Running Bulls...

No, we didnt see the running of the bulls while here in Spain. It is just something I think of when I think of Spain. The only bulls I have seen are on tshirts, postcards and coffee mugs all of which are probably purchased by people who never see bulls when they are here. Anyway, enough bull.

Barcelona is our longest stop during the European tour. We spend 6 nights total in our cool (yet very warm because of a difficult A/C box) little flat in the Born neighborhood before heading back to Paris, the Euro city that bookends our trip.

We have continued our Sangria consumption though no injury to anyone´s body or reputation has been caused by the special drink we order by the litre. In other words, we have all been on our best behavior as we work towards our goal of "30 by 30¨. That is 30 pitchers by the time Sandra is 30. As of last night, we are at 9.5. I don´t know if we will make it but it is a fun goal to set and since are beds are particularly uncomforable in this city, the Sangria is serving as a sleep aide. Very helpful.

We have spend most of our time walking about the city to get our bearings and to see what sites we are interested in. It was recommended that we check out the Bus Touristic which allows unlimited on and off privilages and three different buslines that stop at all major spots in the city for the duration of the life of the pass you buy. This worked out well for all of us though in a few cases, now that we know where we are going more or less, the bus was probably a slower mode of transport for us than our own feet would have been.

The city of Barcelona is somewhat like an outdoor Gaudi museum at times because his work or the influence of his work is prevalent in many places. Yesterday we checked out Parc Guell, a place that houses some of the most famous Gaudi works and is where he lived for some time as well. The mosaic works are wonderful and were worth the long hike up the hill to get to them. There was a great view of Barcelona from there as well.

Today the major site we visited is "The Temple de la Sagrada Familia¨(The Temple of the Sacred Family). This structure has been under construction since 1882 and it is anticipated that it will not be completed for another 20 years. Gaudi himself spent 40 years on the Temple, until his death. Those who continue his work maintain the integrity of what he began. Why is it taking so long? Financing mostly but also the importance of the structure to people and the materials it is made of. I photographed a quote by Gaudi that I will list here: Religious buildings, essentially, have to endure, in the same way as the religion that they house.

This is the only religious temple in the world that is currently under construction. Erin and Sandra actually went to the top of one of the towers so be sure to ask them for pics which should be great since the weather was clear today. Just like at The Vatican, I opted to stay close to the ground. It is strange because I do not have a fear of heights, but I just dont feel like going up in these places this time around.

The other major stop of the day was the Dali museum. There was an extraordinary display of his renderings of The Creation from Genesis and also Christ´s crucifiction which were interesting to look at. That was much different than Michelangelo´s Sistine Chapel ceiling paintings. My favorite drawings involved Don Quixote. I always laugh when I see him.

I know this was more a history lesson than I usually offer here but things have been pretty chill. I was on the subway today when a guy made an obscene gesture towards me and then winked. I would make a funny story out of it, and even thought about what I could say but really, it just grossed me out so no joke there!

We are likely headed out of Barcelona for a day trip to Monteserrat and Ciches (I think I spelled those correctly) for Sandra´s birthday Thursday and maybe the Picasso Museum tomorrow.

I will be back here before the trip ends more than likely. Until then, or if you prefer, hasta luego.