Barcelona, Days 2 and 3

After day 1 we decided we need to see more of the city and decide to look for another place to stay, since our current spot is only available for 2 nights. We find a great apartment near the University through airbnb.com and book a room for 5 nights. We won’t check in until 3 so we pack up our stuff at the first apartment, they let us leave our bags there while we sightsee before moving to the next spot. So we take off for a few hours to see some Gaudi architecture…

La Padrera (above)… The roof, which is covered in mosaic tiles, looks incredible but we didn’t go up, it’s 19. euro/person, more than what were paying per night for the rental! Yikes, maybe next time! Lot’s of great iron work all over the building and the glass and iron door!

Casa Batillo, just 2 blocks down from the other, this building is more colorful. The face is covered in mosaics and check out the balconies and stained glass! In the first photo you can see (and I wish to have seen it up close) the incredible tiled facade at the roof top, again lot’s of amazing tiles, they are made to look like fish scales!

A local woman who saw we had a map out near the building stopped and told us a bit about the building, Gaudi, etc. She said when the construction was taking place, Gaudi was across the street as each mosaic took form, directing which piece would go where to create the epic works on the building. She also recommended we come back and see the building during the morning, when the sun is shining and reflecting on the tiles and mirrors placed on the building front.

This building above is not by Gaudi, it’s just one of the many amazing buildings here in Barcelona. Look at those pretty glass sun rooms hanging over the sidewalk!

Back to the first apartment we walk through the parks surrounding Sagrada Familia, stopping at a pond where you can see the entire cathedral reflected (nice tip given to us by another local!) We grab our stuff and are off to the new place…

We get to the new apartment, where we are greeted by our lovely host, Virginia, she is a Barcelona native, around our age. We are the first airbnb guests and she is really excited, happily showing us around the beautiful apartment. Above is Gatito (kitty) in the living room. We are so excited about the place, the hostess and the location. We get settled and then head out for pizza and a very long walk…

green parrots mingling with pigeons at Joan Miro park.

Overlooking Joan Miro park from the top of what looks like an old stadium turned into a mall. We went up to the roof for the shot above and 2 below…

Palau Nacional, there’s an art museum inside, we will go there on Saturday.

Above and below are sculptures by Joan Miro, one of my favorite artists!

Walking up from the Palau Nacional towards a castle on the top of a hill…

The Castell de Montjuic is pretty amazing, surrounded by walls that are surrounded by gardens. It’s closed when we get up there but we walk all the way around, no tourists at this hour, just groups of runners! The castle overlooks the sea so a nice place to run.

Above, looking up the wall, below a cute plant growing out of the wall.

It’s dark and we are tired! We walk down from the castle, each spotting lightning in the clouds on our way. Then we take the bus back to the apartment, stopping at the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. We are welcomed home by our hostess and meet the other 2 roommates as well, chatting with everyone after dinner.

Day 2

The next day we wake up to pouring rain and rolling thunder. The house is empty so we make ourselves at home, reading, making snacks, catching up on blog posts, emails, etc. By evening we are ready to go outside, and the rain has stopped! We find a cozy looking spot for dinner and have a very nice meal!

I got a ham and goat cheese sandwich with sweet onion relish, that’s a Catalan dish in the background: bread rubbed with tomato…

We shared the bread and this appetizer of homemade meatballs atop truffled potatoes… and below John got the Hamburguesa, pretty much a hamberger patty with hashbrowns for a bun and topped with caramelized onions. This place was amazing!