Barcelona Adventures: Part Three

{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.

{Taking the Cable Car up to Montserrat}

 

 

 

{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…

{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.}

 

{Placa Real}

{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.}

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

{Along the Main Promenade}

 

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

{The Facade of the Church}

{The Beautiful Parliament Building}

 

{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.}

{Gorgeous Gardens}

{The Park’s Lake}

{The Resident Mammoth Sculpture}

{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!}

{The Gold Accents Look Incredible Against the Grey Sky}

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

{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!

{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!}

{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.}

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

{Montjuic’s Magic Fountains}

{More Fountains and a Sea of Revelers}

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

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

{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.