Day 9 - Parc Guell

Last night we made the mistake of trying out the Barcelona night life. We had a lot of fun but these folks stay out way too late!! I will have to say that last night will be the only time I try that before having to wake up at 8am. I definitely took a long nap this afternoon. You only live once, right?

This morning as usual we climbed a mountain to start off the day. Don't you people know college kids hate climbing mountains? It was definitely worth it though! Our first stop was on the other side of Barcelona where more of the people live so we hopped a train, climbed a mountain and stumbled upon Parc Guell. Parc Guell is the only outdoor space that Antoni Gaudi designed. Of course, this place was colorful and without a straight line anywhere. Here's a few pics:

Barcelona at sunrise. Can you find Sagrada Familia?

Panoramic view. It was really awesome to see Barcelona from up top. It gives you a measure of where all you have been in the city.

Parc Guell. Who knew this could exist in a big city?

The seating around the park is made entirely of broken ceramic tiles pieced together.

The tiles up close.

Underneath the canopy. Once again, no straight lines. These columns were tilted out.

And again, the entire ceiling was made of broken ceramic tiles and unique curvatures.

The house that Gaudi supposedly lived in.

Another house in Parc Guell.

Parc Guell's entrance.

This place was really neat. Just like every other piece of Guadi's work, there is literally nothing else like it in the world. I hope to leave places like this in the world after I am gone. 

On the way back from Parc Guell I found a duff beer tshirt that I will most definitely be rocking when I get home. Sara, stop shaking your head and saying "you are something else".

I am super glad I bought the Sony Alpha NEX-5n to bring with me to Europe. I have gotten all of these fantastic pictures without having to edit a single one of them. I studied up on this camera and similar ones before making my final purchase. If you are looking for a smaller SLR powered camera, this is the one you need to buy. I think I have even convinced Prof. Kramer and Dr. Burt into purchasing one! Look it up and see what you think.

Tonight, Anoop has some kind of a surprise for us. I hope it is riding the gondola from the mountains to the beach. I am sure there will be lots of pictures to come tonight. Get excited about double blog posts for the day! And for those of you who have been wondering, I am now 7 hours ahead of you all back in the states. My international cell number is listed on the aubsci.org website for anyone who needs to contact me. This is where you can also take a look at other traveler's blogs and pictures. I encourage everyone to take a look at a few of theirs to get even more perspectives of our trip!

Thank you to everyone who is reading my blog! I surpassed 1000 page views today and that was awesome! Maybe google will start paying me to blog? Hahaha