The Magic Fountain of Montjuic ... more pictures below!
My day began at a park that is home to a mosaic lizard. A few hours later, I was surrounded by Smurfs. I was having the best dinner I have had since I arrived in Spain by the time the sun went down ... which was followed up with an invitation to come back tomorrow night. And as the night came to an end, I was treated to a magic water fountain show where the water changed colors to the beat of music.
What's not to love about Barcelona? It's true that it is very crowded here since this is the high tourist season, but it's easy to overlook that because of the beauty of this city. It's a magical place.
We had planned to begin our day with a trip to La Sagrada Familia church, designed by Modernist architect Antoni Gaudi. When we arrived, however, it was cloudy and drizzling and we discovered the church's towers were closed because of the weather. So, we decided to delay our visit and come back Tuesday, as one of the highlights is going to the top of the church. So, I'll write more about the Sagrada Familia later.
We left the church and headed to Park Guell, a 37-acre park. Gaudi was given the job of turning it into a city garden around 1900. He worked at the site for 14 years until work was stopped. It became a public park in 1923 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. We walked around the park, starting at the top where we saw some amazing views of Barcelona. We made our way down the trails and eventually arrived at the part where several benches designed in Gaudi's style decorate the landscape. I'll post some pictures so you can see below, including a shot of the mosaic lizard.
From there, we returned to the hostel for a bit before going to see Los Pitufos (The Smurfs) in 3D. It was so fun to watch the movie in Spanish and was a great way to spend the afternoon. A strong storm that downed branches hit Barcelona while we were inside but the rain had mostly stopped by the time we left to take the metro to dinner.
We had dinner at la Fianna, and it was the best meal I have had in the last month. My friend and former colleague Gregory recommended this restaurant, as he had dined there a few years ago and knows the owner of the restaurant. I had a caesar salad and salmon, and it was delicious. As we were preparing to leave, the waiter introduced us to the owner, and I mentioned Gregory's name. The owner of course remembered Gregory, and we had a nice chat with him for about 15 minutes. We found out that he owns another restaurant nearby called La Luna, and he invited us to have dinner there tomorrow night. He even made reservations for us at 8 p.m., so we'll be having another wonderful dinner tomorrow night!
Before returning to the hostel, we took the metro to the Plaza Espana to see The Magic Fountain of Montjuic. Here, we saw a light, water and music show that lasted 15 minutes. It was like watching the fireworks at Disney Land, as it's a magical environment. I'll post some pictures so you can see these bright, amazing colors at the waterfall.
Tomorrow, we're planning a visit to the Picasso museum, as well as Montjuic. Montjuic is a big hill that overlooks Barcelona from the southwest.
Hasta luego,
--Justin
La Sagrada Familia church.
No comments:
Post a Comment