We started our day with breakfast at the Gothic quarter, a historic part of town. Walking around, it was easy to notice a blend of old and new--buildings like the beautiful Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia representing an older time period, mixed with modern cafes and shops selling trinkets and other touristy items. Both were beautiful in their own right, and it was really cool to see such a variety in architecture and style all in one place. Next up was La Sagrada Familia, probably one of the most famous (if not the most famous) sight of Barcelona. Imagined by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi, the basilica seemed to rise majestically out of the ground and up into the sky, where cranes and tarp covered the tips of the towers to protect them. An unfinished building, this was yet again another mix of new and old--there were parts of the building that were certainly very old, and others that seemed a little newer. Based on these old portions though, I though that the inside would be quite old and mighty, like many of the old Cathedrals I had seen. I could not have been more wrong. The inside was modern and sleek, and perhaps one of the most polished I had seen. The stained glass on the walls cast rays of light dancing across the ceiling and floor in a rainbow pattern, something that was really cool to see. The vaulted ceilings showed a simple, yet elegant look that did not overwhelm the eyes. I will be honest I was pretty shocked. It was beautiful, and something definitely worth seeing. But if I were to compare what I saw on the outside to what was presented to me on the inside, I would have thought they were two different buildings. The other unfortunate thing was that there were so many tourists wandering around--it felt more like a zoo than a place of worship. I guess it's a small taste of what Jesus saw and thought when he walked into the temple in Jerusalem. I guess I was one of those tourists, but still. It was kind of crazy. After that we stopped by a nearby place to have lunch before heading off to Park Guell. It took us quite a while to get there--we ended up hiking up and down a bunch of hills (who knew Barcelona was so hilly?), before reaching the park. Along the way, we got to see a fantastic view of the city and sea but it certainly was a long and arduous journey from the metro station. Once we got there, we visited Gaudi's house and saw from afar the mosaic benches which was the true tourist attraction it seemed (we had bought the wrong ticket, so no entrance for us unfortunately). There was still plenty to see and do around the park though. In the free areas, we got to see some cool architectural structures that Gaudi had come up with and built. Making our way down to the metro yet again, we got on the metro to go to Camp Nou, where FC Barcelona plays their home matches. Incidentally, that day was the FCB final game against Juventus so I think visiting the stadium was a little good luck for their team =D. Anyway, we got to go through the stadium in a self guided tour and it was AMAZING. It started with a museum with a little history of FCB, then we got to sit in some of the stadium seats and take pictures. We then went down to the press room and locker room before heading to the hallway leading to the turf. It was so cool to walk down those stairs, see FCB's prayer room, and emerge triumphantly onto the turf (with a bunch of other tourists, I might add). Very few places give you access to so many places in a tour, and it was definitely worth the money we paid. From the stadium, we headed to Barceloneta where we found a small restaurant to sit down and watch the match with some dinner. This was the first time having Paella in Spain (I don't know why I waited so long, cuz it was super good!). I also got to see Steph and Hannah at the restaurant, which was awesome! The atmosphere in the restaurant was tense as the match started, but people seemed to be pretty calm about the whole thing. We left the restaurant at halftime, since we were really tired and needed to get some rest. When we got back to our street, we got to see some of the crazy love that FCB fans have for their team. People were blowing air horns, shouting, dancing, singing, and even lighting firecrackers when goals were scored. We rushed back to our apartment for fear of our lives (not really...but still), and took a listen to the chaos outside. It was from our apartment that we saw FCB win the match after 10 minutes of overtime. As soon as the final goal was scored, cheers and screams mixed with air horns and what sounded like a billion firecrackers sounded from outside the apartment. It was crazy--as one of my friends put it, it was like being in a warzone. But it didn't stop after 10 minutes. Or 30 minutes. Or an hour after the match had ended. In fact, I fell asleep at night listening to crowds in the streets singing songs of celebration over the victory of FCB in the final game. It was really cool.
(The beautiful and massive entrance of Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia)
(Flowers and the fountain set up for the feast of Corpus Christi)
(La Sagrada Familia in all its glory)
(Light effects of the stained glass)
(Modern interior of the baslilica--not what I was expecting, but still really nice)
(One last look at the entrance)
(Overlook of the city of Barcelona and the sea in the distance)
(Mosaic benches at Park Guell)
(The entrance to Park Guell--we didn't pay for this portion of the park so this is picture is taken over the fence...)
(Entrance of Camp Nou)
(View from the stadium turf!)
(One crazy crazy crazy fan...)
Today, I made my way back to the airport at 6 for an 8:30AM flight from Barcelona to Palma. The flight went smoothly, and as soon as I got home, I took a 4 hour nap because of our lack of sleep for the past couple days. I was so tired from traveling and sightseeing, and this nap was well deserved. I spent a couple hours working on my dental apps before heading out to the Cathedral for a 5PM mass. I'm not Catholic, so I don't think I got much out of the service. But it was nice to go anyway, to see what Spanish mass was like in such a beautiful Cathedral. Today was the feast of Corpus Christi, and so after the service a procession was conducted around the church which was really amazing to see. Again, I am not Catholic so I don't really know the significance of such a procession, but it was interesting to see the devotion of so many people to the church and to their faith as they proudly walked around the cathedral. I would like to say I did something interesting after mass, but I really didn't. Unfortunately, I have been cooped up for most of the day in my room because of these darn dental apps. Hopefully I will get them done soon so I can enjoy Palma and get to know the city a little better.
(Back to Palma today on Vueling with no livery...)
(Procession for the feast of Corpus Christi)
Tomorrow brings class and hopefully some more beach time!
A new adventure awaits.
PS: Apparently Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie are filming in Palma around Las Ramblas. The next few days will probably be devoted (somewhat) to finding out where they are and grabbing a few pictures while they are still here. Palma isn't terribly big, and Las Ramblas is not a huge area. Here's to finding famous people!
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