Busy Day in Barcelona

On our second day in Barcelona, we went to Park Guell. This park was designed by architect Antoni Gaudi (who also built La Sagrada Familia) and it functioned as his home as well. First, we had to climb a high hill in order to reach the park. Our tickets to the park actually only included access to his house, not the park itself. Nevertheless, we were able to see the colorful sculptures that highlighted the house.

The colorful entrance to Park Guell

While we were in the metro station we saw what might be the biggest vending machine in the world. Unfortunately it was out of order :(

Afterwards, we decided to visit Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona. I have never seen a city more in love with a team than Barcelona. It is impossible to go down a street without seeing a shop selling jerseys, caps, and tickets, and fans sporting gear are everywhere. It is tough not to love a team that almost always wins the league and has players like Messi, Neymar, and Suarez. The stadium, which seats 98,000, was a ways away from the city center. On the self-guided tour, we saw their many trophies, the players’ place of prayer before games (this is not common in the U.S.) and the stadium itself, which is almost overwhelming. There was an exhibit showing Messi’s goals, and we got to walk up the steps to the field and almost feel like a Barcelona player. At the end of the tour they try to sell you a 31 Euro photo or a 120 Euro jersey, however, we decided to not add to the FC Barcelona sweatshirt that I had purchased the day prior and that I plan on wearing to the Real Madrid game (not! Although I’ll root for the other team so that Barcelona stays on top of the standings.)

This is as close as you could get to the field. 100,000 seats behind me!

On our way back to the subway station from the stadium, a man started yelling at me and pointing to himself. I first thought it was an insane person, but then I remembered I was wearing my new Barcelona sweatshirt, and he was just cheering them on. I replied “Si!” even though I didn’t know quite what he was saying, but it was a fun experience showing how much some Barcelonians love their team.

After that, we returned to city center via the Metro, and missed our stop. We ended up getting off at the next stop, and when we exited we saw another attraction: Casa Batllo. This was yet another one of Gaudi’s works in Barcelona. Gaudi’s style is unique and difficult to explain, so you can see how it looks in the picture below.

Casa Batllo, designed by Gaudi

We decided to have lunch after that. We went into a nearby restaurant and had a meal of cheese and meat. I am not a huge fan of strong cheeses or charcuterie meats, but the meal was interesting.

After taking a rest (and beginning to watch Batman: The Dark Knight Rises) we ventured out for dinner. The restaurant served Tapas, or small plates. Traditionally, one would order a few tapas and a drink as a light dinner. We had four tapas: potatoes with mayo and special sauce (better than it sounds), olives, potato croquettes, and sausage (the best of all.) We also ordered a small pizza, which was closer to a flatbread. The meal was inexpensive and tasty! We returned to the hotel after another great day in Barcelona.