Barcelona Day 1

Hard to believe I'm finally here! I've dreamt of coming here since I first read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon sometime in middle school. It's crazy! On the first day I did a walking tour of Barri Gotic, aka the old part of Barcelona east of La Rambla, followed by some serious wandering.

The Barri Gotic is full of small twisty streets and alleyways - blink and you'll miss something.

My hand fits! The idea is that if your hand fits the artist's handprint (that would be Gaudi's), you have an artistic spirit. Or something like that. Looks like I do! P.S. this was taken at the Palau Reial. 

"At a quarter to five I made my way towards the recently opened Estacion de Francia railway station. That year's International Exhibition had left the city strewn with wonders, but my favourite was that temple-like vault of glass and steel..." The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 

On the day I visited there was a huge vintage festival going on.

This is the fantastical Gaudi Fountain in the Parc de la Ciutadella. You can climb up and around it. While I was there a jogger kept going up and down the stairs. I love the griffins on the ledge separating the two water levels. 

Finally, La Rambla at night. It's a lot less busy than it would be in the summer (the case for Barcelona in general). There are a lot less street preformers. But you still have to watch out for pick pocketers. I've been lucky so far...(knock on wood).

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Baci,

Mari