¡Hola Barcelona!

Hey all! 

So we left our place in Madrid at 7 in the morning for a 7 1/2 hour bus ride to Barcelona. 

The bus was surprisingly comfortable and we had good seats, so it could have been an easy trip, but something sat two rows away. It was a child. This erratic, loud pile of demon spawn would not stop screaming, asking his mom the same five questions repeatedly and as if she were standing on the other side of the Grand Canyon, all of which was done in Korean. Needless to say, we didn't love this child. We didn't love our ride. But we survived. 

I wasn't able to get a photo of it, but it vaguely looked like this. 

Eventually we got to Barcelona Sants station and grabbed one last subway to our Barcelona home for the next week. Megan and I stepped out of the station, and while we were trying to figure out which street to go down next, I noticed something directly behind us:

We both had to take a moment - regardless of being weighed down by our bags and travel exhaustion - to take this sight in for a moment. I had vague ideas about the Sagrada Familia, but I definitely was not prepared for this. We collected ourselves and walked over to our apartment, but our new friend was still visible from our front door. 

 In the apartment we met our host Paquita and her cute, very old dog, Lola. Paquita provided us with maps, restaurant recommendations and a whole bunch of tips for our stay. Afterwards, we went out to explore our immediate area and grab a quick bite to eat before heading to bed. 

The next morning, we awoke to a lovely breakfast Paquita had prepared for us on her balcony. 

It was time to start our first full day in Barcelona. We began by going to the nearby Sant Pau/Hopital de la Santa Creu:

We didn't go inside because we had a designated time to enter the Sagrada Familia that was half an hour away. Maybe we'll take a peek today. 

It was time for the Sagrada Familia. All I can say is it is one of the most impressive, beautiful things I've seen in my life so far. We started with the exterior.

This is the oldest of the facades, The Nativity facade (also in the first picture I posted). It includes three alcoves representing the three main virtues to ascend to heaven, as well as the birth of Jesus and the tree of life. 

This is the Passion facade, depicting the crucifixion of Jesus and his ascension (towards the top of the structure). The third is still being constructed, but will be the Glory facade. The most interesting fact for me was that the construction is completely funded by donations. Gaudí believed that something worthwhile required sacrifice, and that the people should be responsible for the structure's completion because it would be a church of and for the people. After that it was time to go inside. I'll just post the pictures I have. I'm still searching for words. 

We sat and marveled for another hour or two before heading to the Catedral de Barcelona:

At some point we walked through what we thought was an exit only to find a hidden oasis.

We kept walking and found a hidden gem: the tiny plaza of Sant. Felip Neri

That was after a full day of a LOT of walking, so we caught our breath here for a little while before taking the subway back to our neighborhood.  We sat down to dinner at a pizza place down the street. 

We spent the next few hours with a pitcher of sangria and plenty of passerby to watch. We even had a glass of sangria sent to our table by a sweet old woman who just wanted to have a conversation. 

Today is a new day with more of the Gothic quarter to explore. More to come tonight! 

-Ben