Beth's Barcelona

So, I might have been optimistic when I said we would update every other day, but here goes:

Jan 1-2 (They're kinda the same day in my head since we didn't really sleep in between)
We successfully made it on to both our first and second flights despite a VERY tight connection in Atlanta. I am fairly certain that we were the last to board our second flight. Unfortunately, we did not get the spiffy individual entertainment systems. Arriving in Barcelona at 8:30am and having slept for a maximum of 3 hours, we were fairly daunted by the task of staying awake ALL day. However, getting out bags was a breeze (literally both were within the first 5 to come out) and finding a taxi and the hotel proved simple.

Unable to check in to the hotel until 2pm we decided to go see the sights. Our hotel is situated on Las Ramblas which is basically the Champs Elysees of Barcelona complete with street vendors and LOTS of mimes. Goofing off in the Placa de Catalunya for a bit, we made our way to one of the top sights on our list, the Temple de la Familia Sagrada. This temple, began in 1882, has been under construction for 127 years and is STILL not complete! It was designed and overseen by Antoni Gaudi (a famous architect/designer) until his death in 1926. We wandered through the Apse and admired the facades before taking the elevator up one of the 8 completed towers (12 are planned) to admire the Cathedral and City from above. Coming back down the narrow spiral staircase was a little scary!

Stopping at the hotel for a quick shower we plunged on to the Aquarium where we admired sharks and penguins in Europe's largest Aquarium. We have decided to tag Kelly Parks in every single picture since we believe she would approve of our choice of diversions. On the way to the Aquarium we marveled at the Monument de Colom, dedicated to Christopher Columbus, a statue of whom stands 60m above the square and points majestically to... Libya. Someone screwed up their geography! Finally, we were able to return to the hotel and collapse at the reasonable hour of 9pm.
Jan 3
We slept in, rousing ourselves at 10am and taking care of a few essentials before finding breakfast (which was really closer to lunch). We then made our way to the Catedral Barcelona or Santa Creu, getting lost only once (for some reason, I am the navigator - don't ask me how that happened). The Catedral dates back to the 4th century when it was a Roman basilica. Destroyed by Muslim invaders in 985, in the 11th century it was rebuilt as a Romanesque Church and then again in the 17th century. Entering through the cloister with its 13 white geese, I paused to pay my respects and get my picture taken at the Chapel to the Guild of Electricians (no joke!). Continuing to the Sanctuary we admired the smaller chapels and the large bishop's throne and altar before descending to the crypt of Santa Eulalia who was martyred at age 13 (hence the 13 geese). Once again taking the elevator to the roof we took more pictures looking out over Barcelona before finishing our tour with the museum which included the monstrance, a guilded and jewel-encrusted case for the eucharist donated by the last Catalan king, King Marti.

From there we hiked to the Eglesia Santa Maria del Mar, but could only admire the exterior as it was closed for Siesta (an annoying habit!). We continued on to the Parc de la Ciutadella, admiring the parliament buildings and their gardens. Passing by the Museu de Zoologia and Museu do Geologia, we triumphed at the Arc de Triomf before turning around to make the trek 'home'. We stopped at the Museu de Picasso to take a tour of the life and works of the famous artist before finally arriving back at the hotel. Surprisingly enough, I think I prefer his earlier "less mature" works. I suppose that means I'm not a very mature artist...

Gwen is not feeling well, but I'm hoping we might get out a little tonight to see some of the night life of the city before we board our cruise tomorrow!