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Friday, July 16, 2010

Barcelona Adventures: Part Three

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{The Monastery at Montserrat}

Today, we’ll wrap up the recap of what was an incredible trip to my new favorite city, Barcelona. On Sunday, we decided to take a day trip to Montserrat, a beautiful monastery dating back centuries. It is about an hour outside of Barcelona by train. While it is a very striking place, set high up in the mountains, it wasn’t my favorite part of the trip.

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{Taking the Cable Car up to Montserrat}IMG_4108

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{Look closely and you’ll see the tracks of the funicular which went up even higher above the monastery. You can’t tell here, but it was super steep. Fabian really wanted to go on it, but I couldn’t do it. I did offer to wait for him down below while he took a trip in that death cart. No, thank you. On the way back down we took the Cremollera, a very modern train that goes down the mountain to where we started. It glides smoothly along the edge of the mountain without a guard rail. It made me a little nervous. }

Meanwhile, back in Barcelona…

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{Our hotel was right off of the Placa Catalunya, but I wanted Fabian to see a more traditional Spanish plaza, so we strolled through the Placa Real (written in Catalán) at the bottom of the Gothic Quarter.}

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{Placa Real}

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{I am so glad that we decided to go by the Parc de la Ciutadella. It is Barcelona’s answer to Central Park and it situated on what was once a much-hated citadel and was very cool. The park’s main entrance begins with the city’s Arco del Triunfo.}

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{The park is rather large and is home to Barcelona’s zoo, several museums, and the Catalán Parliament.}

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{Along the Main Promenade}

 

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{I loved the zig zag tile on the cupola of this church in the park.}

IMG_4217 {The Facade of the Church}

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{The Beautiful Parliament Building}

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{I’m not quite sure what this building across from the Parliament was, but I found it beautiful. The architecture is very Italianate in style and the shutters remind me of New Orleans.}

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{Gorgeous Gardens}

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{The Park’s Lake}

IMG_4246 {The Resident Mammoth Sculpture}

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{This striking fountain was one of the most beautiful things we saw in Barcelona. You cannot even begin to imagine how large and imposing it is in pictures. It’s gorgeous and could easily go head to head with the Trevi fountain!}

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{The Gold Accents Look Incredible Against the Grey Sky}

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{Gaudí had a hand in designing the beautiful fountain.}

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{We weren’t at the park for very long because it was about to storm, but it was a very cool place. It seems to be a hang out for the local hippies and there was a definite “concert vibe” if you know what I mean, but there are so many artistic treasures within the park. I’d love to go back!

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{I have been completely obsessed with the World Cup this year. You probably already know this if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook! We didn’t want to miss any games, so we watched Argentina lose to Germany in a bar full of Germans. Poor Fabian! His family is Argentinian, so he was pretty bummed. In between matches, I got myself a David Villa Spain jersey. He is my favorite player on the Spanish national team followed by Casillas, Iniesta, Ramos, Xavi, and Torres. Heck, I love them all! It was seriously awesome to be able to watch Spain beat Portugal in Spain surrounded by Spaniards. I’ll never forget that experience and wished so badly that we would have been there when my boys won the World Cup!}

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{After the game, we headed up to Montjuic for the Montjuic de Nit outdoor concert. People were rejoicing the big win everywhere and enjoying the beautiful, balmy Spanish night.}

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{We watched the Barcelona-based Chacho Brodas perform. They are a really awesome hip hop group and were fantastic live.}

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{Montjuic’s Magic Fountains}

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{More Fountains and a Sea of Revelers}

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{This was such a fun night! Yes, I went out in my jersey. I’m a proud fan!}

P1050475 {The fountains change colors and are usually set to music.}

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{Definitely go out to see the fountains at night if you visit Barcelona. The entire Montjuic area is beautiful and was one of my favorite parts of the city.}

 

So that’s all folks! I hope you’ve enjoyed the recaps of my trip to Barcelona. Fabian and I both agree that it was our best trip to date and that we will definitely be returning to Barcelona soon! Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Image Credit: Paloma Contreras for La Dolce Vita

Please do not use any of these images without my consent.

17 comments:

Jaime @ laviejaime said...

Nice pics again! Love the one of you in front of the "window" :)

Sarah said...

I LOVE that you bought an Espana jersey! I wanted one so badly. The World Cup atmosphere in Barcelona was truly amazing. We were in Atlanta flying home for the final game but I am sure it was a blast being there!

DecRenew Interiors said...

I agree with Jamie, the photo of you in front of the arch is beautiful. Needs to be your profile picture! So glad you had such a wonderful time. Enjoyed all your pictures! Makes me want to go back to Spain. Such great memories and such beautiful architecture. I'm sure you had amazing food and wine too!

Mariska Meijers said...

What a fabulous report on Barcelona. I enjoyed a trip last year but didn't have time to visit the monestary so thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures!

The Iconic Blog.com said...

What a wonderful trip. Thank you so much for sharing all of your fabulous photos!xx

Unknown said...

I'm happy you made it up to Montserrat! It was a highlight of our trip for sure. Have a great weekend!

Sarah said...

You're photo's are fabulous, thank you for sharing them!

Marcus Design said...

It looks amazing there, I hope I can make it to Barcelona one day! And congrats on Spain's big win :)
Nancy

Alissa said...

Paloma, these photos are amazing! I especially liked the one taken from the cable car. Also, the 5th one (of you in what looked like a cloister) was very pretty.

I hope to make it there some day!

Uncle Beefy said...

Okay, Paloma... I've been wanting to visit Barcelona for such a long time! And, I'm not sure this has helped me given that it's likely going to be some time before I get over there. It's GORGEOUS! Unbelievably beautiful! Thanks for sharing all these gorgeous images. And, btw, I have been praised for my photographer's assistant skills... just sayin'. ;)

My Notting Hill said...

Loved these pictures - the fountain is amazing. My favorite was the sea dragon. I travelled to Spain in '74 but we never went to Barcelona - I can now see that was a bit tragic! It's on my list now.

TSL said...

Barcelona, ahhhh, so warm, so fabulous, so lovely, its history, architecture and people! I am so happy for your adventures.

LimePalmtree said...

Paloma... I am new to your site. I have so enjoyed your pics of Barcelona. I to am a fan of the Spanish team in Spain. That was an awesome win for them in the final. VIVA Spain :)

Izabela Penido - TuttiBellaArtigianato said...

Beautifil pictures! They really describe a wonderful trip!
xoxo,
Bela

Unknown said...

The pictures show that you really had a fun and exciting trip to Barcelona. Well, Spain is known for dominating the world of football in the past years, so I guess traveling while wearing the España jersey was a great idea. It would have been better if you visited Camp Nou though. But I think you're already happy with the David Villa jersey you purchased. Hehe!

Linnie Dimmitt @ Uniforms Express

Jennine Stalder @ UESports said...

I'm a proud fan of the Spanish team too! For me, they have a very strong line up. I just hope that Casillas gets can get back in form before the World Cup. If not, then, it would have to be a battle between Reina and Valdes for the first choice goalkeeper. Do you watch the La Liga, by any chance? What's your favorite team?

Jennine Stalder @ UESports said...

I'm a proud fan of the Spanish team too! For me, they have a very strong line up. I just hope that Casillas gets can get back in form before the World Cup. If not, then, it would have to be a battle between Reina and Valdes for the first choice goalkeeper. Do you watch the La Liga, by any chance? What's your favorite team?