Barcelona or bust!

Yum. That's my first thought of Barcelona - delicious food intermixed into a delicious culture (represented by the beans above, from the market). This weekend, a group of six archies went to Barcelona - and it (very quickly) climbed to the top of my favorite-places-ever list. Barcelona is constantly alive - day or night, people of all ages are out in the streets. The gothic quarter was my particular favorite, especially at night with the boardwalk a close second.

There was also a plethora of Antoni Gaudi to see- Guell Park (high up above Barcelona, with its caverns & intricate mosaics), Casa Mila, and his (ever) unfinished work Sagrada Familia.

At first glance, this temple (image above), looks like it was inspired by melted cheese, but upon closer inspection, sculptures emerge from every nook and cranny on the exterior, finished off with a beautiful light-filled interior. The top of the towers (while inducing high volumes of vertigo, experienced by yours truly), provide amazing views of the city.

Brian, Nicole and I also rushed to see the Barcelona Pavilion before the sun set, although the interior is under renovation (big bummer), we did get to see the exterior. Pretty neat, hats off to Mr. van der Rohe.

We also happened upon this monster of a building - very impressive, with fountains trailing all the way down the hill. A few of us visited the Picasso museum in the evening, which has an amazing collection including an extensive sampling of Picasso's blue phase (a new personal favorite). We also walked and walked and walked, with intermittent subway stints. The food was also spectacular - both nights we made dinner out of tapas (small plates), sangria and/or wine. It was exactly my kind of dinner because I could have a little bit of everything (including dessert). I love Barcelona!