Barcelona

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Adios to Barcelona and Bonjour encore to France! I am leaving the Catalans behind and I think we will both be content with ourselves and I can only hope my French hasn´t completely disappeared. Keep all your fingers crossed!!

Barcelona is definitely an interesting city. I can´t quite decide what I think about it: it´s charms are hidden but once you make the effort to find them, you´re blown away. Not by the sheer "amazingness" of it all, but just because it was nothing like you expected and still you can´t help appeciating it for what it is.

Like I mentioned before, it´s mostly architecture that makes you whip out your camera here rather than fantastic views or famous works of art. The city got a facelift in recent years (recent being the last 100) and so there is a sense of competition between new styles and maintaining the old. Apartment buildings sport more decoration than mansions back home and the neighboring building looks like a gingerbread house straight out of Candy Land. Honestly, I salivated just a little bit. I couldn´t tell you the names of half the places I saw to be honest, but I will add some pictures just so you all can get an idea of what I mean.

Saw one of the ugliest cathedrals I´ve ever seen. I mean it looked like a melted pile of poo, though I doubt that was the effect they were going for. It´s still incomplete, and frankly I think they should quit while they´re ahead...wait behind...whatever; they should just stop.

I didn´t end up making it to the tourist bus, choosing instead to explore the city on foot. Have to say, not a shining star moment for me but at least I kept the blood pumping. I spent one afternoon on the beach with icy winds, watching surfers try to catch waves breaking too close to shore. On the way home I caught an extreme razor skooter show (yes, you read that right). People skoot here with as much dedication as extreme skiers back home and add in flips and jumps for a little flavor. Check out the posted video.

Got some shopping in, adding a couple of pieces of jewlery, hats, and scarves to my already too stuffed bag. Laundry was the hardest thing to find because apparently when you request laundry hotels send you to dry cleaners. And at the dry cleaners they sneer at your lack of Spanish and say something to the effect of "I don´t like you English". When I finally found the blessed silver machines, I did a little dance of joy, nevermind the inflated prices. I´ll take it.

That´s all for now. Not as exciting as the rest of my trip, but I am definitely glad I came to Barcelona. If it´s not on your itinerary, and you like architecture and walking, definitely add it.

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Photos

Gaudi and another
Building on the right designed by Gaudi

Paella
Lunch, yum

Park Guell
Also designed by Gaudi