Back from Espana

Hello hello!

We just got in from Barcelona.  Had an amazing time.  It was really a nice change of pace from the other European cities I've been spending time in.  People spoke Spanish (obviously), and since it is a beach city it felt a lot more like the Los Angeles area.  A few of the other students are Spanish speakers, so I know they really enjoyed being able to converse with everyone.  

In the early 1900s, Barcelona was basically handed over (Architecturally speaking) to Antoni Gaudi.  He focused very much on the shapes, colors, and geometry of nature.  He really understood architecture as a complete art form.  The buildings I got to visit were his Casa Mila, Casa Guell, and the Sagrada Familia.  All of them were breath-taking.  His last and most magnificent project,  Sagrada Familia, is still being constructed.  I could probably talk for days about Gaudi and our visit here, but I'll try to spare you! 

Gaudi died poor and destitute (he put all of his own money into the project), and he was actually living in one of the towers when he died.  He was killed outside Sagrada when he stepped into the street and was hit by a bus... Supposedly, no one knew who he was until they found a sketch in his coat pocket.  He didn't leave any plans for the rest of Sagrada Familia, so there has been a lot of controversy about how to complete the rest of it.  It should be done around 2020.  Walking around the church, it's very obvious which work is Gaudi's and which parts are contemporary.  

Took lots of pictures!  We got to take a lift up to the top and walk down one of the towers in a small, spiral staircase.  So scary.  Martin, Lindsey and I kept joking that "Gaudi was trying to kill us."  Guess he didn't think that safety should get in the way of art, eh?

View of Barcelona from the top:

It sort of resembles a drippy sand castle... almost like it should be at the bottom of the sea or in 'The Little Mermaid.'  The outside is covered in religious imagery.  Looking closely at all the walls, they almost come to life...  Gaudi used everything from dead bodies to plants and animals to develop the Sagrada's facade.

A photo of the old/new development:

Wow...A look at the interior ceiling and stained glass:

Down the stairs!  (The handrail was added later...not part of Gaudi's design):

Took a day trip on Friday to a little city in France on the Mediterranean called Collioure.  It was so nice just hanging out on the beach and going swimming for a few hours.  A bit of a tease, however... none of us wanted to leave.  I've never swam in water so clear.

GELATO!  Yumm..

I took 500 photos in Barcelona/France, so there is no way i'll be able to report on it all.  This is a pretty good sampling of my last 5 days or so.  I'll just leave you with this mouth-watering photo.  A traditional Spanish treat is Xocolota and churros.  It is drinking chocolate (something like a warm, melted chocolate bar) in a cup, served with fresh sugared churros.  Tasty!

Oh, and i'll be heading out in a couple of hours to watch the final game of the EuroFest on a big screen in old town Prague.  We got to see Spain win their semi-final match against Russia this week, which was pretty exciting.  These guys love their football.