We flew out of London on Tuesday evening and our flight wasn't full, which was really nice. We arrived in Barcelona late and took a bus to our hotel, which was just blocks away from the Placa de Catalunya. (It didn't take us long to realize that the Spanish in Barcelona is Catalonian Spanish, and is actually quite different from any Spanish I learned in high school.)
Since we got in late, we had a late start to our morning on Wednesday, which turned out to be the standard protocol for the rest of our trip. I just figured we were adopting the Catalonian lifestyle, late nights and late mornings.
The Basilica de la Sagrada Familia isn't an old cathedral. In fact, it isn't finished. It's been under construction for over 100 years, but as our tour guide pointed out, that's pretty typical for cathedrals of this magnitude. The architect and designer of the Sagrada Familia was a man named Antoni Gaudi, who I came to really love during my time in Barcelona. He was a simple man, with a vivid imagination, passion for color and commitment to incorporating nature in all his work. Because the cathedral is relatively modern, and because Gaudi put his colorful twist on Gothic design, the cathedral was different than anything I've ever seen.
Guadi and his friend Eusebi Guell had dreams of building a community in the park, plans were drawn up for 60 homes, but only two were ever built and the project fell apart.
We found my dad, ate Tapas for dinner, and then my mom and I went to the Flamenco & Opera show. It was so amazing. We were literally on the edge of our seats for the entire show. (Partly due to the fact that it was hard to see around the people in front of us if we sat back in our seats.) The dancing was awesome and the opera was impressive. I'm glad we were able to get in.
Once again we met up with my dad, who had discovered the leisure and charm of the Barcelona beachside, went back to the hotel and I think I fell asleep in 30 seconds or less.