Barcelona, Spain

We left Nice at 6 am to begin the 12 hour long journey to Barcelona (including a 4 hour layover at Montpellier train station). The sun was just beginning to set when we finally arrived in Barcelona, but our tiredness turned to excitement when we came out of the metro onto Las Ramblas - the most famous and most visited street in the city. We arrived on a particularly rowdy Saturday night, as Barcelona was playing Seville in futbol (soccer) and thousands of people and extra police filled the streets until the wee hours of the morning. The next day we headed back to Las Ramblas to watch a few street performers and to eat tapas (small appetizers) and paella (a seafood and rice dish). Although the restaurant we went to was disappointing, we were happy to have tried some traditional Spanish foods. After lunch, we caught a bus to Park Guell, a park designed by Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi. We got off the bus at the wrong stop and ended up walking in circles and up hills for 45 minutes before we finally found the park. However, it was worth the trouble, because Park Guell was one of our favorite things in Barcelona. The park is beautiful, whimsical, and colorful, like most of Gaudi's work. We walked around admiring the colors and tiles until we eventually ended up at the highest point in the park that overlooks the city. We rode the metro back to Las Ramblas and walked down to the marina and the waterfront. The waterfront area was surprisingly well developed with an IMAX theater and a mall. We wandered into the mall and missed a short rain shower while we window shopped. We ended the day with a very American meal of McDonald's salads and donuts from Dunkin Coffee. The following day, we began with a trip to La Boqueria, a famous public market with fresh meats, seafood, and fruit. La Boqueria is big, bustling, colorful, and full of tourists and locals. Lorenzo sat at the counter at a seafood bar and ate razor clams, a dish he saw Andrew Zimmern eat at La Boqueria on his show "Bizarre Foods". That afternoon, we walked to a nearby beach, Barceloneta, to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather. The beach was full of other people also enjoying the weather, including a number of topless sunbathers. On our last day in Barcelona, we visited Gaudi's church, La Sagrada Familia. Even though La Sagrada Familia is still under construction (construction begain in 1886 and it is expected to be completed in 2026), we were extremely impressed by its architecture and detail.


Nice train station at dawn


Las Ramblas at night


Disappointing paella


Entrance to Park Guell


Kim rock climbing at Park Guell


Lorenzo at Park Guell


Park Guell


A view of the city from the Park Guell


The marina at Barcelona's waterfront area


The front entrance of La Boqueria


Inside La Boqueria


Lorenzo eating razor clams


A seafood stall at La Boqueria


The beach


Lorenzo taking a quick break at the beach


La Sagrada Familia