Barcelona (Pt. 2)
(Click here for the first part of Barcelona!)
We started our last day in Barcelona with breakfast/pastries at Pans Especials (186 Carrer de Bailèn Barcelona, Catalonia) before heading up to Park Guell. It is possible to walk all the way to the park, but we took a bus for the last .5 miles or so to avoid walking uphill.
Orange trees were everywhere during our walk.
PARK GÜELL
The park is very big and not knowing how to get to the entrance, we ended up entering through a non-conventional way that started at the top.
After arriving at the ticketing booth, since we didn't get tickets beforehand, we had to wait 1.5 hours until the next wave of visitors could enter the more famous part of the park. However, the park is very big and we easily spent that 1.5 hours exploring the grounds, enjoying the music from the live guitars, and learning more about Gaudi's life at the Gaudi House Museum.
Gaudi House Museum.
The different handles Gaudi designed to form perfectly with the hand.
Overlooking the park.
Overlooking the city.
After entering, they only allow 45 minutes inside the main area so it doesn't get too crowded with tourists. Although this rule isn't strictly reinforced, the area does lose it's magnificence after a while of running into people, so 45 minutes was perfect for us.
BARCELONETA BEACH
Afterwards we got seafood and paella at Paco Alcalde (the grilled squid was amazing!), and soaked up the sun along the beach before going to La Sagrada Família.
I was amazed at all the impressive sandcastles along the beach, and I would totally come back to spend a day here if we had more time.
LA SAGRADA FAMÍLIA
Our last big visit before heading off to the airport was La Sagrada Família. I thought the Casa Batlló and Park Güell was amazing, but after going inside here, those two could not compare. As Gaudi's biggest architectural project, it is, by far, the most amazing and unique cathedral I have seen (and probably ever will see). Pictures of it really cannot capture the magnificence and grandiosity of it all.
The left side was comprised of cool toned stain-glass windows, and the right side comprised of warm toned stain-glass windows.
Ceiling of the cathedral.
Light shining through during sunset.
If you only have one day in Barcelona, La Sagrada Família should be your number one priority!
TL;DR
If you thought reading both blog posts were too long, here are, in my opinion, 5 words to sum up the best of Barcelona:
Gaudi
Beaches
Paella
Sangria
Sun
Gracias Barcelona for such a wonderful time! Watch out for my next blog post where I'll talk about an adventure I never thought I'd have in....MOROCCO!
XOXO,
Audey
