Barcelona Part Dos

La Sagrada Familia
La Sagrada Familia!  Isn't it beautiful?!  After walking and walking and walking, I turned the corner and there it was.  It was definitely worth the walk.  The last two days of my trip to Barcelona were filled with more Antoni Gaudi.  I looked at a map and saw that I could easily walked past La Rambla and head towards Casa Batllo which is a building redesigned with balconies that look like skulls.  His works are modernist and also take on several other period aspects like Art Noveau, Baroque, and Gothic.  Casa Batllo also has a museum inside but we skipped it.

Next, we headed only a few blocks up the street to see Casa Mila or La Pedrera. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Sight and features an interesting fascade made of stone.  There is also a museum inside this one and you can walk on the top of the building.  Unfortunately, as you can see in the picture below that the building was under construction and the outside was covered by a huge sign. 

Next, we walked towards the thing I was most excited about seeing in Barcelona; La Sagrada Familia.  It's quite a walk from La Pedrera but it's doable.  It's another UNESCO World Heritage Sight and it is still not finished to this day.  As you can see, it was still under construction and won't be finished until maybe 30 years from now.  It's a unique example of a blending of Gothic and Art Noveau styles.  Though I really wanted to go inside, the line was way too long but I regret not going in.  I'd suggest booking your tickets in advance to make your life a lot easier.

From here, I wanted to head to the Park Guell which is another one of Gaudi's amazing designs, but it is probably best to get there by taxi and we didn't have the time. 

I explained in Barcelona Part Uno, how I wasn't  impressed with the beach in downtown Barcelona because it was way too crowded.  We finally were able to head to a beach that was about 20 minutes outside of Barcelona by train, called Montgat Nord. You can find some info on how to easily navitage the train to this beach hereAny of these beaches on the blue line are going to be better and less crowded.  Though they were less crowded, I have to say that I don't think this beach was as beautiful as say Dubrovnik or Corfu.  Maybe I just didn't get further enough outside of the city?  Also, even outside of the city there were still people trying to sell us stuff.

Though the metro was relatively easy to navigate, we did have a bad experience with an ATTEMPT at pickpocketing.  I've never been a victim of pickpocketing in all of my travels around Europe and I've read so much about it being a problem in Barcelona.  Beware! My mother and aunt and I were in line to get on the metro and my mother started screaming at a women next to her.  I turned around to see what was going on and she was yelling that the lady next to her had tried to put her hand in her purse.  She yelled in both English and Spanish so everyone could know to watch out for her.  The lady just looked at my mom like she had done nothing wrong but then walked quickly to get out of the metro.  I can't believe that my mom almost got pickpocketed but I'm pretty proud that she caught the lady and embarrased her or at least scared her away.  She definitely messed with the wrong lady.

I told you how the food at La Boqueria was amazing.  Well, I couldn't leave Barcelona without trying paella and sangria.  The sangria was great at every place we tried it and the paella which is a mixture of rice and commonly seafood, was amazing.  OMG this was the best thing I ate in Barcelona! As well as all of the tapas I enjoyed.

I couldn't leave Spain without going to a Flamenco show.  I explained during my trip to southern Spain last month that I didn't get to go to one.  Even though Flamenco is traditionally an artform from southern Spain, you can still see a great show in Barcelona.  We caught a show right at a place on La Rambla called Tablao Cordobes.  If there is one thing you do in Spain, make sure you get to a Flamenco show.  It was moving.  For me, it seemed to be a mixture of tap dancing and interpretive dance.  Dancers do a lot of improv based on what the live musicians are playing.  The dancers were amazing and they dance with so much emotion.  I always had an image in my head of what I thought Flamenco was like but you really need to see a live show to get the true experience.La Sagrada Familia
La Sagrada Familia
Casa Batllo
Casa Batllo
La Pedrera
Casa Mila, La Pedrera
Montgat Nord Beach
Montgat Nord Beach
paellaflamenco

To recap, if I had to pick 10 things to do while in Barcelona I'd suggest this:

10 Things to Do in Barcelona:

1) See a Flamenco Show
2) Walk La Rambla
3) Try several foods in La Boqueria
4) Hear the musicians in the Bari Gotic
5) Visit as many Gaudi sights as you can
6) Find a beach outside of Barcelona and relax
7) Find a good restaurant to try paella
8) Drink Sangria from several different places
9) Go shopping!
10) Go dancing!

What would you do in  Barcelona?
And if you missed it, here's Barcelona Part Uno

 
Linking up at:
Travel Tuesday

22 comments :

  1. What's wrong with me? Why I haven't made it to Barcelona yet is bananas.

    Also, on a scale of 1-10, your red glasses are a 47. I love them. :)

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    1. Haha thanks! As you can see, I'm a fan of them too!

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  2. It looks awesome. And well done to your Mom - that is just awesome! It is amazing that she was able to alert others around her too. Serves the pick pocketer right!

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  3. Love, Love ,Love Barcelona! Your pictures brought back so many memories! I also blog about my travels and hope you will stop by for a visit!
    http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/2013/06/god-save-queenour-amazing-adventures-in.html

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  4. so beautiful! I would love to go there!

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  5. Thanks for sharing! I'm heading there next week so can't wait to explore Barcelona! Haven't thought of checking out a Flameco show but now I just might!

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  6. All of the above plus a bicycle tour leaving from Bari Gotic and takes in the outside of Sagrada Familia and Barcolneta, and do a self guided walk through the gardens to montjuic. Thank goodness we did not have a brush with pickpocketing.

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    1. Thanks, never heard of Montjuic, I'll have to look it up!

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  7. I loved visiting Gaudi places in Barcelona. La Sagrada Familia is well worth a visit inside. I recommend a guided tour to truly appreciate it. I also recommend buying tickets in advance - as you said, line-ups are long.

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  8. I loved seeing Gaudi in Barcelona when I went there. Thanks for sharing :D

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  9. My favourite part of Barcelona is El Born, lots of restaurants and boutiques, Parc de la Ciutadella and Santa Caterina market just around the corner... I avoid la Rambla like the plague, too much of a tourist trap for my taste. Thanks for sharing pics of Sagrada Familia, I've never been there.

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    1. Yes, If I visited again, I'd skip La Rambla, if that's even possible, but I'd still find a way to get to La Boqueria. I hated the crowds of tourists too.

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  10. I didn't know that pickpocketing was such a huge deal in Barcelona! I mean they warn you about that in every travel guide on every major European city but I was lucky so far too, knock on wood ;)

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    1. I google pick pocketing and Barcelona came up several times.

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  11. Oh man,it's my dream to see Casa Mila! And a flamenco dance performance must be so cool! Also on my Spanish bucket list! Wow, I had never heard of anyone being pickpocketed even though i know they warn you a lot in big cities. I can't believe this, it's just so crazy! Good on your mom to have yelled in both languages, to really get people to pay attention!

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  12. I haven't gotten to Barcelona, but when I make my move over the UK next month that's on the top of my list for visits! My college roommate studied in Barcelona, so I've heard so many great things about the city and how beautiful it is!

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  13. Before I went to Barcelona I heard that it was the number one pickpocketing city in Europe. I never had any trouble and was really concious of always keeping an eye on my bag etc.. I guess because it is always so busy and people have a good time drinking Sangria, pick pockets have a field day!

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    1. I agree. They prey on tourists that are not paying attention their valuables and being careless with their Sangria. My family and I are always on the ball!

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  14. I love Gaudi's work! Thanks for taking on the tour, loved the photos, and glad your mom didn't get robbed! Thanks for sharing this at History & Home this week, take care: Dawn @ We Call It Junkin.com

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  15. I'm featuring this on tomorrow's link party :)

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-Brittany Ruth