Hope has Arrived

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So, my mom (her name is Hope) arrived in the morning. Clearly exhausted, I suggested she take a nap before we start our day. After the much needed nap, we head out for some lunch. I unfortunately picked a crap tapas place for her 1st meal. Either way, we had a private tour set up in the afternoon. Our driver/guide, Christian met us at the hotel. In the plan was to visit just some of the following sites: La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell (Gaudi), La Pedrera (Gaudi), The National Palace, The Olympic Ring, Montjuic Castle, Pt. Olympic, among other things.

Christian is originally a history buff from Germany. He studied in Spain where he fell in love with his wife who was from Barcelona. He has been here for over 15 years now. If you can swing it, I strongly suggest doing the sites with a tour guide who has passion and knowledge about the city you’re visiting. Most of the time, it is meaningless to me to see sites without knowing the history. Having the opportunity to learn and ask questions to someone is phenomenal! As my mom has limited time in Barcelona, I thought this would be a good idea. We have a list of things we are going to go back and see and spend more time at.

We learned (feel free to add commentary)… that when we say something is gawdy (sp?). For ex. The pimped out Real Housewives of NJ houses, Jersey shore’s female hair styles or that overwhelming site whether it be a church, outfit, choice of makeup, etc… It ALL comes from the architect/artist Gaudi (as lots of his work was simply outrageous)!

After a long day, we headed to an Italian restaurant - yes, Italian. It was highly recommended and I am glad we tried it as it was delicious. I am starting to think I don’t love Spanish food. I like the fresh seafood aspect; however I have more bad than good tapas since I’ve been here. I had some good paella, but not incredible. I still have Madrid, Seville, Granada, and Costa del Sol to visit before I make my final judgment on the food. YES, I am a foody. I still brag about the yummy produce in Morocco. I swear Morocco has the best fruits and vegetables I have ever had my entire life (better than California). Perhaps it helped that the Moroccan food actually agreed with my stomach? My stomach is in shambles here in Spain! Oh, and the Iberian Ham is a nice treat - expensive, but worth it.

p.s. My favorite site of today was Park Guell.

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