Barcelona Part One

When I went to Europe, I knew the Spain was on my "must-visit" list and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to visit Barcelona.  I had the time of my life getting to know the city - sitting on the beach and trying to get some color back on my skin after 3 months of barely any sun, as well as getting lost in the old Gothic parts of the city, and admiring all the Gaudi architecture.  I completely fell in love with the city and cannot wait to visit Barcelona and the rest of Spain again!

As soon as I arrived in Barcelona, I could not stop admiring the cloudless blue skies - a welcome change to the cloudiness of Berlin and Paris. 

Read more after the jump!




The architecture is also absolutely beautiful - every building is so unique and has slightly different architecture or decor on it.  I stopped practically every 5 seconds to take pictures of buildings, but it's easy to overlook these details!  Even though I walked on the same streets often, it seemed like I was constantly discovering something new.

I spent the first couple days just exploring Barcelona, particularly La Boqueria, a famous food market with both produce and prepared food - all of which was delicious!  Other highlights were also the Gothic parts of the city and Parc Güell, a beautiful park filled with Gaudi architecture.  His architecture is so unique and whimsical, and I am definitely interested in reading more about him after seeing his work all over the city.

The best part about the market was the fruit and the fruit juices.  All the colors and flavors were a fresh and summery change to what I've been accustomed to for the past 3 months.  I think I visited the market everyday that I was in Barcelona to drink some of the juice and fill up on empanadas...

Kiwi and coconut juice...yum!

 I also took some time to wander into the Gothic area of the city - a charming section with beautiful Gothic architecture and narrow streets. The prospect of getting lost in these streets made this area have a romantic quality to it.

 Parc Güell was beautiful to walk through.  I went to the park expecting it to be just a big park with lots of trees and grass, but I was certainly not expecting the abundance of Gaudi architecture.  The best way I can really describe it is whimsical, and it feels very beachy and summery to me.  The various musicians I stumbled upon in the park also made for some great entertainment and accompaniment to my walk!  I didn't even make it all the way to the top of the park, and the next time I'm in Barcelona (because I just have to go back), I could easily spend a whole day in there.

a GORGEOUS view of the city from the park!

That's it for this part of my Barcelona visit, and these pictures only show a tiny fraction of my amazing experience.  Stay tuned for some more on what I did while I was there!