Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is one of my most favorite European cities so far. There was so much to see, do, and eat! We got our fill of architecture, art, tapas, and wine. More posts to come about our walking food tour and Paella cooking class.
One of the must see areas is La Rambla. We walked around the area and ventured inside the Mercis de La Boqueria. I love a good market. It is great to buy up the fresh veggies, fruits, meats, and cheeses that are for sale for lunches and dinners. There were markets all over Barcelona and we shopped at quite a few of them during our stay. Here is the inside of the market in La Rambla. We both tried fresh squeezed juices with many fruit choices.
If you know anything about me you know I love french macarons. I was floored when I found a booth that sold macarons filled with ice cream. Sign me up! I purchased the twix flavor (orange one) and got to work on it. Sadly, I was disappointed. Cold macarons are hard macarons. Save yourself the disappointment.
Our next stop was the La Sagrada Familia. It is a huge unfinished Catholic church designed by Gaudi. The church is said to be completed in about 100 years. This church is nothing short of unique and gorgeous. It was pretty much impossible to get a full picture of the church without it surrounded by cranes.
The Sagrada Família outside carvings and design shows the Nativity and Passion scene. The Passion faces Barcelona, while the Nativity faces away from the city. You can clearly see the story in the carvings. The two sides look like they were designed by different people even. The Nativity scene has gnarly carvings surrounding the statutes while the Passion scene is clean and polished.
Just by looking at the outside of this church you would have no idea that the inside is just covered in stained glass. It totally threw me when I saw all the glass. It was everywhere filling the halls with color. It is a must see.
Another stop we made was Park Güell. Talk about unique. This was also designed by Gaudí. Everything was covered in colorful mosaic stones and neat lines. All the curved benches were beautiful and colorful. Even the ceiling had mosaic designs.
Is Barcelona on your travel list? We would love to help plan your next European vacation. Check back later this week for our blog posts on the Food and Wine tour and the Paella cooking class we took while in Barcelona.
