Maria arrived later that evening, and the weekend could officially begin! We bounced from place to place after exploring Las Ramblas at night. We ate at a pintxos bar at a bar called Irati. The honor system works in Barcelona - you could never have a place like this in NYC. You hang onto the little toothpicks from each yummy snack you eat, then when your finished, you give the bar tender your total amount. We painted the town Rojo, and were ready to wake-up and do the same the next!
Day 12: A Saturday of Gaudi
Guell Park was the first destination after breakfast in our cool hotel restaraunt, the location was smack in the Time Square of Barcelona. I loved the bright colors and fresh design.
Nicole spotted my name carved into a cactus as we climbed up through the back of the park. The hike was really steep, reminded me of San Francisco. Seeing my name carved into a cactus was a treat after that hike!
The colors and random designs were surreal. My only regret on the experience was the amount of people that were there. I would like to see it again at night.
After lunch we went up through the La Pedrera, a apartment building that Gaudi was commissioned to construct at the turn of the 20th Century. The neighborhood compares to 5th Avenue, and I'm sure the people who once lived here were of great wealth. The terrace is the main attraction, and was my favorite spot so far - it was raining a bit when we 1st came outside, but it slowly cleared up & the sky was perfect.
Day 13: Barcelona Football Club FEVER
After an great night out on the town, we checked out, and I made my decision - my jeans had been wore out over the last 2 weeks. I thought I would be wearing more dresses and sandals, but the weather was just never warm enough. My jeans needed to stay behind, so I could make room for all of my other purchases. They were left in the closet for the maid to do with what she wanted. Later that evening when we went to pick up our luggage on the way to the airport - the jeans were sitting right on top of our bags! For the 2nd time, I left the jeans behind - there was just no room!
After a wonderful lunch, and a few glasses of wine here and there, we were around la Ramblas for the pre-game celebrations of a big soccer game. Again, the enthusiasm was unbelievable!
The Mediterranean Sea
Maria and I bonded on soccer, although our baseball teams are rivals - we could come together overseas and cheer with the crazy lady behind the counter at the airport! Cheers to her enthusiasm for life - I found this everywhere I was in Spain. An enthusiasm, accompanied by a sincere apprecitation for life and its most simple enjoyments. I leave Barcelona hoping that I carry a small piece of this weekend with me forever.
