adiós amigos!

And so we say goodbye to Barcelona ... until next time.

two generations

Sunday afternoon in the park.

an artist in the making?

gaudi's handprint

stunning views

park güell

Commissioned by Eusebi Güell as a stylish park for Barcelona aristocracy, Park Güell is a showcase of Gaudi's finest work and absolutely breathtaking. Just a pity about all the tourists.

la sagrada familia

Almost every inch of the facade of this incredible cathedral was covered in scaffolding and the mark of construction was everywhere. Even inside the windows you could see the criss-cross of layer upon layer of scaffolding poles. I'm not one for taking photos of famous iconic photos covered in scaffolding so I took a shot of its spires, although now I think about it the scaffolding is as much a part of the cathedral as the stone itself as construction began in 1882 and it is not predicted to be completed for another fifty years so. A missed photo opportunity perhaps? Oh well, we'll have to go back then wont we? I wonder if it will be completed in our lifetime or if Nate will have to visit it for us?

hola!

No post for a few days as we've been in Barcelona. We spent three short days there and it wasn't nearly enough. We went along with Woz's office for their annual Christmas trip so we were put up in a swanky hotel in the centre of town which was such luxury for us as we normally travel on a pretty tight budget.

Barcelona - what an amazing, surprising, inspiring city. Had we not gone as part of the office trip I am not sure we would have made it there as it wasn't high on our list of travel priorities but having been it is now top of our list of places to return. I have seen images of Gaudi's work countless times but I can truly say that I had no real appreciation for them until I saw them in the flesh and in the context that Gaudi designed them for - nature.

There are some places you can visit and upon returning home you're happy to have seen what you've seen and experienced but at the same time are quite happy not to see again. Been there, done that. There are others which infect you like a virus and you leave knowing that they will always be in your bloodstream. There will always be something inside you that longs to return to have the opportunity to understand the city.

We will be back, for at least a week next time to see all the places we didn't manage to get to and to just enjoy the culture and feel of the city.

If you're planning a trip to Europe, Barcelona is a must see!