A new year, a new decade. How about a new travel destination too? Yes, please.
Ever since taking Spanish in high school and college, I had always wanted to travel to Spain. The opportunity to do so had finally presented itself, and I was fortunate enough to have a travel buddy to accompany me on this adventure. It was the right time.
Excitement isn’t enough to describe how I felt leading up to the trip. Reading about Spain, and the historically rich landscapes filled with forts, castles, and architectural gems was the only stimulus I needed to hit the confirm button; I booked my flights.
My trip started in Barcelona and my Polish travel companion and I decided to pave our way along the Iberian Peninsula through several cities all the way to Seville. Then we’d book a bus to cross the Portuguese border and spend the last few days in Lisbon. It was an ambitious plan for a 12-day trip. Solo travel brings many inspiring thoughts to the surface of a workaholic, but travel buddies encourage equally stimulating discussion of the sights, sounds, and smells. Looking back, the scenes and history that went with them accumulated as we drove west. The entire trip became increasingly impressive, cementing the rationale for the numerous battles that took place in Spain over the years. In a matter of speaking, there’s really a lot to fight for.
Barcelona:
This popular city is on the tip of everybody’s tongue. Over the years, I’ve asked people what their favorite city is in Spain and over 99% of the time they respond: Barcelona. After my trip, I can see why. From avant-garde architecture lining the streets of Passeig de Gracia and Portal del Angel, to the cathedrals, monuments and views, it’s a city that reminded me how lucky I am to see.
The symbol of Barcelona is a tie between the Barcelona Cathedral and La Sagrada Familia (also a cathedral). I think it’s perfect to name both attractions as Barcelona’s top-two masterpieces because one represents the beautiful Gothic era, and the other represents the new-age contemporary era. The Barcelona Cathedral opened in 1298, and sits in the center of the Gothic Quarter. It was easily one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen. Walking through the streets of the Gothic Quarter transported me back in time. The gargoyles, oval patterns mixed with triangular steeples of biblical scenes made it easy to imagine being there 700 years ago. The big surprise of the evening as we strolled the streets was an elder lady in torn beige pants, and a rusty pink shoal standing outside the back entrance, singing Puccini’s “O Mio Babino Caro” with a gorgeous soprano voice. I still remember seeing her standing there, with her dark black hair and weathered face.
La Sagrada Familia was also a sight to behold. With numerous pillars commemorating a significant moment in Christianity, Gaudi’s most monumental masterpiece is still unfinished. That being said, stepping inside the cathedral takes your breath away. It was the largest, most ornate cathedral I had ever seen.
Gaudi is a renowned architect whose vision stands the test of time and puts Barcelona on the map. His work can be found scattered throughout Barcelona in numerous architectural homes, cathedrals, and palaces. Most of his work was funded by the industrial tycoon and entrepreneur Giuseppe Guell. Below are several pictures that feature his Avant-garde vision.
The first Gaudi masterpiece we visited was The Park Guell:
After The Park Guell, I took a hop-on-hop off bus tour that hit many spots, but I’m merely going to highlight the famous ones here with a few exceptions. With that said, Gaudi’s Casa Vicens was the next mind-blowing architectural wonder that I saw. Mr. Vicens was a stock and currency broker back in 1926, and his house shows some of Gaudi’s most modernist interpretations of shapes, material, and colors. All the ceilings had layers and layers of detail in every room. It was astounding.
Guell’s Palace. Aka: Palau Guell:
La Casa Batllo:
Miscelaneous:
Grocery shopping, strolling La Barceloneta beach, listening to music, watching the Epiphany Parade, eating tapas, enjoying the view from the room, practicing my violin in Barcelona, eating more tapas, visiting the Columbus statue, the Picasso Museum, walking La Rambla, and seeing wondrous architectural creations on every street corner. That’s Barcelona. In a list.
Nattaproblem 
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