day two of our first visit to barcalona started out on the sunny terrace of our hostel. a little morning yoga helped with the jet lag and we mingled with other guests for a bit before setting out to explore. i always forget how good it is to start a day out with no plans and complete freedom to mosey around as we please.
barcelona is full of beautiful markets, simple streets and outstanding architecture. spaniards don't celebrate christmas as much as they celebrate three kings day (epiphany) so the holiday decor was pretty simple but we saw the same red flag with baby Jesus hanging from balconies all over town. this region of spain, called catalonia, has its own language and the people are incredibly proud to be from there. they are currently an autonomous community within spain but are working to break off from spain and become their own free country.
antoni gaudi is the incredible architect who designed the sagrada familia basilica before passing away in 1929. work on the church is still in process after over 130 years of construction but they hope to complete it by 2026. european churches always grab my attention but this one is definitely in a league of it's own- it's incredibly simple on the inside which makes it all the more majestic! the guell palace, pavilions & park are among the many other famous structures designed by gaudi and from them you have some of the best views of the city. (our images of guell park can be seen here)
we were saving las ramblas, the city center and the port for when we came back to barcelona at the end of our trip but while on the hunt for a brewery johann had heard about, we passed through placa de catalunya & caught some of the holiday celebrations! there was a synchronized fountain/light show, hip-hop performances and a little origami art to celebrate the new year!
i'm not a huge fan of beer but the moritz brewery nailed it and we found ourselves back there again before the trip was over. our night ended at a hole-in-the-wall cuban bar in gracia watching a little flamenco dancing. so so interesting seeing a dance from another culture!
our next stop was supposed to be a long stay in sevilla but due to the holidays and limited trains, we ended up spending a few days in valencia! those images will be next!
if you missed it >> barcelona part i
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