Early September

Our train ride to Spain was uneventful and contained a pretty fast ride on the French TGV (Train Grand Vitesse) through the flat parts of southern France. After arriving in Barcelona we found our guesthouse in a residential apartment complex and we were pleased to see a cool tile floor and balcony view of the nearby city parkways. On an adevnture around the apartment we found what could best be described as a very miniature Walmart. It would seem like any other convenience store but it was 2 levels and contained all sorts of groceries, snack food, electronics, Playstations and DIY hardware. We got some snacks (including some delicious fried corn nuts, yum) and called it a night.

We woke up the next morning to take a walking tour. We met at a little haven for backpackers and ex-pats and started an interesting look at Barcelona including Las Ramblas (the main road built on centuries of filth), some gorgeous public squares, several Gaudi designs, Picasso's dad's school and the oldest Synagogue still standing in Europe. Also part of the tour was a tiny square and a church with scars all over it at ground level. Apparently Spanish King Franco requested Mussolini and Hitler to bomb portions of his own country to help rid it of hated (by him anyway) Catalon citizens. The reason this square was bombed was to destroy an orphanage known to hold Catalon soldiers' children to rid Franco of the next generation of fighters. Of course, the church had been damaged by the bombing but was still standing.

Unfortunately our walking tour ended in hard rain so rather than continue on wet, Jessie and I got some lunch. We went to a little place recommended to us and apparently popular with the locals. Our gazpacho and tortilla espanolas were delicious but our pitcher of sangria really made our afternoon. We are major lightweights these days, I blame our budgeting.

We braved the light rain and visited the Sagrada Familia for which Gaudi may be most famous. The dark gothic cathedral appears to be made of melting soap or cheese and contained many interesting goblins and detailings. On the way back to city centre we walked past two large residential buildings also designed by Gaudi. I thought of my sister and her architecture studies. Emily, you might like to see this stuff one day! Also, I forgot to mention another architechture exhibit in Venice; you only missed it by a few months.

We met up with my future sister-in-law and her friend for dinner near the sea. I finally got to have my paella and it did not disappoint. The Spanish seaside cuisine was full of delicious little lobsters, clams and fish and it was probably the best paella I have ever had, appropriately.