Valentine reunion round 2...Mom and Dad! I kept to my usual traveling agenda and spent the first day just wandering the streets. I made sure to hold off on all the big sights until they arrived. Obviously they were exhausted after 17 hours of travel but with a quick nap they were able to power through the evening. Why not dive in head first with some tapas and a flamenco opera? Antoni Gaudi is one of the most famous architects of his time. His unique style is well, unique. He has designed many famous buildings around Barcelona and people visit from across the world to see his masterpieces up close and personal (although they cost a fortune to visit!). Not only were we able to see the inside of his Palau de la Musica but we were able to experience some of the Spanish culture as well. What a lively culture it is. Not lively enough to keep Mom and Dad awake though. They might have dosed off a couple times during the show but who can blame them after basically pulling an all-nighter. The next morning we started the day with a trip to the Boqueria market off La Ramblas. Making our way through the crowds took some effort with the streets filled with book stalls, rose stands and a whole lot of tourists. It was St. Jordi day! It's a little like Valentine's Day, but the Spanish keep it simple: flowers for women, books for men. Seems like the men have it a little easier in this culture. After some fresh fruit juice, pastries and omelettes we set off to see the rest of Gaudi's works. Unfortunately nobody gave us the heads up on all the ticket reservations. Tickets for the park wouldn't be available for another 5 hours and wasting over an hour in line for Sagrada Familia...no thank you! So we made our way over to the Eixample district for some tapas. Since we didn't accomplish a whole lot in the morning we decided to check out another one of Barcelona's beloved artists: Pablo Picasso. I've got to say, Spain has produced some of the more interesting artists...Gaudi, Picasso, Dali…truly one of a kind. With Tanya in Barcelona I thought it was appropriate to continue one of my favorite Geneva traditions...Brunch Friday's! After enjoying a good breakfast on the terrace I think Mom and Dad understand why Friday was one of my favorite days. With a well thought out itinerary (we learned our lesson the day before), we set out for a day full of Gaudi...Casa Batllo, la Pedrada, Sagrada Familia and Park Güell. We didn't spend too much time at the first 2 since they cost €21 euros EACH to get in to (talk about ridiculous) but we made sure to get our money's worth at Sagrada Familia and Park Güell. Sagrada Familia is one of the most impressive churches I have ever seen, although to be honest, it didn't feel a whole lot like a church. There were elevators, educational placards, construction workers and more tourists than I knew how to handle. At least raising the funds to finish the church isn't a problem and when it’s finished it'll be the tallest church in the world.
After another long afternoon of walking the vote was unanimous...mojitos and sangria! Bull fighting is now illegal in Barcelona but instead of bulldozing the old stadium they just repurposed it. Now you can enjoy dinner or drinks up top with a fantastic view of the Placa d'España and National Gallery. To complete our very productive day we headed towards the steps of the National Gallery for an evening show of the magic fountains. Before setting sail on their cruise we squeezed in one last market breakfast and picked up some snacks for a picnic in the park. Even though Mom and Dad were gone, my fun in Barcelona continued. It was a full blown Geneva reunion at this point...Tanya, Meri and her husband Richard were all there. We weren't only celebrating all being together again but we were celebrating Tanya's birthday! It ended up working out pretty well actually. I was going to stay in Barcelona for the next 2 days anyway so I just convinced everyone to come down for they weekend. Although it wasn't really all that hard to convince them... Our original plan for Sunday was to relax on the beach in the sun drinking fresh coconut water and eating fruit from the market. I would say about half the plan worked out...fresh coconut water ✔️ fresh fruit ✔️ beach ✔️ sun...no ✔️. Unfortunately it was pretty cloudy but we still had a great last day in Barcelona before heading our separate ways the next morning. It was off to France for me! Time to meet Mom and Dad in Marseille.
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