Dates – December 24th – 27th 2004
We arrived in Barcelona, Spain on December 24th. It was clear and sunny in Barcelona for most of our trip, but it was much colder than we expected. As you can see in our photos, we were bundled up quite a bit the whole time. We'd definitely like to make another trip out here during the spring or summer months.
We visited some of the famous sites of Barcelona. On the first night, we went out for dinner in the old city center and went to the Picasso museum. The museum was interesting in that it contains the early works of Picasso during his time in Spain. There are also later works, but the Picasso museum in Paris (which we've also visited) has a better selection of Picasso's later works.
The most impressive sight in Barcelona is certainly the Sagrada Familia (by Antonio Gaudi). It is an enormous church that has been under construction for a hundred years. It is in the typical Gaudi style, incorporating natural themes into the architecture itself. In fact, the enormous columns that make up the inside of the church look like trees. The intricacy of the exterior is also amazing. It is far and away the most intricately detailed structure of its size that I've ever seen.
We also took a trip out to Mont Juic, which is a mountain (well, really a very large hill) that overlooks the sea on one side and the city on the other. At the top of the mountain is a castle with a moat and everything. Very nice.
We had a wonderful time in Barcelona. The food was great (Paella, Tapas, Cava, and fish) and the shopping was some of the best in the world (Barcelona has more shops per capita than anywhere else in Europe).
Some of my thoughts from abroad. You can also have a look at my photos from abroad.
