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First of all, you have to call it 'Bar-thay-lona'. We're now on our 3rd day in Barcelona and one thing has become strikingly clear... we can look like locals, but our Spanish is terrible. At most restaurants they immediately think we're locals, speaking to us all in Spanish. We get a dear-in-the-headlights look to us, and then throw out a 'no habla espanol'. Terrible. Somehow the little bit of Spanish we acquired in Mexico last Christmas isn't really helping us out ("dos cervezes por favor"?)
Anyhow, we are getting by on our Canadian charm. Barcelona is so laid back compared to Paris. It's a nice change. Our hotel is fantastic with a great restaurant and shady patio, which we have been enjoying. Our pace of travel is less of a daily checklist of things to see, and more of a plan on where to wander in between meals. Food and alcohol are about half the price as in Paris. We were stunned when we ordered a litre of sangria at our hotel and it came to 5 euros...the equivalent of what we'd pay for a glass in Canada.
We spent our first day getting our bearings in the city...wandering through the 'barri Gotic', or historic core (dating back to the Romans, but mostly medieval buildings). Matt of course forgot to put on sunscreen, do he was constantly darting to spots of shade. It is hot, but we are adjusting. It gets up to around 30 degrees during the day, but is perfect for strolling in the evenings. We have adjusted well to the Spanish daily routine of taking a siesta in the afternoon between 3:00-7:00. We go for dinner at 10:00pm, because that's what they do here. Life is good in Spain.
Our second day was 'Gaudi' day. We started out at the Sagrada Familia basilica....the famous church here done in Gaudi's famous style of architecture. This building is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Truly. The outside is so different than the typical gothic churches...smooth, rounded, embellished with symbols of nature. Inside was jaw-dropping. I can't really describe it, only to say that it makes you feel like a small insect looking up into the canopy of a rainforest.
Our afternoon was spent at Park Guell, a park in that was designed by Gaudi and looks out over Barcelona. Again, just an incredibly beautiful design and structure. We can't wait to see the photos once we get home.
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