¡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

Adios Madrid :'(

Hiya! 

Today was our last day in Madrid. We survived our first laundry expedition with our little washer in our apartment. We have heard many "laundry abroad" horror stories so we were quite anxious and attentive.

We also had to run a few errands -such as visiting a printing store to print out our bus tickets. This was an interesting experience as both of us know little Spanish but we were able to utter, "imprintir" to the woman at the printing desk- who kindly hooked us up. 

We decided to have an early dinner out and had two cokes, steak, and croquettes. Ben was pleased. 

After finishing both equally important missions, we visited the modern art museum, Museo Reina Sofia. Out of Ben's own special request (and part of his spiritual journey), we saw the "Guernica"- a piece by Picasso that showcases the gloomy aftermath of the Civil War. I wish we had taken pictures of the piece- but I am not Ben and I do not wish to be tazed by two museum guards. However we do have these two lovely pieces to share: 

Once we had our modern art fix (which doesn't take much for us), we decided to head to our neighborhood mercado for the last time and pick up some treats for tomorrow's lonnggggggg bus ride. 

We are all packed up, showered, and our little casa is clean. We wake up in six hours for our seven hour trek to Barcelona and look forward to telling you about tomorrow's journey! We can't handle the suspense.

Xoxo 

Megan

Todo lo que puedas imaginar es real

Hello again! 

Yesterday we finally set out for the Prado. The weather was once again nearly perfect and we were able to find a few outdoor markets and street art along the way. 

We got a few ideas decoration-wise for our future apartment and some snacks. Eventually we arrived at the museum.

Where we saw a number of "must see" works (the first two being a little off because a guard yelled at me for taking other photos...)

Along with one of my new favorites, Mariano Fortuny's Los hijos del pintor en el salón japonés:

And one of Megan's new favorites, Joachim Patinir's Landscape with Chron Crossing the Styx:

After another hour or so, we left to get some lunch. We found a great place down the street and had some paella, sangria, and Megan had me try chorizo. 

We even made friends with a wonderfully cheeky British couple, Trevor and Sally, sitting beside us. They lived in France for 10 years, and have been living in Spain for the past 4.

After great food and conversation we parted ways, and Megan and I headed to the botanical garden next to the Prado.

Some of the spaces looked like a scene straight out of Jurassic Park.

We even made another new friend!

Well...sort of 

We ended the day with a nice dinner at home and a movie. Today is our last day in Madrid, and once our laundry is done we will be going to the Raina Sofia museum and maybe another garden or two before turning in for an early night. More to come!

Lo Siento

Hey all! 

We had another late start yesterday, but not because of jet lag. The night before, there was an INSANE thunderstorm. The rain would come and go, ranging from the sound of trickling sand to the sound of a man in the Times Square subway station trying to play drums on overturned buckets. Due to the latter, we decided trying to sleep would be pointless and instead had a ~**SLEEP0VER*~ which lasted until 5 in the morning. 

So, we woke up late. We eventually got our butts out of bed by 4 and out of the house at 5. Luckily the sun doesn't set until 9:30 so not only was it light out, but the weather was fantastic. 

We ended up walking to the Catedral de la Almudena. 

It might be strange, but it wasn't until we were standing inside the cathedral that we truly felt like we were in Europe. The street we live on is full of diversity and delicious food. There's cobblestone everywhere. We can't understand 60% of  the people that walk by. 

But there's something about standing under the expanse of architecture and - religious or not - God; hearing even a murmur echo and carry all the way up to the glowing stained glass; there's something about standing inside a monument to time and faith that makes you feel like you're somewhere special. Somewhere new. Somewhere abroad. 

Directly behind the cathedral was the Palacio Real de Madrid

We took our time, some pictures, and enjoyed the view. 

We then walked across the street to the Plaza de Oriente. 

We decided to find a nice spot to read and relax for a little while. 

An hour or so later, we continued on to another garden down the road. 

By then it was getting close to 8 and we were starving. We tried to find a place to eat back in our neighborhood, couldn't function well enough to decide on a place, and ended up grabbing supplies at the super market and making MASSIVE sandwiches. Now we're about to have breakfast and then head to the Prado and the gardens behind it. Update you soon!

-Ben and Megan