Round Two

I think my parents and I have used just about every possible means of transportation since arriving in Spain.  As our time in Barcelona comes to an end, we have traveled via plane, bus, taxi, metro, train, high speed train, boat, funicular, cable car...and feet.  We are off to Valencia this morning.  I'm really excited because it's the one place on our itinerary that I haven't visited before.  Of course that makes me a little nervous too.  If it didn't, well, I wouldn't be me.  But before I get too ahead of myself, let me recap Barcelona for you all.  We had three full days in what has become one of my favorite European cities.  It's big, like Chicago.  And it is absolutely beautiful, just like Chicago too.  Everywhere you look there are elaborate buildings, vibrant colors, and fragrant blooms.  When we arrived in the train station from Madrid, we purchased our train tickets for the next journey:  Barcelona to Valencia. After that was taken care off, we set off adventure-ing.  Number one on the must-see list was La Sagrada Familia.  I think it's safe to say that Mom and Dad were speechless when we walked in.  It is a cathedral, but nothing like you could ever even imagine.  The outer facade looks like melted wax and honeycomb structures combined with futuristic, sci-fi figures.  The inside provides a stark contrast with its crisp white walls and columns, lit by the rays of sunlight coming through the stained-glass windows.  In the afternoon, we trekked up to Park Guell.  It is one of the highest points in the city and is full of Gaudi's mosaic masterpieces.  You can see all the way to the Mediterranean from the hill with three crosses on top.  It is breathtaking to stand up there.  On our second full day, we tackled the main thoroughfare of Barcelona:  La Rambla.  There were thousands upon thousands of people strolling down this historic pedestrian street.  It was so different than when I was there in January.  We reached the port at the end of the Rambla and decided to take a coastal boat cruise.  It was a great end to the day.  For me personally, my favorite day was yesterday, our last day.  We made our way up to Montjuic, a large area in Southern Barcelona full of parks, walking paths, and beautiful views.  We took the metro, the mountainside funicular, and cable car to reach the top.  My folks and I spent the entire day up on that hill.  I was so happy to be there because Julia and I didn't have time to visit this neighborhood when we were in Barcelona in late January.  The highlight of the day was seeing the Magic Fountain...at least for me anyway.  I think Mom and Dad liked it too.  We had to wait quite a while for the sun to go down, so we ate sandwiches on the steps leading down to the fountain.  And then...the magic began.  People came out of nowhere to watch this spectacle.  It was so beautiful.  As we walked home, we could hear fireworks being set off...surely from Camp Nou to celebrate FC Barcelona's victory in the King's Cup.  All in all, I think my folks enjoyed Barcelona as much as I did the first time I saw it.  I am so happy that I had the chance to visit again.  On to Valencia!