On day 47 of our journey, we set off early for Barcelona from Paris’ Gare de Lyon station (a pretty cool station, though I didn’t get pictures that do it justice). Our trip was smooth, fast, comfortable, and with great views along the way. Nothing like riding trains, metros and other public transportation around the world to make one realize just how “not great” America is in its public infrastructure and transportation.
Views from our apartment: Aside from the management (MH Apartments, which genuinely sucks — don’t stay at their properties), our apartment is fine. It’s in a lovely part of Barcelona, with wonderful “streetscapes,” neighborhood cafes, groceries, etc. (Here’s the view from our balcony, just before and after a storm passed through)
First night, La Rambla & Placa del Reial: The families were tired and so camped out at our respective apartments, while Kevin and I set out for a walk along the famous (if a bit touristy) La Rambla avenue,… ultimately finding our way to a cool placa for a beer.
Day 48 – Gaudi Sagrada Familia: We spent a good part of the day visiting the famous La Sagrada Familia, a Roman Catholic cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi. He worked on it from around 1880 till 1926 (when he was hit by a tram and died), but it was unfinished when he died, and it remains unfinished to this day. It is a pretty amazing place, particularly in its unique style (so different from any other cathedral I’ve ever seen). They currently plan to complete the structure in 2026.
There were particularly cool views of the surrounding city from atop the Cathedral.
The Waterfront, Beaches and nearby park: While Jackie, Monica and the girls went out to have dinner see flamenco dancing, the men all set out for dinner and the beach, ultimately finding our way to Parc de la Ciutadella and Barcelona’s version of Arco de Triunfo. Aside from the annoyingly everywhere graffiti, virtually all of which is just terrible, Barcelona is really quite beautiful. Some pics below of our visit to the waterfront and park.