Barcelona

Barcelona has some very cool places and buildings. When I think of Barcelona two things come to mind: Gaudi and shopping on the Rambla and in the Markets. Although Gaudi designed and built many buildings outside of Barcelona he spent the last part of his life here and left some gems and some unfinished work as well. The Sagrada Familia was his final project. Its modernist style (sometimes called Art Nouveau) was very revolucionary and cutting edge back when it was started in the 1890's. It is the most visited construction site in the world. It has been fun to compare my picutres from 2004, 2007 and 2008 and see how the building is growing and changing. I've included a few pictures here of La Sagrada Familia. Interior of La Sagrada Familia, Bareclona

Inside La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona offers some fun shopping experiences. Whether you like fashion and clothes, books, food, antiques, flowers, pets or pirated media it has something for everyone. One of my favorite markets is El Mercado de Sant Josep, also know as La Boqueria. It is a food market the is worth a visit and a great place to get a quick healthy snack. Another favorite market is set up on weekend by the waterfront. It is more of a flea-market where you can find loads of interesting things. I, of course, love the book stalls. I talked with one book seller who soon found out that I'm interested in Cervantes and Don Quixote. He showed me an Art Nouveau copy of La Galatea (1585) which is a book Cervantes wrote 20 years before Don Quixote was published. I bought it and made a friend. :) Mercado de Sant Josep (La Boqueria)

Mercado de Sant Josep (La Boqueria)

Sugar Attack! - Candy in Barcelona

I really like this Bareclona picture. Even if it's hard figure out what it is... I think it is very interesting and has so much going on. If you like it and want to know more about it let me know and I'll explain it to you. :)