Inside the Tardis

Thursday night I lay in bed making a plan for the next day, like DO ALL THE THINGS!!! The next morning I woke up and was like, DO HALF THE THINGS!!! So I took it easy in the early morning and then met up for a free walking tour in the city around 11 and I actually liked it way more than the fancy biking tour. Our guide was fantastic. Super fun and energetic and from Brazil-he made the history of things really come alive. I also made a friend on the tour-a young woman from the Philippines who was also traveling alone. After the tour I explored and did my own thing and then did my tour finally getting to go inside the Sagrada Familia-take a look!

That beautiful church in the Gothic Quarter again

Our fearless dreadlocked Brazilian tour guide of the capital of Catalonia!

This church was nestled deep in the Gothic Quarter and I think the name of it has something to do with pine trees which is why I included the pine tree in the picture. This was also near the tiny side street known for gourmet chocolate-which I got to sample! 

A famous courtyard that was bombed during the Spanish Civil War-
those dents and wholes in the wall are the lasting damage

I loved the fountain

We emerged from the Gothic Quarter to see this more modern building. The tour guide asked for people's opinion of the art on the side and people were like, 'my kid could do that' or 'it's super simple' and the tour guide was like, any other thoughts? And I raised my hand and was like, "I don't know, I kind of like it" and with his cute, excited Brazilian accent the tour guide was like, "Well YOU have good taste! Because that's a Picasso!"
I felt very smug. 

This man was playing absolutely beautiful violin music.
Also the yellow plaque you see to the left under the window is the coat of arms for Barcelona 

This is the courtyard where Ferdinand and Isabella received Christopher Columbus 

And this is my best regal Queen Isabella impression
Apparently these were the steps they stood on to greet him

So pretty

Famous conglomeration of Barcelona art by the beach-also where the tour ended

After that I walked with my new Philippine friend to the beach just so I could dip my feet in it- I had never been to the Mediterranean before, so it was a landmark moment! 

Me and my new friend- we are now connected on facebook

The beach was crazy-crowded. See that group of guys off to the left? I took a picture of them because they were funny. I overheard them with their dry British accents being like, "this is so embarrassing. 4 pasty white English guys sharing ONE umbrella..."

This conversation with Miriam back in Madrid made me laugh

Christopher Columbus statue

Beautiful Gothic bridge connecting two buildings

Proof that I was there

After that I went to wait for my tour time outside the Sagrada Familia and it was way hot so I got myself a gelato cone and it was delicious and I'm strangely in love with this picture because it just looks so old school. Also it is a combination of things I truly love- Europe, churches, sunlight, ice cream, solo time; It was great.

Walking into the Basilica is like walking into the Tardis (from Doctor Who).
It seriously is bigger on the inside! ;) 

I splurged and got an audio guide which really enhanced my experience within the basilica.
Gaudi believed that nature was the ultimate artistry and how God had shown his work so he tried to replicate nature in all his designs. The columns are meant to be trees in a forest upholding the work of God and he designed it so that the sunlight came through the stained glass really strikingly

Incredible right?
Also incredible that someone gave him the money to do this as it is so unconventional! 

The red/orange section of the stained glass was my favorite. So awe inspiring! 

It was really crowded in there but I was touched by this family that seemed to be huddled together praying.
I also sat down by myself and worshipped for a bit

So much natural light

I can't stop with the pictures-I loved it! 

Ok, last one of the interior and then I'll stop! 

The outside is also cool but kind of a different style.
Which makes sense because Gaudi died so this side was actually designed by a different guy.
I really liked it though, especially with the audioguide explanation.
The small white columns near the top are meant to represent the Savior's bones, like his ribcage that was broken for us.
And the angled columned support coming down on either side of the statues is meant to look like the ligaments of muscle echoing the physical strain that Christ experienced for us on the cross

"That thou doest, do quickly" 

I like the angled, kind of blocky style of carving

After the Sagrada Familia I thought about going to another tourist destination but then I would have broken my promise to 'do half the things' and it was getting late and I didn't want to be out by myself when it was dark again. Plus, I was leaving super early the next day. So I went home. Here's a picture of the subway stop I talked about in the last post where that guy followed me (not very menacing in the light of day). 

I don't know when this was taken but its the view from the balcony of my hostel which is pretty cool

Also, I told you I was on a quest to document worldwide Pokemon Go paraphernalia-
I snapped this picture the next morning at the airport 

And thus ended my time in Spain! It was a really cool experience not least because I have Spanish ancestry and it was cool to learn more about a place where my forbearers lived!

Barcelona

The morning came to say goodbye to Miriam and there was one last thing on my Madrid bucket-list left to do- churros. So for breakfast we went to a nearby cafe and I ordered some churros-which are apparently supposed to be dunked in this super thick hot chocolate-it was delicious.

It's more like chocolate sauce than hot chocolate

After that I boarded the bus and set out on my 8 hour ride across the country to Barcelona

It reminded me a lot of the American Southwest

I got to Barcelona late at night and had a little trouble navigating the subway system-the metro lady that I asked for directions was so unhelpful! It ended up being like 10:30 or 11:00 at night when I finally reached my subway stop. It was dark outside, I was exhausted with my big suitcase and a backpack and I wasn't entirely sure where my hostel was. As I huffed my stuff up the stairs from the station one of the other exiting passengers got really close to me. I was annoyed and a bit alarmed because there was LOTS of room and he didn't need to be that close to me. When I got to the top of the stairs I set down the suitcase with relief and started looking around trying to get my bearings. I also stood there wanting to give the man who had followed so closely time to walk away because he made me uncomfortable. 

Well he didn't walk away. He just stood there pretending to be hanging out. I started walking toward the main road and I could tell he was following me. I was on high alert now and really freaked out. I didn't know where I was, I didn't know where my hostel was, I didn't speak Spanish and this man was creeping on me. Luckily there was a couple standing at the crosswalk and I just butted in to their conversation asking what street we were on. The man following me lurked in the shadows a few yards away but backed off as I talked to the couple. To put as much distance between myself and that creeper, I decided to cross that main street with the couple. As we were waiting for the light to change I took off my backpack and saw that all the front pockets were WIDE open-the guy had been trying to pick pocket me. Panicked, I poked around feeling for the most important things- wallet, laptop, passport-all there. As near as I can tell, the man had opened my pockets when he was so close to me climbing the stairs and then hadn't had time to get anything out which is why he kept following me down the street. 

Honestly, it's a miracle because I had had a prompting earlier at the metro station after I bought my ticket to store my wallet in a different pocket than I usually do that would be less accessible. I definitely think that prompting was from God! As near as I can tell, the man didn't get anything from me!

Still, super freaked out, I hurried as fast as I could down the road looking for my hostel and was SO relieved when it came into sight. I just felt so violated and insecure and aware of my vulnerabilities as a single woman and it made me MAD. Once I had checked in to my room at the hostel I went up to the common room area and called Emily and she was nice enough to let me vent for like an hour about how freaked out and furious I was that a man would do that to me, a single traveler by herself. Not cool. I'm so thankful it all worked out though.

Anyway, all this to say, I started out my trip to Barcelona with an unpleasant taste in my mouth. The next day, I tried to put it behind me. In the morning I went on a bike tour with the Fat Tires company. I got to see a lot! There was something about it (maybe my group or tour guide or something) that didn't quite gel with me but it was still good. Here are some pictures from the tour which took me all over the city:

Cathedral

Cool street corner

Nice window in the gothic quarter

The little Barcelona version of the Arc de Triomphe
Apparently Gustave Eiffel offered to build his famous tower here but they were like ...nah that sounds weird.
So they built this arch instead.

They explained that Barcelona experienced this total renaissance in the 90s when the Olympics were held there.
This fountain/park is apparently a result of them beautifying the city for the games- I'd say they did a really good job!

We also biked past the famous Sagrada Familia Basilica-
Gaudi's most famous work that has been under construction for about 100 years

See that crane in the background? It is perpetually under construction

Immediately after taking this picture I saw an old guy looking disapprovingly at me

The square where the tour started and stopped.
I took a picture because it's another banner that reads, "Refugees Welcome" which I thought was nice

This tickled me as it was right in the heart of things as I left the bike tour.
I do feel kind of bad for the locals though

Walking away from the tour, I did something that I have no memory of having ever done before-
I purposefully ordered a fruit rather than chocolate desert-I think I'm growing up!
Also see how much the gelato was dripping? It was soooo hot out

 After the bike tour, I was sort of at a loss for what to do. I went back to try and go inside the Sagrada Familia but all the tickets were sold out. I then remembered that there was some famous park thing I had seen on the internet also by Gaudi. (Miriam described it mockingly as, "oooh a bench") so I asked the guard at the Basilica where the famous bench that Gaudi made was. He was amused but said he thought he knew what I was talking about and it was called the Park Guell. He told me I needed to get tickets for it ahead of time because it also was often sold out.

So I went across the street to the tourist information and they were like 'nah bro we don't sell those here' so I wasn't sure what to do, but then as we were talking, this man who apparently also works for the city tourist office came up to the booth and was like 'some ladies are trying to sell their Park Guell tickets, does anyone want them?"

And that's how I ended up paying some random European women for a ticket printed off the internet with cash on the street outside the cathedral with a Spanish guy who spoke minimal English acting as an intermediary. I was like...well this is probably legit. And if not, I'll just see what happens.

So I trekked all the way out to the park which is on the edge of the city and NOT close to the metro stop. It was fine because I was in a sort of whimsical mood but also so funny because once you get to the hill leading to the park, its so steep and such a common tourist destination that they have all these outdoor escalators! It's crazy!

I just thought that building on the walk was cool

Escalators looking down

I got to the top and was just in this free park. I didn't really know what was going on
or how it had to do with Gaudi or why I needed a ticket but the view was great! 

There was this mound thingy that people were climbing so I did that too...

After climbing that mound thingy I walked in the direction where all the people seemed to be and found the admissions only part of the park that was designed by Gaudi. I had to wait a few hours for my time slot though so I walked around and found this house that ...used to be Gaudis? I can't remember the significance 

Arches and greenery everywhere

Selfies everywhere

This guy was performing and he was SO good that I just sat down and listened to him while I waited. His music was beautiful and I seriously considered buying a cd. But then I remembered that in the show Mr. Robot someone uses a cd they got from a guy on the street and they use it to hack his computer. I gave the street artist some coins instead.

Inside the Gaudi part- it was originally designed as a private community but they ran out of money

wonky right?

This picture is just so bad I had to include it. I asked some random lady to take a picture for me and she got all of me and cut off the background which was the whole point of the picture. Some people.

Doesn't it look like Candyland though? You know, that old board game?

Jenny and a mosaic 

More selfies in candyland

The glory

Weird fountain

beautiful flowers, awkward face

This might be my favorite picture of the park. I just wish that I had gotten someone to take it so that it was me sitting on the side and not some random person

And then more anti-tourist sentiments! I took these pictures as I walked back the way I had come and you have to admit they are pretty funny-

rude...

well that escalated quickly!

as you can see Barcelona is a bit conflicted about the tourist industry

 After that I went back to my hostel and settled down and made a plan for the next day-but that's a post for later!