TRAVELISCIOUS: Going Gaudi

I fell off track a bit with recapping my Europe trip, but I'm getting back into it, so stay tuned for posts covering my adventures in Spain, Italy, and Greece!

To catch up with earlier travel posts, start at the beginning or at the previous TRAVELISCIOUS post . You can always click the TRAVEL label on the right to view them all.



After La Boqueria, we took a bus to Parc Guell, one of Antonio Gaudi's masterpieces.

I hadn't really planned to go visit the park but my new friends said it was worth seeing, and so did my old friend from high school who lived in the area.

It was a bit of a trek, probably a 45 min bus ride from the city center, but I loved looking out the windows at the streets of Barcelona.

I was about to fall asleep standing when suddenly a woman screamed. The bus had stopped and just as the doors opened, a man grabbed her bag and bolted!

Within two minutes the Barcelona police were on the scene. It was as if they were waiting on the next corner...hmmm, they're either super fast or super shady.

Some of them got on the bus to check for an accomplice, but no dice. 

First and only crime witnessed on the trip...thankfully! 

Petty theft is huge in Europe, especially in the big cities. After that I actually contemplated wearing that horrendous body wallet you strap on underneath your clothes.

Never happened though.

Not long after that sobering experience, we arrived at Parc Guell (pronounced "gway"). It's an amazing outdoor garden overlooking the entire city of Barcelona.

Gaudi created the park with the vision of combining the natural landscape with his incredibly imaginative architecture.

I honestly wasn't interested at all in Gaudi before Barcelona, but his art is impossible to avoid when you're there.

My impression was that it would be over-the-top, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice In Wonderland-ish... fun, but not my taste really.

But I have to say, I was amazed by everything I saw. No one would question Gaudi's originality. It was the kind of place you'd think a kid dreamt up.

It wasn't just the structures, but the incredible detailing. Every inch both inside and out was taken into consideration.

amazing mosaic tile ceilings!

As distinctive as they are, the structures somehow blend in with the natural backdrop.

 my new travel friend from Cali, Karina

I loved the way he used his art to celebrate nature and create an outdoor space for people to enjoy. If you ever make your way to Barcelona, it's the perfect place for a picnic. 

Even though the weather was overcast, the colors were absolutely amazing!

 

Even after the park, I was obsessed with noticing the colors around the city. Love how art can have that effect.

This was the start of my obsession with doors and windows on this trip. I loved all the different styles and colors. Stay tuned for more in future posts.

This pic makes me laugh. Such a dork, but I gotta love it.

One of my new friends made me take a picture of him jumping up in the air with the city in the background, and then somehow convinced me to do the same. It took several attempts to get it right, but the small crowd watching was definitely entertained, and it's a classic shot I'll always look back and smile at.

MY WAY...

God didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?  

~Author Unknown     

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.

~William James  

Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you.  

~John De Paola

A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.  

~Aesop, Fables

*************

So, I've been feeling a bit guilty about my inability to be consistent with my posts. 

I sat down last week and the travel thursdays draft I scheduled to post was gone.... %@(#.*_@!!! (fill in your favorite expletive)

Today I sat down to write and life happened once again. I lost half my day to a stressed state of mind and was tempted to put it off yet again.

Then I remembered that life doesn't run on my schedule, so why should my posts?

In an attempt to find the balance between becoming more disciplined and accepting what's realistic, I'm changing the name of my travel posts from Travel Thursdays to Traveliscious. 

With that adjustment you can expect them any old day of the week. 

I do intend to continue...hell, just scratched the surface with my trip. But maybe the posts will be shorter and more frequent, or shorter and less frequent. 

And I think I'll throw in a mix of other things as they come up. I'll probably keep myself guessing as much as you, but c'est la vie. 

In a perfect blogger world, I'd be posting the same time consistently...that's what builds an audience, according to the experts. 

That would be amazing, and it is the ultimate goal, but it's also key for me to figure out what works for me over time, and at this point I'm still experimenting. 

I'm not an inside-the-box, play-by-the-rules kind of person anyway. 

I'll just continue to write about whatever comes up when I sit down to write. I'd rather write authentically than on a timer. 

Are you a slave to your schedule? A slave to your stress? 

What is your stress really about? The need to get it all done? The need to get it done right? 

Are you losing passion for something you love because you're attached to some perfect picture of how it should be? 

Whatever IT is, try loosening the reigns a bit. Sometimes things occur differently than we imagined...but the important thing is that they occur. 

xoxo

Travel Thursdays (6): Las Ramblas y La Boqueria

Happy 2012!! Hopefully your new year has been as eventful as mine. I had my first date of 2012 on Monday, my first day of work at my new job yesterday, and my sister got engaged!!!

Mucho blessings rolling around. I have a really good feeling about this year...good thing considering some people think it's our last on earth.

Your next installment of Travel Thursdays awaits below. If you missed any and would like to catch up, check out the last segment or start at the beginning. Enjoy!



Part (6): Las Ramblas y La Boqueria

I slept like a baby my first night in Barcelona.

The next morning, I met my new friends and we headed out to La Boqueria. I didn't know much about it before hand...might've seen a blurb in the guide book about it.

We walked from the hostel to Las Ramblas, the most famous street in Barcelona. It's actually a series of tree-lined streets almost a mile long, cutting through the heart of the city.

It was jam-packed with people, vendors, and street performers that clearly took pride in their craft.

The endless shopping, restaurants, and wide pedestrian walkway make it popular for foot traffic....and some other traffic.

It's known for being a tourist hot-spot during the day and a shady hooker haven at night...or so I heard. I also heard about pick-pocketing and petty theft, a common occurrence at every hour.

We got to La Boqueria and I didn't know where to look first. It's a huge open-air market selling every food-stuff imaginable.

I know, some people might wonder what's so great about a market. I love them in general, but this one was special.

Every last thing at every stand was placed perfectly.

It's a famous spot for photographers who come to shoot the amazing rainbow of colors. Wouldn't be surprised if someone's job is to design and regulate the displays.

I got some shots of my own with the new camera - took 50 or 60 shots - ambitious considering all the people around.

Never thought I'd be that enamored over a fruit display, but it was pretty incredible.

Never quite figured out the deal with these giant jars of goop. Looks like something Willy Wonka would've conjured up.

Not sure how one would eat these ginormous lollipops...how many licks would it take?

These were a little more realistic.

We decided to eat at this little breakfast stand where Karina - a very cool, very tall redhead from Cali - had come the day before. She'd been in Barcelona a few days already and knew the drill.

She also spoke fluent Spanish which definitely came in handy. I let her order me a breakfast sandwich...some kind of egg frittata thing. I barely knew what was in it, but it was tasty.

The real discovery was the cortado...espresso cut with warm or steamed milk...sooo good! It became my staple drink in Spain. The Spaniards typically drink it in the afternoon. I drank it all day long.

The guy behind the counter was a staple in his own right. He danced around with a huge smile on his face, shuffling out sandwiches in his plaid vest and bowtie. Seemed like people were there for him as much as the food.

After breakfast we walked around and sampled a tasty little treat or two. Mostly we took pics like all the other annoying tourists.

I wondered if the locals got frustrated with the crowds the way New Yorkers do around Times Square or the Empire State Building.

The treats were pretty pricey...or maybe it was the backpacker budget kicking in...was worth it either way. I had the best dates I've ever tasted in my life. Delicious!

La Boqueria quickly became one of my favorite places in Barcelona. I went back once or twice after to snap some more shots and try some more food.

I wouldn't call myself a foodie or a photographer, but I exercised my love for both just by being there.

If you really wanna learn about a culture, explore the local food. It's just as important as it is to see the sites. And to me, it's so much fun!

Stay tuned for the next installment.

But first, a little new years note...

Hope you're having a great first week of the new year, staying true to your resolutions, and not guilting yourself to death if you aren't. Doing your best doesn't mean being perfect.

These two mantras have worked for me and seem to stand the test of time...EVERYTHING IN MODERATION & BABY STEPS. Whatever your goals are and wherever you are in the process, keep the faith and just keep going...you'll get there before you know it.

xoxo