Well....we have a new favorite city, Barcelona! We arrived on the overnight train on Saturday (27) morning and made the trek to our hostel, which is off the map (and we will go ahead and inform you that the map is HUGE!). It is alright with us though because we are in walking distance from the beach, just 10 minutes down the road, and the area we are in has given us a more cultural feel than in the touristy city areas. We had a rough morning the first morning. No need to go into it, but it involved raw hamburger meet and lost possessions (by liz). We still have what really matters and the whole point of this trip was to devalue possessions and hold life experiences as more important. But after laying out on the beach and diving into the Mediterranean ocean, we were refreshed!
Speaking of the beach, that is our favorite way to start the day! Every square foot is packed with exciting and vibrant people. Not to mention, masses of topless women. It has really felt like summer now that we are out of the chilly northern weather and our jackets have taken the bottom of the pack. We have really begun to feel the HEAT! We are ready to adapt to the Spanish schedule full time. Beach in the morning, siesta from 12 to 3, then it is time to explore the city! Around 5, time for Tapas and sangria de vino. Finally, dinner is served at 9 with great (and cheap!) Spanish wine!
We visited all the major Gaudi architectural attractions around the city. They are immediately recognizable by his incorporation of colorful mosaics into his designs. La Sagrada Familia, a massive castle like church, is still in the process of being constructed decades later. Our second favorite was the Park Guell, which was on the top of a huge mountain. Nothing at all like the parks at home, we had to ride over 10 outdoor escalators just to get to the base of where you start scaling the hills of the park. The dirt path winds up between cacti and palm trees to a stone pillar on a summit that looks over the entire city in all directions, including the port, the ocean, La Ramblas, and the surrounding hills! Beautiful! Next we viewed Gaudis apartment, Casa Batllo, and office, La Pedrera. Both were on a main street down just a few blocks from each other. Definitely worth the exhausting walks!
It is really hard for us to summarize all the things we love so much about this stinky city. (literally it smells). Life here is full of pitted cherries, cheese, seafood, long wandering walks through the narrow alleys around La Ramblas, and let us not forget to mention Sangria! We feel like we could stay here for much longer, but we are glad to have train reservations for San Sebastian in the morning. We are under the impression there will probably not be internet access there, so next time you hear from us we will be in Madrid following El Correro de los torros!
Have a happy 4th de julio in the states!
Cheers!
Love, Hall and Liz
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Sounds like you girls are having a great time. What a great experience! Enjoy and be careful!
ReplyDeleteHey girls, sounds like Barcelona, the Spanish heat, and sangria agree with you! Glad you are having a little beach time and can't wait to see the pics. Keith took us to RCC for a going away dinner with Lane tonight and he is really excited about his Europe trip. The July 4th plans are coming together and I am about to mix up the watermelon cosmos. Jane Jane is coming up to help out. Work is really busy with another trial coming up in two weeks but soon we will join the Felker clan in Europe! Have a great time watching but not running with the bulls! Liz, send me your Berkeley password so I can sign you up for health insurance for next school year.
ReplyDeleteLove you, Dad & Keith
LADIES! Yaz and I say "hola!" We've both just been catching up on some sleep and good conversation since Yaz got in on the first. BUT, on a more exciting note, we made reservations to go skydiving on the 18th!!! (Can you believe I've actually convinced Yasmin to jump out of an airplane?!?!?!?) Abby is coming with us to document the adventure, so we'll be sure to bring the photos to your homecoming get together! While we know y'all are having a fantastic time, we wish you were here to play with us!
ReplyDeleteMuch love,
Susan & Yasmin
Hey girls! Hope you are having fun internet-less adventures. Can't wait for your next installment.
ReplyDeleteWeather here has been unbelievably nice for the last week. Temps in the low 80's, down into the 60's at night. Ate on the patio a couple of nights, including Lane's going away night. Had dinner with Celia and Geoff last night and heard the Ensworth group was enjoying wandering around O'Hare waiting for their red-eye to Berlin. All my children are so European.
We are heading to the beach for a week. Hope to see a post or two from you while we're down there.
Love you. Safe travels!
Mom (and P)
Hey Hall and Liz! I'm glad y'all loved Barcelona so much! I know I sure enjoyed my weekend there... although it's nothing like the rest of Spain! I hope you all are having a wonderful time in San Sebastian-- I wanted to go there but wasn't able to get train tickets in time.
ReplyDeleteThis has shaped up to be an interesting 4th of July here in Nashville. This morning the weather was beautiful but soon gave way to rain and some scattered thunderstorms. We were all devastated to learn that Steve McNair was found shot dead earlier today along with an unidentified woman. They don't know many details yet but it's been a real blow to the "Titans Nation."
Anyways, enjoy the rest of your time in Spain and say hello to Madrid for me! You'll find it very different from Barcelona.
Love,
Julia