september 1-2: barcelona

We started a 7 hour bus ride to Barcelona and arrived around 6 

that night in time for a short siesta before dinner.

A group of us going out for the night in Barcelona.

We began the next day early to do a walking tour of Barcelona that started with the old Olympic stadium, Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. It was built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition and then in 1992 was used for the summer Olympics. It is located on a large hill a little outside the city that overlooks the harbor. It's named after the former president of Spain who was later executed by the Franco regime. Now, they only use the stadium for big sporting events like important soccer (futbol) games.

Tallia and me in front of the stadium

La Sagrada Familia was definitely the most impressive part of Barcelona in my opinion. It was absolutely massive and it is difficult to capture its size in a picture because it simply doesn't do it justice. It was designed by Antoni Gaudi and dedicated his last years to it, but when he died thirty years later, the church was only a quarter of the way complete. The completion has progressed very slowly over the years because it's construction relies on private donations and it is expected to be done on the centennial of Gaudi's death in 2026. There is a lot of division among the citizens of Barcelona because they think some of the work after Gaudi's death doesn't follow his design or because it could compete with the cathedral of Barcelona. Again, I loved the stained glass because it was very bright and geometric, which is different than the religious designs in most churches here.

the back of the church

the front of the church

Another really cool part of Barcelona is the large outdoor market La Rambla located in the center of the city with tons of vendors that stretch about a mile down. The middle of the street has vendors selling everything from flowers to small toys for children. Along the edges of the street are tons of small cafes and bars to stop for tapas and sangria. The best part about this area is the Open Air Market, el Mercat de la Boqueria, which was sort of similar to Pike's in Seattle. There were tons of different vendors selling fruits, vegetables, fish, cheese, cured meats, crepes, etc. It was really impressive and there were lots of strong smells of cheese and fish coming from every direction. I tried some yummy cheese and admired the rest of the selection.

My roommate Jenna walking through the fishy area

Barcelona was very beautiful (and humid) and it was a really fun city. 

I was sad we only got to spend one day there before leaving for our next stop.