Day 4-6 Barcelona

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRCEEEEEEELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNAAAA! From the second we rolled into this city we knew were gonna love it. Much more of a California spread out feel compared to Madrid being more NYC.

Day 1

We boarded the AVE high speed train in Madrid at 11:30PM, gotta admit after the last night in Madrid sitting on any type of transportation sounded terrible. However, the train wasn't bad at all. Since we were first class we got drinks and food, not bad for only a three hour ride. Spain is a country of clashing themes, one second you are in the desert and the next second rolling hills followed by lush green valleys.

Spain out the window


Sal and Myself 1st Class Mobstas


Once we arrived in Barcelona we felt a little bit more comfortable, not fully acclimated to the humidity, but we were managing our way through the heatwave. When we first got to our hotel we were so stoked! Another 5* but we only paid about $24 per night each! The hotel was called the Hesperia Tower and it was overly trendy and unfortunately the service was not quite 5* but hey it beats sleeping in bunk beds. The hotel was one of the tallest in all of Barcelona, check out the views.

Hesperia Tower


View from Hotel Room (looking toward city center)


After we had checked in, we ate, unpacked, and then I took to updating the Madrid portion of the blog. By the time I had finished Sal and John were KO'd and calling it a night, which to there credit was expected considering how little all of us have been sleeping. So James and I headed out to Catalunya (City Center) by ourselves at about 11PM. Quickly we found out what Barcelona is known for, we made our way to Las Ramblas, which I never expected to say puts the Vegas strip to shame. Within minutes James and I had been solicited for hash, marijuana, and cocaine atleast 20 times and prostitutes were running up to you and grabbing your arm and trying to whisper in your ear. IT WAS INTENSE! After about a block we were desensitized. Some of the coolest street performers I have ever seen were found here as well.

Gargoyle Street Performer


More Street Performers (these are not my kids)


After walking Las Ramblas and getting a little bit familiar with Catalunya James and I decided to make the trek back to the hotel. I almost forgot to mention that the subway system here is flawless. We all traveled for about 8 euros the entire time here, and we went to a hell of a lot of places. Upon returning to the hotel you'd think the night would end, but no... James and I decided to explore the area around our hotel, and manage to stumble upon an underground boxing match. There were probably a few hundred people, a legit ring, announcer, ring girls, THE WHOLE BIT! James and I stuck out like a sore thumb but nobody bothered us and we were having a blast. Definitely not something I expected to come across while in Spain.

Boxing Match


My Favorite Ring Girl with my Favorite #


This concluded Day 1 in Barcelona, James and I were toast.

Day 2

Sal and John were the early risers this time, they headed into town, explored Catalunya a bit, bought clothes, and eventually ended up at the Picasso Museum. When they got back they were raving about it. So obviously James and I headed there next.
I made the comment in an earlier post about not being all that into art, that didn't last long for any of us. Picasso is one of the most dynamic and unique artists of all time, his story, while seemingly mundane, gives you a deep respect for order behind all of his chaotic work. Cameras weren't allowed but I was able to get a shot from the outside.

Picasso through the glass


We also visited the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia and the surrounding Gotic monuments. This cathedral was even more impressive than the one in Madrid, the outside was daunting with its gothic arhitecture but was also unfortunately undergoing restoration. The inside housed some very intense wood carvings, as well as marble sculputres, and one of my favorite paintings I've seen yet called the "Pieta of Despla". It captures the sadness before the death of Jesus.

Front of Cathedral


Pieta of Despla


The last place we visited for the day was called Tibidabo, which is the #1 lookout spot for all of Barcelona. One of my favorite places in the world is Twin Peaks in San Francisco which offers a 360 degree view of the city, and Tibidabo does the same for Barcelona. Their is also a beautiful church atop the hill but its presence is kind of ruined by an oddly placed amusement park. On our way down the hill a young boy ran into the road infront of the bus we were on. His Dad ran into the street and swooped him up with just inches to spare. Oddly enough we have seen several people almost get crushed by buses here.

Lookout towards Catalunya


Lookout towards hotel


Group pic of Tibidabo


Iglesia de Tibidabo


We finished sightseeing and got back to the hotel around midnight, then headed to the bar for a nightcap. James and I were exhausted so hit the hay at 2AM. Sal and John well thats a different story. We have no pictures which may be a good thing but they headed to a discoteque at the beach and didn't come back til 8am. The music is 10x louder here and people really do party til the sun comes up.

Day 3

The last day of our adventure here James and I got up early and headed to the train station to make our reservation for the next day. WE WAITED FOREVER! After the station, we headed to my favorite sight of the entire city, Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family). This collection of architectual masterpieces is considered the cornerstone of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. The entrance had an extremely detailed Passion etched into its face, the inside had extremely intricate stained glass, and huge rising columns supporting the towering points above.

Sagrada Familia


Passion on face of Sagrada


Stained glass inside


View from the top of Sagrada Familia


After Sagrada we had seen every major site we had set out for so we headed back to the hotel. We had been following Wimbledon all day on James' cell but we made it back in time to watch the last set of wimbledon, congrats Federer, so EPIC. After all that tennis we had the itch to play so we headed down to the courts at the hotel. When we rented the equipment they handed us these paddles with small holes lining the face. Apparently they only played racquet, and that is not the same as racquetball. This game was kind of like a hybrid of tennis and racquetball, regardless it was a blast! After, John and James passed out while Sal and I headed into town for a beer and to mingle a bit more. We called it a night around 2AM and headed to bed, rest we would wish we had more of due the next day's insane train experience to Monaco. STAY TUNED!