Barcelona!

For my five day vacation this past weekend, eight of us went to Barcelona! Overall the weather was cloudy and rainy, but the sun eventually broke through the last day to make the end of the trip very nicely. We arrived late Thursday night, so the following morning we all woke up and headed to the Sagrada Familia which was a 15 minute walk from our hostel. I've seen too many cathedrals to count since I've been in Spain, but by far this structure is the most incredible I've ever seen. It is a Basilica due to its artistic design, and it has taken 126 years to build what is standing today with much more to be done. The inside is finished, but a 170 meter tower, one side of the building, and many more things, have yet to be completed. There are four 100 meter high towers that are absolutely enormous, so it's hard to imagine another almost twice as high! Sagrada Familia was the last project Gaudi worked on, and he only got to see some of it constructed before he died due to injuries after being hit from a tram. The Basilica has faced some set backs in its time. During the civil war in Spain, parts of the inside were destroyed as well as many of Gaudi's drawings and models. In fact if it weren't for a bridge in the structure that served as a lookout/shooting point during the war, the whole thing might have been destroyed because it stood for everything the rebels were against. The inside of it is breathtaking and like nothing I have ever seen or will see. Gaudi disliked traditional straight lines and right angles because he thought them to be boring. All of his work is influenced by nature and his designs always serve for some purpose besides their unique appearance. When entering the Sagrada Famlia, it feels as if you stepped into a forest because the pillars branch out at the top and the bottom making them look like trees. All of the windows are not finished but the ones that are, are the most vibrant and colorful stained glass windows I've ever seen. When all of them are stained, the inside will definitely feel more earth-like from all the deep blues and greens.

Walkway in Parc Guell designed by Gaudi

The other major works we saw by Gaudi were Casa Batllo, Parc Guell, and La Pedrera. The buildings easily stand out from far away since they look nothing like any of the buildings around them. The owner of La Pedrera actually wanted his house to look just like Casa Batllo, but when Gaudi built it he made it look nothing like the drawing he made for the owner. At the time some people thought it was so ugly, supposedly mother's would cover their children's eyes as they passed to shield them from such an ugly sight. The wife of the owner hated it, and the day Gaudi died she had her ceiling re-plastered. However that was all in the past, and today people adore the different styled architecture. The rooftop of La Pedrera is fantastic, however I did not pay to go up and see it. Google images does it better justice than any picture I could take! One of my favorite places I visited in Barcelona is Parc Guell, a park designed by Gaudi. Originally, he built it with the intention that people would buy plots of land and it would become a giant real estate area. However, only three people lived there, Gaudi, his friend, and apprentice, so eventually it was turned into a public park. As my friends and I walked through the park we saw some musicians, people dancing, people having picnics, exercising, and of course touring the park. It's a very large park with colorful gardens and beautiful walkways and structures. Since it's set up on a hill, you can see just about all of Barcelona to the bay. 
Besides seeing Gaudi's work and going on tours about them, we also took a tour of the Old City which is the section of Barcelona that existed before it was conquered. In general, it was a very informative history lesson and we got to see the old neighborhoods and oldest buildings in Barcelona. We also learned about some Catalan traditions. One that is particularly different, is that in every nativity scene there is an extra figure besides Mary, Jesus, Joseph, the three kings.. etc. It's a person squatting and pooping. This is completely serious. It's supposed to symbolize giving back to the earth what we take from it. So around Christmas time you can go into shops and get celebrity squatters as souvenirs, or also your Christmas pooping log. The other Christmas tradition that's different also has to do with poop. Instead of a big fat man delivering the presents by a sleigh led by reindeer, families have logs with little faces on them that children sing to, leave food out for, and pet to bring presents. By 'bringing presents' I mean pooping them out.
One other tradition that we were able to witness is human towers. Sunday, in front of the Sagrada Familia, teams gathered to do their tower. It's a human pyramid sort of, but instead of people on all fours you're standing on shoulders. The base counts as one story, and they can go as high as 9 levels high. It's completed when the child at the top raises his or her hand. As the tower gets higher, the people get smaller and smaller, so the person at the top is probably as young as 5 or 6 years old. It's pretty nerve racking to watch since the people shake and the tower sways, but one local promised us they never fall, no matter how much they shake and sway. Despite what she told us, we learned on our tour that in the past people have died from falling, but its not very common.
We made our way a few times towards the beach and port, which was a very nice long walk. Almost every day we were there, we stopped for lunch at a small local shop called Bo De B. They have sandwiches for about 3,50E you can take away, and they are the best I've ever had! We were advised to get there early because exactly at 1:00pm, when they open, a line forms. Since it's a tiny shop, you could end up waiting outside for quite some time! You can ask for chicken, tuna, smoked salmon, beef, vege, and add all the sauces and vegetables you want. It's making me hungry just thinking about it!
On our last day we wanted to take the gondola up to the castle that overlooks the city. However, we somehow didn't find where to get on until we were almost there, so we had quite the hill to hike. The castle wasn't very big, but had gorgeous gardens and fountains around it, not to mention a great view of the city. The great thing about Barcelona is there is the busy city, but also big parks with lots of green and a beach nearby.
All the walking definitely made me tired this past week, but it was all obviously well worth it. The architecture is beautiful and at night the city is very pretty. However, I was happy to return home to Granada. Exploring and traveling a lot this past month has really made me want to explore and roam around Granada even more since less than a month is what remains of my semester!

Some friends and I at the port of Barcelona