More Than Gaudí: My Barcelona Story (Part 2)
Welcome back for another story time!!
2. Barcelona, Spain
This is a quick one since I only spent one day in Barcelona. Remember, they canceled my flight in Madeira so I lost a day. To get to Barcelona, I had a quick layover in Lisbon. Naturally, by the time I got there, I was too tired to head out early and explore.
First stop: I was walking through the gothic quarter on my way to the Ciutadella park. This is one of my favorite parks ever! There is so much to see and do here but my main goal was to see the lake and the huge waterfall monument there. It was created by Josep Fontsére and his assistant Antoni Gaudi. It’s so crazy that one man (Antoni) can have such a huge fingerprint on a whole city. From Sagrada Familia, Palau Guell, Casa Mila and Batllo. This man did not stop! Sadly, a tram stopped him. He got hit on his way to do his daily prayers, and died at 73 years old.
I was too tired, so I didn't get to see Casa Mila or Casa Batllo. These are two unique buildings created by the famous Antoni Gaudí. He was an architect and artist in the late 1800’s /early 1900’s. One of his most famous works was the Sagrada Familia. That one I did get to see again. The Sagrada Familia is incredibly tall! Apparently, it is about 90% complete as of today. There are still details that are to be finished by 2034. Such a crazy thing to witness. How can a building take this long to complete? What incredible patience and attention to detail. I was in awe! As you can see below, I tried to take pictures of it but it doesn't do it justice. You have to be there in person to experience the magnitude of the whole thing.
My next plan was to go to the beach but my body had other plans. Do you know there’s a heat wave going on in Europe? Yup. The difference from a heat wave there compared to the US is that they don’t believe in AC. I can handle the heat, to a certain point. But when you're walking 10 hours a day, and no place to cool down, it catches up to you. I felt like I was going to pass out. It was such a scary feeling. I sat down for a while but it didn’t help. I thought, maybe if I eat something. So I go to this restaurant to get myself a fish and salad. That helped a little but then I was feeling nauseous. So I went back to my room as quickly as possible. I grabbed my liquid IV pack and drank that. Life saver! I laid in bed and drank my juice. All this to say, if you plan on having a European summer, please make sure to get your electrolytes and take it sloowwww.
I wish I had more days here! Next time I’ll do better
Tips and tricks:
Below I’m sharing things I learned that might help you on your travels
PLEASE PLEASE: keep electrolytes handy, especially during the summer.
Pack light clothing, like linen and pack a mini fan. I have one in my purse at all times!
Spend at least 3 days in this beautiful city!