Barcelona

Our last adventure abroad took place over the holiday break. Europe is just like school, pretty much everyone has 1-2 weeks off for Christmas and New Years. Or in Josh's case, campus shuts down and it is required to use one's own vacation time for the week between those two holidays. Instead of spending money on the Oregon rain, the family holiday juggling act (our families live 7 hours apart), and the likelihood that it would be even more depressing to return with a fresh bout of homesickness to a cold, dark, gray Germany than it would be to not be home for Christmas we decided to use this mandatory time off to travel.

Last year for this trip, we went to Berlin during a weeks-long snow storm. The city was pretty much empty, and we had absolutely no problem getting around and seeing everything that we wanted. Oh,  but this year. This year was different. This year we went somewhere sunny. Somewhere were the inhabitants are multi-generation families that do not desert their city during the holidays. Somewhere considered "a destination city".

We went to Barcelona and it was effing nuts.

And exhausting, crowded, and baffling. Baffling because I've never witnessed so many whiny little baby tantrums from grown ass adults who are being paid to provide at least some shade of customer service. Believe me, my expectations for customer service are not very high. I live in Germany, for chrissakes.

But, by God, it is a gorgeous city.

Don't believe me? Here, take a look:

Las Ramblas. A long promenade through the heart of the city. Also, where one will be repeatedly given the opportunity to purchase "Charlie, coke, weed, and hashish". Yup, verbally offered up under the seller's breath in that order.

A monument to Christopher Columbus is at the south end of Las Ramblas.

Meat-stuffs at La Boqueria food market. It was recently gently suggested that we at The Curti Abroad mention food and drink too frequently...

But to that I say, "Nay!" Or in this case, "Oink!"

Placa de les drassanes

Light post bench

The balconies of Gaudi's Casa Mila. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to tour the stunning rooftop and chimneys.

Barceloneta

Torre Agbar

I love how the driving lanes in this city were often on the far sides of the street with wide pedestrian areas between the right and left lanes. La Sagrada Familia in the background.

Gaudi's Park Güell. Look at these mouth agape fools in the foreground. haha.

Josh in Park Güell.

Sweet lord, after eleventy-billion attempts we finally got a picture of this Park Güell creature without some asshole posing next to it.

Looking down on the entrance of the park.

Still in the park.

Barcelona

We stayed in Hotel Espanya's beautifully renovated modernist building. Our room was ok, but all the public areas were gorgeous.

And now a series of pictures from the oddest, most alien, and undeniably captivating building I have ever seen with my human eyes, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia basilica. Under construction since 1882, it is set to be completed by 2026, the centennial of Gaudi's death. Which was the result of being ran down by a tram. A fact that was repeated to a morbid extent in our bus tour audio guide.

The Passion facade

The Nativity facade

The Passion facade

Gaudi took a lot of  inspiration from nature. I love how the interior columns branch out like trees.

It's just an unbelievably cool building. And well worth the wait in a long line.

Not too far from Sagrada Familia is the modernist complex of Sant Pau Hospital.

It was in use as a hospital from 1916 to 2009 and is currently being restored. Some buildings will be used for various types of research (including forestry!) and other buildings will house a UNESCO university.

Back of the administration building.

Oh yeah, did I mention that creepy tunnels connected the entire complex. Exactly what one hopes to see when visiting an empty, decrepit hospital!

The morgue. Actually, no,  I just made that up. I don't know what this is.

Convalescence room.

More Gaudi at Casa Batllo.

A medieval hospital complex.

Placa Reial. Apparently Gabriel García Márquez has an apartment overlooking this plaza.

The stables at Palau Güell. A mansion just off of Las Ramblas that Gaudi designed.

Inside Palau Güell, looking up.

Chimneys of Palau Güell.

An old bullfighting arena-turned-shopping mall. Complete with an outdoor jogging track around the top. Naturally.

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

Cava and views from the MNAC patio.

Everything mentioned above I would wholeheartedly recommend plus the following:

• Drink in the el Born district. Fishbowl goblets of gin. 'Nuff said.
• Eat. Then eat again two hours later. Repeat. 
• Wander the Raval, Eixample, and Barri Gotic neighborhoods
• Hot chocolate and churros, that's what Emily does!
• Gorge yourself on paella. You'll be the happiest girl (or boy) in all the land
• Drool at the food markets and curse the fact that you live in a land-locked country

I feel like I didn't even touch half the things we saw or experienced on this trip. And we didn't even scratch the surface of what life in Barcelona has to offer during our visit. Knowing a local would enhance a visit to this city tenfold. If you could get past retail workers throwing pants at you while shopping and the occasional busser slamming a chair into your table as you quietly enjoy an adult beverage, this would definitely be a city worth living in. I'm not sure I could handle battling Catalonyans on a daily basis, however Barcelona is most definitely worth a visit. Don't make it too short though as there is a lot to see, eat, drink, and do.