Barcelona, Spain

 Day 1

Today, we left Madrid and began our bus ride to Barcelona. Our midday stop was in the Spanish city of Zaragosa. In the center of this city is a huge square dominated by the Our Lady of Pilar Cathedral-Basilica. We had a chance to walk around inside of the cathedral and saw the beautiful domes painted by Francisco Goya. Afterwards, we crossed the Puente de Piedra bridge for a great vantage point for viewing the outside of the cathedral-basilica. We then meandered down an adjacent street to find some lunch. Before we had to reconvene on the bus, we checked out the ruins of a Roman wall that borders Old Town Zaragosa.

The inside of Our Lady of Pilar Cathedral-Basilica

One of the domes painted by Goya

Our Lady of Pilar as seen from the bridge

A street in Zaragosa

In front of the cathedral-basilica

Our Gate 1 group

By late afternoon, we had arrived at our Barcelona hotel - the Catalonia Plaza Hotel. After getting settled, we walked across the street to see Montjuic (meaning Jewish Mountain) where the Palau Nacional building sits on top of the hill overlooking the Montjuic Fountain (unfortunately, due to drought, the fountain was not working). We then walked around the back of the complex to reach the Olympic Park where many of the 1992 Summer Olympic events were held. A quick taxi ride took us to Las Ramblas, a tree lined pedestrian street, where we wandered for a bit before finding a place to eat dinner. After our meal, we made it to the end of Las Ramblas where the Christopher Columbus monument sits and then took a taxi back to the hotel to rest up for a full day of sightseeing in Barcelona tomorrow.

Our hotel in Barcelona

Looking toward Montjuic

From the Palau Nacional looking over the Montjuic Fountain toward our hotel

Day 2

Our Barcelona city tour started by taking us to a spot high up on Montjuic that afforded views (albeit hazy/smoggy) of the city. Next, we drove down to the water and saw the Gold Fish Sculpture. A guided walking tour took us through the streets of the Gothic Quarter and past the Arc de Triomf. 

By the Mediterranean Sea

The Gold Fish

In the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona

In the Gothic Quarter, excavation below the Mercat del Born, uncovered medieval ruins

Arc de Triomf

After a quick lunch back at the hotel, we joined Gate 1 for the afternoon Gaudi tour. On our way to Park Guell, we drove by two houses that were designed by Barcelona's most famous architect - Antoni Gaudi. Park Guell was also designed by Antoni Gaudi and is classified as an UNESCO World Heritage site. This park was unlike anything we have seen before with its bright tile work on walls/benches and modernist style. 

Gaudi's Casa Mila

Casa Batllo

Reenacting a scene from The Cheetah Girls movie for my girls

Park Guell

Lots of colorful tilework at Park Guell

The last stop of the Gaudi tour was at his masterpiece - La Sagrada Familia. La Sagrada Familia is a catholic basilica that Gaudi became the chief architect of in 1883. It combines gothic and art nouveau styles and is still in the process of being built. The current estimated completion date is 2026. The outside of the cathedral is very odd; however, the inside is gorgeous as the light filters through the stained-glass windows.

La Sagrada Familia

The interior

The glow from the stained-glass windows was beautiful!

After touring La Sagrada Familia, we took an Uber back to the hotel to attend the Farewell Reception and then walked across the street to the bullring that has been converted into a shopping center. For dinner, I had some delicious Paella!

Tomorrow our trip comes to an end as we must fly back to the US. We have thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Gate 1 and will definitely travel with them again!