birds, which included the typical boring pigeons, but also these bright green parrots which I have only seen in Barcelona.
Restaurants in Barcelona were diverse, affordable, and high quality. We actually went to a Chinese restaurant and an Argentine restaurant--the Argentine restaurant, called Restaurant Graella Alfonsina was by far the best Argentinian food that I have ever had. We ordered empanadas, and the mixed platter for two of grilled meat. I would suggest ordering meat less cooked than you would like--I ordered medium and ended up with almost well done. The Chinese restaurant is nothing to write home about, but it was nice comfort food for me.
We bought tickets online to see the Sagrada Familia. Before going, my husband told me it was the most beautiful cathedral he saw in his life. Having visited many cathedrals, I was skeptical, but he turned out to be correct. I was really blown away by the Sagrada Familia, and think now that Gaudi is a genius. I was never a fan of Picasso, so I didn't pay much attention to the texts lauding Gaudi. The Sagrada Familia is an impressive blend of classic style with modern architecture and the personal artistic touches of Gaudi himself. The outside is beautiful, but the inside put me in complete awe. We went in the afternoon, so the sun was coming in through the stained glass on the west side windows. The entire cathedral was awash in colorful light. Apparently Gaudi designed it so that the east side windows would have cool tones, and the west side would have warm tones.
Nature was a major inspiration for Gaudi, so he designed the inside of the cathedral to look like a forest. He wanted there to be as much light as possible, so it is designed to be bright. This is in contrast to a lot of other cathedrals that I have seen, which are really dark inside. There are random details that reflect his love of nature--for example, a turtle carved below a pillar, and panels above doors that feature flowers and dragonflies.
Supposedly the cathedral will be finished in 2020.
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