Barcelona, Spain

Oh Barcelona, how I love thee! Barcelona was so much more than I expected...if I had to pick a city to live, this might be it! I admit, that if I vacation, Paris or Italy might be more picturesque, but Barcelona is more modern, and has fantastic architecture, a good transportation system, and an AMAZING beach.

This picture above is of Barcelona's arc de triomf. This one is made out of a beautiful reddish stone and has a more ornate character than the one of Paris.

Paella, REAL Spanish rice!! I thought it was so yummy! This dish was everywhere throughout Barcelona, and it came with fish in it or vegetables. Very good, and very filling, but I must admit, it tastes a lot like the Spanish rice my mom makes at home...so good.

This is Antonio Gaudi's crazyyyy Sagrada Familia church. To me, the design almost looks like it was built out of stone and then melted in the sun. The crazy thing is, it is so complex, that construction was began 100 years ago and is STILL in process today!

The sculpture on Gaudi's church is unique, and I think very beautiful. This is a reinterpretation of Christ on the cross in a very geometric form of artistry.

This is the ceiling of the church. Do you see what I mean by crazy? I love how it is so unique. I admit, as a  church, maybe it doesn't function very well in my mind, but as a building it is fantastic! The long columns are meant to be trees, and then you can see the branches breaking off and then forming leaf-like forms on the ceiling. All of Gaudi's work is based on geometric forms in nature.

The stained glass windows are so vibrant; I really loved them. I can't really see a picture besides the idea of the red base being the ground, the green trees, and the blue sky, but it is so bright that I just couldn't get enough.

The entry facade of the church

The Torre de Aguar, a very modern building shaped like a bullet. The concept is very innovative, with louvres on the exterior to regulate wind and light, and then an interior skin. The louvres are tinted based on location, though I can't determine the pattern just yet. 

A market off La Rambla, a wonderful street in Barcelona. La Rambla has shops on one side, then a road, then a wide pedestrian lane big enough for vendors on either side and crowds in the middle, and then a road on the other side, and shops and buildings again. It is incredible exciting to walk down the pedestrian lane with all the people and sites to see and things to smell and watch and listen to. Then, about halfway down, there was this HUGE market with fresh everything! Including vegetables, very very yummy fruit, which I bought for very inexpensive, and ate on the beach later - mango, coconut, melon...oh my goodness it was amazing, and they also have cheeses and meats...very gross meats...we won't go into that.

This is the Torre de Aguar at night...WOW huh?! Sorry, I would have put it by the daytime photo, but I did this in chronological order of when I saw things. This building, though, is so iconic in appearance, we could see it from all over the city at night, and its colors are just gorgeous, just like the stained glass windows in Gaudi's church.

And finally, the amazing beach. Since it was only about 65 degrees, there were not all that many people, and the sand was tan and clear, and the water beautiful...ahhh.

Now I am going to get to more reasons why this beach is so brilliant. First off, there are lots of things to do! Here is a fun rope climby thing that actually was not used all that much by the kids, only because the adults were loving it! hehe. 

Ok, the true brilliance of the beach. So here is how this works. 

1. First, there is the layer of the water on the far right. 

2. Then is the clean, sandy area where people were playing, sunbathing, and enjoying the beautiful day. 

3. After the sand there is a layer of concrete, on which there are built in sunbathing chairs and workout stations which were actually very well used! 

4. Then, you climb up a ramp onto an upper level paved in stone with benches (seen above) and space for people to walk, bike, rollerblade, etc. 

5. Then there is another concrete layer with restaurants serving Paella, sandwiches, smoothies, other food, and Tapas, which are kind of like Chinese dim sum in the sense that they are mini dishes with smaller portions that you are meant to get multiple different kinds of. 

6. Then there is the skinny road with parking for cars to arrive. 

7. Then you cross the road to get to a nice mall and shopping area with outdoor eating and many stores.

My point in all this is that there is something for EVERYONE! Whether you like to swim, sunbath, exercise, eat, shop, everything is present and in good condition. There are also clean bathrooms and the beach itself is very well kept and pristine. Oh my, I just loved it.

Well, there you have it folks, a very debriefed view of Barcelona. Sorry that I don't tell more stories from my experience...blogging takes a lot more time than I thought hehe. But at least you now have a sense of the city and all it has to offer.

Adios Amigos

Jess

Paris: Ooo La La!

Sooo, I've finally decided to admit that blogging is not my strongpoint. Generally, I postpone blogging because it means I need to take a lot of time to think of what to write and what to say to convey my thoughts. At the time I am experiencing them, I can think of plenty to express in a blog, however, since I get so behind, my thoughts become less clear. Because of this, I am going to simply tell the story through pictures with captions and thoughts. Here goes Paris!

Paris

Paris amazed me simply by the shear amount of sites there are to see! Check this out: Notre Dame, the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris Opera House, Arc de Triumph, Champs Elysee, Burgess Gardens, Architecture museum, the list goes on and on and on! Side note before I go on, we decided to get 4 day metro passes and the museum pass, which allows you to cut lines and serves as your ticket. The price for the Museum pass was about 30 euro...but so so worth it. The lines were extraordinary, yet we managed to cut right in and see everything we wanted to see, which barely fit into our schedule as it was!

I can tell you what order I would rank the places to see if you only had limited time in Paris. So, drumroll pleaseeee...

Coming in at #1 site to see.... The Eiffel Tower!

This is sort of a duhhh, however, the tower is more impressive than I imagined, and much larger! Plus, at night, they light up the tower and every hour on the hour hundreds of lights flash causing the tower to sparkle ( video of this at the bottom of this entry) against the night sky...it is absolutely amazing. Note, however, the lines to go up the tower are really long if you want to take the elevator. Walking, no problem....but remember, its very very tall!







#2...Notre Dame

Now, you have to remember that this list is personal preference, really, but we managed to get into Notre Dame during a service, and the sound and the dimly lit stone walls, and the gorgeous stained glass windows - the space really is a site to see and hear. Inside there are sculptures, paintings, models, flowers, everything, and you proceed from the entrance, around the side aisle, up to the apse, and back to the entrance. Quite the processional.







#3...The Louvre

I had a hard time debating between Notre Dame and the Louvre, however the Louvre is so so large, and so by the end of this museum you will be tired, tired of walking, and tired of looking. Luckily, the museum gives you a map which highlights about the top ten works of art, so if you are in a hurry, you can direct yourself to these works in particular, perusing other pieces as you go. The Mona Lisa is beautiful, yet really it is only about an 8.5 by 11 piece of artwork and it is surrounded by many people. The catch here is the shock value of actually seeing the famous work in person...very cool.

#4...Arc de Triomph and Champs Elysee

So I admit that this site has less to do, but the historical significance of the structure itself, coupled with the INCREDIBLE 360 view of Paris from on top, the site is worth seeing. For those who are unaware, the arc was built in honor of all the soldiers who have fought and died for France. Beneath the arc lies the "tomb of the unknown soldier" with an eternally lit flame in honor of the soldiers of France. The arc has been present for many of France's historic moments, and almost all military victories occurring in France, including those for the French, German's, and American's have been celebrated by this arc. The history and symbolism really are powerful if you know the meaning.




#5...Musee D'Orsay

Now, this site is really only interesting to art lovers and people who love the shock value of seeing famous things. I happened to fit into both categories, so I enjoyed this museum. Within are contained famous works by Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir, and many more. The paintings range eras, and are very different in styles, but all very interesting to see.




#5...Versailles

Perhaps it was due to the fact that we toured this palace and the gardens on the last day, a day which we were exhausted from nonstop sightseeing, but the palace wasn't as absolutely fascinating as I would have hoped. Also, it is out of town, so a little bit harder to get to (though not much with a metro pass and some time). Despite our exhaustion, the palace was beautiful. The walls and ceilings are all painted with gorgeous frescos and colors, and the hall of mirrors, is, well, lined with mirrors and beautiful materials. From this hall, there is an excellent view out to the gardens. The history added to the excitement of the space, we even go to see where Marie Antoinette escaped from her bedchamber when the palace was attacked. The gardens are so extensive, one could spend hours touring them alone. There were even people kayaking on the lake!




To continue...

Alright, well my list is becoming extensive so I will summarize a few of the rest. I didn't actually get to go in the Paris Opera House (it is not included in the pass), however it was magnificent to see, especially because there was a band playing on the steps. All the operas were sold out, otherwise I definitely would have gone! I'm sure touring the space with the large chandelier is magical given the hype of the Phantom of the Opera. Also, there is free internet connection on the steps outside the Opera House, which is also a bonus.

The Pompidu is a fantastic building to see, however the modern art inside...well, let's just say that I am not a huge fan of most modern art. The first exhibit was all about filmography, which was cool until the first one we sat down at ended up being literally a step by step process on how to remove your clothes while saying your action aloud...most unpleasant! There were a few pieces that struck my interest however. One artwork was a large cube, over which there was a large circular string. A fan from the ceiling blew down on the string, and though the string was floating in midair, it never left the confines of the space above the cube. Also there were a few exhibits one could stand under or interact with, and some architectural drawings which interested me.

Last but not least, it is necessary to include a picture of the food! Now, Paris was a very expensive city, but for a price, we were able to munch on a honest to goodness French Croix Mousier and a French Crepe with nutella and bananas!!!!!! SOOO GOOD!!! The vendor prepared the crepe right before our eyes, putting the batter on the flat hot plate and rotating her little rake around in a circle to evenly spread the batter. Then she used a spatula thing to remove the cooked crepe and spread nutella. From there, she layed on it an entire whole banana (minus the peel) and then chopped it up directly on the crepe. Oh the bliss!

Well, there you have it folks, the sites of Paris in a short summary. There is so much more to tell, but I just can't do it all. For example, our hotel, which was nice, ended up being located by Disney World Paris...which by the way is not in Paris, but on the outskirts. The area ended up being fantastic because we had a kitchen in our room and a mall nearby with a huge grocery store. There were shops around and the train station was very close, so crises averted. Anyway, ok, ok, ok enough, but I hope you enjoyed a brief synopsis on Paris!

Au Revior!

Jess