Touring the City

My camera broke!!! :'(

We went to see the most beautiful architecture & culture that I have ever seen!
It was supposed to start around 8am but since we had a late night the night before with the street festival & dancing (got home around 12:30) we slept in and didn't leave until 10.

After our breakfast of toast, chocolate & tea we set out to the subway. There's an old man who sits beside the station we get on playing music from an crank organ. We jump around a few stops to a main street, Passeig de Gracia which was very beautiful. It was full of apartment buildings that, Xavier says, were created during their renaissance revolution in the 19th & early 20th century. With such places as, Casa Batlló and Casa Milà.

At that point we entered the Gothic area of the city! The first memorable thing that I saw, it took my breath away (Stef remember when I teared up at the cathedral in Holland? this one was even older & larger so you can imagine my reaction). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona_Cathedral (pictures are there) They had dedications & tombs for certain people,(mainly Jesus & Mary...) so I made a game out of guessing which century they were from. Everything ranged from the 12th century the 19th. The church itself was made between the 13th and 15th. We unfortunately were kicked out after looking down the first half of it. After 1pm they begin charging 6 euros for guided tours, which had a long line for.
Right outside of the church was a recreation of the Roman aquiducts and we went on an adventure to look for the old Roman walls. Accidentally we came across three large columns in the building of an alpine club. It was overwhelming how large they were and how something so old was able to survive. They had pictures of how the columns had been transformed into apartments during the years and there were still people living directly beside it still however the columns were no longer in their living rooms as they were before. As Xavier & I were sitting there a guided tour came in where the man said that the alpine club was a 1000 years old but the columns were 2000 years old, just to put things into perspective. (as a previous history major I was in complete awe and bliss of the whole afternoon)

As we continued walking around the area we came across older churches like Santa Maria del mar (saint maria of the sea) and Santa Maria del Pi (saint maria of the pines). We came across a market place in the area and decided to have lunch there (meatballs & skuttle fish and a rice dish with the best shrimp I have ever had on top as well as some shellfish) another moment of bliss. Eating there everyone seemed to know eachother, even though they didn't - just a very friendly atmosphere.

Just as we finished lunch they began closing and sent us on our way to roam around the tiny streets again. We stopped by a souviner shop for some postcards (they're on their way soonish if you gave me your address! If you'd like one email it to me & I'll happily send one to you). Then we went to try to find an art museum for the rest of the afternoon as well as the Barcelona University. Once we found the museum we were too tired to go in so we sat & watched a group of skatboarders go around (they weren't any better than the ones in KW but still entertaining). The university was closed once we got there so we bused back home, went grocery shopping and am now about to go to sleep.

Plans for tomorrow:
~Mt. Montserrat! Xavier's saying that anyone who can climb a tree can climb it - should be lots of fun. The guy I was sitting beside on the plane pointed it out to me as we were going overtop and it seemed unreal how big it was so I'm extreemly excited to see it in person. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_(mountain)

~Swimming in a tame river

~We found the Palau de la Musica which was closed unless you wanted a paid tour. (the postcards of it took my breath away) We might go see a concert there around 9pm or there's also a Charleston lesson at 10pm in the street fair we went to yesterday.
here's the person we might see playing in the same place two years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfSklg8BHog


Good night :)