Barcelona

Our hostel in Barcelona was very close to La Rambla, which is the main busy street that is filled with people all day and night. Our hostel was about a two minute walk from La Rambla but far enough away that is was quiet and we could sleep. Our room also had its own A/C which was really awesome. Our first full day there, September 1st, we got up and went to the Barcelona Pavilion (pictured to the left), designed by Mies van der Rohe. It is a tiny little pavilion made of mostly stone and glass. We hung out here for a while before heading to the Olympic park, which held the summer Olympics in 1992. The park was huge but it was mostly empty. There was a large, white tower designed by Santiago Calatrava in the middle of the park.

After wandering around the park we took the metro to Passeig de Gracia, which is another main street with expensive shopping and several restaurants with tables on the sidewalk. We came across Gaudi's Casa Mila, also called La Pedrera, (pictured to the left) and some other Gaudi houses as we walked down the street. We then ate dinner at Tapa Tapa, which was recommended to us by John's friend Win. This was the first time I had had tapas and the food was very good. Tapas are small portions of meat or vegatables or appetizers and you order several of them and then share them with everyone at the table. We also finally had some Sangria. After dinner we walked back to La Rambla and then eventually to the hostel to go to bed.