Around the World in 80 Days: Me encanta Barcelona

We loved Barcelona! We loved the sunshine, architecture, sunshine, shopping, sunshine, tapas, and the sunshine.

On this trip I vowed to learn as little as possible, the goal was to truly soak up the sun. However, we did take a tour and accidentally discovered a few interesting facts. Despite being an old city, the Barcelona you will see below is relatively new. Once a fortified city with poor living conditions, Barcelona is now known for many works of art from inspired architects, delicious tapas, over-sized cathedrals, enchanted parks, sandy beaches, and the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Below are pictures around town, the beach, and our favorite tour through Antoni Gaudi's famous park and church. The pictures don't do it justice, imagine it sparkling and you'll get somewhere close.

Where the Running of the Bull's begin.

View from the top.

This was a small authentic Catalonian town. Very cute but moral of this story is to ask questions before buying tickets.

Part of Gaudi's park, his goal is to create lines that occur naturally.

Beyond the trees you can see a bench inspired by a sea serpent slithering through the water. The color comes from recycled glass.

Gaudi's first supporter was Salvador Dali. Can you see Dali's mustache?

Again, all the color you see is mosaic.

The dragon.

Side view.

Guell park entrance.

Closer view. You could probably tell that I am entranced by Gaudi's work!

Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's most impressive work. Construction on this cathedral began in 1882 and has yet to be completed. I can't even begin to describe the intricacies of this building. Every inch is carved in figures and symbols and atop each spire is a bundle of mosaic fruit.

You can see when we were there, construction forges on. Our friends Jason and Julie were in Barcelona last summer, when visitors weren't allowed inside. The cathedral is constantly evolving for tourist as crews carry out Gaudi's original vision.