Colacao = a brand of what we think of as "hot chocolate" (i.e. Ovaltine)
café al bonbon = coffee with condensed milk
ojeras = bags under your eyes
calamares en su tinta = a way of preparing calamari (squid), using the ink
Went to Barcelona this weekend!
It was cold and kind of dreary, but I mean it was Barcelona so we had fun. Having been there already, I wasn't too disappointed by the less-than-temperate climate. I actually remembered my way around, more or less (more less than more…).
We got in Friday around noon, checked into the hostel, found some lunch, then headed up Passeig de Gracia to check out the Gaudí stuff. We started with the Casa Batlló. The façade is designed to look like skulls and bones, and the windows get smaller as they get higher—my guess is that it creates a kind of fake perspective to make it look taller.
Casa Battló (we didn't go inside)
Just down the street was Casa Milà, or la Pedrera (derived from the word piedra, which means "stone," so like, "the stone thing"). This time, there were other people there with me, so there are actually pictures of me on the roof.
The gang on top of Casa Milà
(Most pictures with me in them were taken by friends; for you Facebookers, flip through Pictures of Me to see more.)
View of la Sagrada Familia from Casa Milà
After Casa Milà, we took a walk across town to visit the Sagrada Familia. In June, I went inside, but this time around we were content to admire from the streets. It was cooler in June, when there was sunlight and warmth (PUN), but it was still pretty cool:
The Sagrada Familia (left = front, right = back)—as always, click for larger size
The next day was drizzly and even colder, but we powered through. We started at the Museu de la Xocolata, which was really not all that great but still cool. The ticket was printed on the wrapper of a chocolate bar, which was deliciously received. The exhibits were all sculptures made of chocolate—the ones of Don Quijote and Bambi were my favorites.
The main attraction of the day was Park Güell. I was there in June, as well, but this time there were far fewer people, and I was able to get a pic with the famous lizard fountain:
At Park Güell
We had a late lunch and spent the evening strolling along the beach (of the Mediterranean!), pretending it was more than thirty degrees out.
There isn't really a whole lot to see in Barcelona, but what there is I like a whole lot. I.e. everything by Gaudí, and just the city in general.
The next big trip is to Sevilla/Córdoba in a couple of weeks. I promise I'll update before then, though. :)
"There isn't really a whole lot to see in Barcelona..." girl, have you completely lost it? You could blog for days about Las Ramblas alone! I wanted to hear that you landed in that amazing tapas place we had found, the one that served those yummy little sandwiches! What was the night life like there? Or did you all sleep through it? Is Colon still pointing the wrong way?
ReplyDelete