Barcelona is better than I thought it would be. I love old architecture, and after having been here for just one full day, I see that this place has been home to great architects and designers who were able to think and produce outside the confines of what was considered normal or conservative in their time time.Paris and London's beautiful boulevards now seem plain and conformist. And I'm not just speaking of Gaudi's famous buildings that look like Dr. Seuss was set loose with blueprints, but building after building here has gorgeously unique details. I'm sure many theses have been written on just one feature here - such as the doorways, or lamp posts or iron work. Maybe in my next life I'll come back and study the stunning window frames or mosaics I've seen.
We started our morning by joining a walking tour of Barcelona, but the political and historical detail was boring the kids to death so we left after an hour and strolled on our own. Mid afternoon Barry and the kids went to an English bookstore and back for a rest while I joined a "Gaudi" walking tour. The Finnish guide was full of lots of little details about the buildings around the core of the city. Barcelona is a great place to come with a sketch pad and a brace to hold your head up to look around.
Today we're off to see Gaudi's church 'Sagrada Familia," one of the most visited cites in Europe. At $130 for the four of us, it better be good.
In addition to many great architects, Barcelona is home to many pickpockets. Only Naples has a higher number of petty thieves in Europe. So while I'm here I keep my valuables tucked in all my different zip pockets and clip my purse to my pants. Hopefully we'll still have everything with us when we board the flight to Israel tonight.
We started our morning by joining a walking tour of Barcelona, but the political and historical detail was boring the kids to death so we left after an hour and strolled on our own. Mid afternoon Barry and the kids went to an English bookstore and back for a rest while I joined a "Gaudi" walking tour. The Finnish guide was full of lots of little details about the buildings around the core of the city. Barcelona is a great place to come with a sketch pad and a brace to hold your head up to look around.
Today we're off to see Gaudi's church 'Sagrada Familia," one of the most visited cites in Europe. At $130 for the four of us, it better be good.
In addition to many great architects, Barcelona is home to many pickpockets. Only Naples has a higher number of petty thieves in Europe. So while I'm here I keep my valuables tucked in all my different zip pockets and clip my purse to my pants. Hopefully we'll still have everything with us when we board the flight to Israel tonight.
This is one of Gaudi's houses. I could ramble about the architecture, but more interesting is the tidbit that this is now owned by the family who owes the lollipop, Chuppa Chups. The logo for these was designed by Salvador Dali! The kids bought one yesterday just to feel part of the city!
George looks so excited about our walking tour!
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