Day 1: The Arrival.I sat waited in Plaza Catalunya, gifts in hand, anxious for their arrival. Happiness and nerves were filling me all at once. Finally - reunited, & out into the city.
Hungy, we headed for Pita. Shwarma is something i've come to appreciate. It's fast, delicious and you can fill it with whatever you like. After adding some energy we were off to explore. First stop - Santa Maria del Mar. Later that evening we headed to Font Magica, something i've wanted to see since my first week in Barcelona! Font Magica, "Magic Fountain", is a huge fountain lights show set to music, by far the best i have seen in my life. After, we headed to dinner. Tapas, lamb and sangria in El Born.
Day 2: Excursion to Montserrat
We decided to take a day trip. Montserrat is a mountain with extremely unique rock forms, and is home to a monastery. I'd been once before with CEA. We took the train to the bottom, and a cable car up the mountain. We wandered round the buildings, the elaborately decorated monastery, and finally took a funicular up the the very top. Here we hiked the trails and explored ruins, a typical Sargent excursion! Finally we headed half way back down to find a festival had taken over Monteserrat! We passed through, and headed to the farmers market to sample the cheeses. I came back with Queso de Cabra (Goat Cheese) which is strong and delicous. Back in Barcelona we grabbed some lunch and visited the Catedral, for the first time catching it on a day that was free, we actually got to go inside. It was beautiful, but isn't every cathedral; the money that goes into such things could solve half the world's problems. Exhausted, we headed for an easy chinese dinner at Don Ling. Although small and never crowded, it is noted as one of the best chinese in Barcelona, and definitely lives up to it's name. For just 10 euros a person you are served a delicious feast of rice and meat and sangria and so much more.
With my dad at a conference, my mum and I braved the cold and set out to explore some more. It was raining - what to do in the rain... After grabbing traditional Tortillas de Patatas (potatoe omelletes on tomato covered bread) for breakfast, we settled on Palau de Musica - this is a famous music hall. Unfortunately all the english tours were booked, so we braved tour in Spanish, and I translated as much as I could! It was unbelievable. The hall was extravagant, with a huge glass dome in the ceiling to catch the sound waves. Once the tour was over, we stepped outside into SNOW. Now, for those of you who do not know, it does not snow in Barcelona, not in March, not ever. It wasn't heavy, more a mix of hair and flurries, so we continued on our way to the next indoor activity: The Barcelona Aquarium. Although i missed the penguins as i had to leave for class, we got to see some wonderful marine life. Leaving the aquarium i stepped into a full-on blizzard. It was next to impossible to navigate your way round the city, and the subways were packed as the cabs had to stop running. I later came to find out that this was the biggest snowstorm in over 30 years, and the first time it snowed in over 5. You've gotta love global warming. Once it had cleared up a bit, we met for dinner at El 4 Gats - a place that deserves a blog post of its own!
Despite the blizzard from the day before, we woke to a city full of sunshine. With light jackets and cameras in hand we headed to the Parc Cituadella. I showed my mom the Arc de Triomf and the fountain and lake in the park. A perfect fit for such a beautiful day. We grabbed a light lunch at a corner pastry shop, and I said goodbye as they headed to Granada for a few days.
Day 5: Art & Culture.
On my parents return to Barca, we got an early start. Museu de Picasso was our first stop. Sharing what i'd learned in class, we moved room to room through the periods of Picasso's life. After picking out some art form the gift shop, we headed to La Sagrada Familia. This is Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece - a cathedral that was been under construction for over 150 years, and still has another 50 left to go. To say the least, it is HUGE. We entered into the main floor and carried on up one of the many towers. The view of the city from up there is something to be seen. Next, we went for my favourite Bocadillas at Bo de B, a sandwich shop where they cook all the freshest ingredients right infront of you, and fill your bocadilla with more chicken rice cheese and veggies than you could possible eat. Full from lunch, we wandered through the Boqueria market and marveled at all the colours and variety. That night we got pizzas and mojitos in Barceloneta then headed to El Born - a bar always filled with locals- for cerveca. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard..
Day 6: Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi...
This was my parents last day in Barcelona, and thank goodness it was a sunny one. First we headed to Casa Batllo. I believe this was my dad's favourite activity. It is another of Gaudi's fabulous creations, a house that on the outside tells the story of St George slaying the dragon, and on the inside throws you into a mystical underwater world. The arcitecture and colours go unequaled. After a quick lunch we moved on to another of Gaudi's works: Parc Guell, where we wandered the grounds and stared out over the views. Dinner that was was at Can Majo, a very good restaurant where my mother and I shared a delicious Paella. The next morning, goodbye's were said as I saw them off to the airport. It had been a good week.
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