Barcelona Tour

Last day in Barcelona. I went for a late breakfast at noon (lunch doesn't start until 2pm) with Jocelyn across the street and had a skewer of bacon, mozzerella, and dates (Mmmmmmmm!). Then I spent the rest of the day hopping on and off a tour bus that took you around to all the main Barcelona sights. Granted I focused on Gaudi's architecture, houses, and parks.

La Pedreda is a beautifully built house with an undulating roof and odd pillars and hollow forms on the roof. The detail put into the woodwork and tiling is beautiful.



Casa Batllo, my absolute favorite, was designed by Gaudi to resemble water and waves. There are literally no straight lines in the entire house, anywhere! His use of natural light and light wells that form tiny courtyards through the middle of the house give a sense of being underwater when shining through the blue tinted glass and tile. I can't even imagine how gorgeous it would be to live there.



Gaudi also designed the gorgeous Parque Guell that is famous for a large gecko (too bad it was covered in tape after part of the nose fell off or was broken off). The park offers a view of all of Barcelona and the Mediterranean, and has undulating benches to sit on or cave-like formations on the bridges and passages.



The rest of Barcelona I saw in the dark, freezing on the open upper deck of the tour bus (there was a group of 4 very obnoxious americans that I couldn't stand to be around - we're always 10 decibels louder than everyone else, it seems). The tour guide was hilarious and kept repeating that such and such place was of course already closed because it was so late (between 7 and 8pm) and that we're gonna drive as fast as possible becuase it is late and time to eat and the driver and him are very very very tired and especially hungry ... ... repeat that for each stop we drove past.

On Thursday, when I should have been packing, Jocelyn comes running in from work talking about some store that is selling all their boots for 15 euros ... so of course off we went and now we both own yet another pair of amazing boots. :-) How am I going to get all this stuff home?!!?!?!?!?!?