In the morning, we planned on going to the Picasso museum because it was free, but it didn't open until 10, so we decided to leave our hostel a little early and go explore. Our goal? Two of Gaudi's buildings (Casa Batllo). We didn't go inside because it was so pricey, but the outside was spectacular.
The outside was covered with intricate mosaics, and there wasn't a straight edge in sight. What made it all the more beautiful for me was that this whimsical building was unassumingly sitting in the middle of downtown Barcelona, surrounded by dozens of traditional city buildings.
Next, we headed to the (free!) Picasso museum. It was SUCH a cool museum, because each gallery was from a different period of his artistic life, and they went chronologically so that you could really see the difference in his style over the years.
We weren't really supposed to take pictures, but there was no way I was walking out of the museum without snapping a shot of a Picasso signature, especially when signature after signature was staring vback at me! I quickly took my (rather blurry) picture and hastily moved on to the next room (I felt like a photography ninja).
Near this central courtyard was my favorite gallery. They had a large room dedicated to Picasso's interpretations of Las Meninas, the famous painting featuring a young girl and her attendants. Picasso did dozens and dozens of sketches in order to study how different colors and lightings would affect the overall painting. It was fascinating to see how such a classical piece could be viewed from a cubist's perspective.
After we had had our fill of Picasso, we went just down the street to poke our heads in the Chocolate museum (how could we not?). While we didn't feel like paying the entrance fees, we could see glimpses of many sculptures made entirely out of chocolate. We also purchased a bar of cheese honey chocolate just for fun. Not my favorite, but hey, how many times can you say you've had cheesy chocolate?
Next, we took the metro to Park Guell! Designed by Gaudi, this park was originally supposed to be a luxury neighborhood for the incredibly wealthy. It was abandoned, and I can see why - who would want to climb this hill every day?? (Yeah, we had to walk all the way to the very top of this!)
The view was spectacular, though!
By the time we got into the park, we were hungry for lunch from climbing that steep incline. During out lunch spot search, we came across these beautiful columns: spiraled, stone mosaics were like nothing I'd ever seen before! Gaudi will never cease to surprise me.
We also saw a steampunk photo-shoot going on. It made me really excited. (Steampunk, for those who don't know, is a type of fashion that combines Victorian-era dress with mechanics and factory-ish elements - think about Wells' Time Machine, sort of.)
Finally, we came upon this large central space with lots of people and vendors. It was surrounded by one long continuous mosaic bench. The bench was so beautiful, because every section was different, but it all worked together.
We found a nice ledge to hang our feet off of, and had our adorable lunch of homemade sandwiches and Paprika Pringles. It was so nice to just eat, chat, and people watch. There were Barcelonan families picnicing below us and dads playing soccer with their kids. The 7 year old kids would have owned us in soccer.
After lunch, we get up to continue exploring. We found this large, columned awning that was trimmed with more mosaic, and because it was a rather hot day we wanted to go underneath it to get a break from the sun.
The underneath was very cool, but we were in for a surprise: the entire ceiling was decorated with more mosaics! Each arch had a differently designed "plate" like this one, and we spent a lot of time looking at the differences between them. There was also a guy playing classical guitar, so Laurie commented that it felt like a moment out of a PBS special. I couldn't agree more.
Then we finally found the lizard! It's the most famous symbol from the park, and we were happy we got to see it. Channeling our inner-Romans, we elbowed people out of the way in order to take a few pictures (there was quite a crowd waiting for their turn with the reptile).
Say cheese! (Or "Gaudi!" - that seems more appropriate for the occasion.)
So funny story: it turns out that we saw Park Guell completely backwards. We came in the back entrance, and then ended at the front! Oh well. It actually worked out better that way, because we got the hill out of the way first!
It turns out that Gaudi's Park Guell is just the tip of the iceberg though, and we spent a great afternoon wandering around the rest of the Park's greenery. I thought my brothers would get a laugh about how explicitly Barcelona reminds people to pick up after their pets.
Walking under seemingly perilous cobblestone ceilings and up steep hills, we eventually found ourselves at the top of a huge mountain. It was the highest point for miles around, and it was SO beautiful. We could see the whole city, and enjoyed pointing out the areas that we had visted.
After hiking back down the mountain, we found the exit to the park and said our goodbyes to the mosaics. We were all a little tired from all of the walking, so we started heading in the direction of home.
Although we ended up walking instead of taking the metro, it was a happy decision because we got Spanish hot chocolate! Sara found another Gaudi building that she wanted to explore, but Laurie and I were content just seeing the outside, so we went to get hot chocolate. It was amazing. So thick and creamy, we had to use a spoon to drink/eat it!
Afterward, we went back to our hostel to recuperate a little bit before going out to find an authentic Spanish dinner. (I took a much needed nap!)
Our taxi-driver in to Barcelona had recommended Port Olympico for good food and a nice atmosphere, so we decided to go there for some Paella. When we arrived, however, no one was there! It felt oddly like a ghost town, and we were a little unsure where everyone was, but then we realized it was a Sunday, and most regular Barcelonans were probably at home! We did find an open restaurant though, and the host was so eager to have us eat with them that he offered us free Sangria with our meal.
While I had never had sangria before traveling to Spain, it's my belief that Spanish sangria is absolutely amazing. Fruity and slightly tangy from the wine, it's a drink that I enjoyed with my dinner. I had chicken paella, and it was really good! Honestly, I don't think I understand all of the hype about paella, but it was nice to try it nevertheless. (It was good, but I'd much prefer a bean and cheese burrito.)
And so ended our second full day in Barcelona!
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