Day 12: Barcelona



Internet is working again, so picture-heavy post today! First off, because it's really cool and I didn't post a picture yesterday, here is our little alley:

 

 

This morning was spent fighting the good fight, trying to figure out how to make a decent cup of coffee from the World's Dinkiest Coffee Maker, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After concocting a weird cross between café au lait and a latte, we went to the central square to catch the hop on-hop off bus tour. Instead of a straight-forward bus stop/information kiosk situation, we were met with a massive crowd and a lengthy line whose ultimate end we couldn't quite find. We ended up getting in the wrong line a couple of times and waiting for Mom after she followed a woman (holding our ticket voucher) into the masses across the square.

 

Eventually, we got ourselves onto the right bus and started our tour, which took us through Old Town, the beachfront, the Olympic village, and the new, modern part of the city. It was breezy and warm and  very sunny. We're all sporting some fun sunburn patterns. I've got permanent sandals on right now, and a weird red triangle on my shoulder. Besides that, though, the tour was awesome and included some groovy Spanish music, as an added bonus.
 

 

 

 

We rode the bus to the Parc Güell, a public park designed by Antoni Gaudí. The original intent was to meet a tour guide, who was supposed to take us through the park and explain the art and design to us, but we made the call after a waiting a solid half hour. Instead of following  a guide through the park, we wandered around by ourselves, finding our own way among the curved towers of rock and the mosaic paths. We went off-road a couple of times, through gardens of blue-flowered trees and between blooming cacti. Sometimes, it's better to go without a guide.

 

 

 

At the eastern edge of the park, we found a set of stairs and decided to take them. At the top, we found an incredible view of Barcelona and the sea, framed by the absurd and shining work of Gaudí.

 

 

We found our way back down to the main entrance, found the bus stop again and rode back to our apartment. We took a bit of a walk around our street, again soaking up the strange but not unpleasant slice of life it represents. This cities is full of freaks, and I'm loving it.