Barcelona

Barcelona was much more slow-paced than Paris. The people are friendlier, the city is clear, and everything moves a bit more slowly. I had a hard time finding my hostel, though. It didn't have a sign (supposedly it is not allowed in that part of town). Once there, however, I really loved the hostel. It was in a clean, residential neighborhood, and the atmosphere was very welcoming. The hostel itself was quite small, which made the experience much more intimate. I will say that I missed the A/C of the US. Like many places in Europe, the hostel had none - and if you've ever been to Barcelona in the summer, you know how it feels to sweat yourself to sleep.

Because the city is so centralized I didn't bother with a metro pass. I walked everywhere. My first stop was Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia. The other side is actually a lot more interesting, but I only have a shot of this one.



I then walked southward toward the sea. I had little idea what direction I was walking in, and had no map at the time. I sort of just guessed. But wandering around in a European city may allow one to stumble upon amazing things - like Barcelona's Arc de Triomf (as opposed to the Parisian Arch de Triomph).



I walked and walked and walked until I made my way to the sea. When I finally reached the water, at a port near the beginning of La Rambla, I took of my shoes, rolled up my sleeves, and laid down on the pier for about fifteen minutes or so, just resting.



When I as finished resting I put my shoes back on, and began to walk up La Rambla. The area was quite literally flooded with tourists, so I didn't spend too much time just walking around. It was interesting to see the street performers, and to look at some of the local artwork for sale. I bought a water color of the Sagrada Familia.



Finally, I headed to the Barri Gotic. Construction was taking place on the Barcelona Cathedral, so no photos of that, but I enjoyed just walking around the crowded streets of the Gothic district. A number of different musical performers were playing on the street, but this one in particular was very good. I was running low on cash at this point, so I am sorry to say I didn't slip them a Euro.