Barcelona: a Masterpiece, by Gaudi

    I have fallen head over heels in love with Spain, Barcelona to be exact. Though it's a giant city, it's slower paced than Rome and most of the others. The architect of the most strange and interesting buildings in the city is Gaudi, and it is to him that the city owes much of its beauty. The buildings of everyday use and hotel designs deserve to be stared at, but the old church that's 700 years in the making and still being built is unbelievable. The complexity of the interior and exterior, the stain glass windows that radiate colours at perfectly designed angles, the endless ceiling, and the artistic statues make this the most awe-inspiring church in Europe I've seen. The Vatican is shocking because of its sheer size and the size of its statues and paintings. Gaudi's church is so modern and artistically designed that it won my heart.

    The downtown area is one big main road bustling with shops and colourful restaurants and bars. Then every side street seeps into a maze of more shopping and surprises. That's how we discovered the Old Town area with old fortress walls, towers, and ruins that pop up on side streets as often as in peoples apartment yards. The food of Spain is tapas, which broadly end up being pretty much any small portion of food you like that go with your drinks (originally). Seafood, olives, gourmet meat slices, or veggies are usually put on a slice of bread to create them. Great way to try all kinds!

    Barcelona is incredible because everything is close enough together, yet far enough apart to not feel squished. It's modern feel is owed to the fact that it's a mix of everything. The Hollywood trees line both sides of the main areas. Asian bridges are found on the port and Asian temple architecture outside gorgeous museums and parks. There are two giant parks that are full of exotic plants and trees that must be put there by Dr. Seuss. I imagine Gaudi bringing Dr. Seuss to life with his colourful and weirdly shaped structures and cave like things in the park that look like upside down drippy castles.

    For museums, we did the National History one. It was large but had lots of artifacts and multimedia, and ended with an artsy video that was a compilation of quick shots that made Barcelona's current history and culture, including world events. There are lots of small churches hiding around the city that we went through, usually with very simple walls but very elaborate stone entrances. We found a great little local sports bar that we went to with cheap beers, TV, and a cute bartender who brings out free shots for us to take together and plays DJ. The bars in Spain are different because so many of them involve loads of people laughing and mingling around while standing at tables rather than sitting, and often spilling onto the sidewalk.