Gaudi and Goodbyes

Hola! This last weekend we hopped on a flight to Barcelona! After wandering around La Rambla—a popular market street—and getting some tapas, we went to Casa Batllo, a house built by Gaudi, a famous architect. The beautiful structure was splashed with colorful tiles, which surrounded wavy balconies. Behind the house was a gorgeous courtyard with a large tile mosaic. The inside was surreal with its arches, woodwork, and interesting touches. From the rooftop, you could look out onto Barcelona while resting against carefully placed tiles.

If there is one thing that Barcelona should be known for food-wise, it’s brunch. Forget the seafood and tapas; spring for the brunch. Milk is a brunch restaurant hidden in a small street, which has delicious coffee. Brunch and Cake is another and they had the most unbelievably good waffles. My absolute favorite was Federal Café! Everything I tried there was perfect! From the breakfast burger to the rancheros tacos to the quinoa porridge, the food was too good to be true.

We couldn’t leave Barcelona without hitting the beach. The water was icy cold, but we were plenty hot lying on the sand. Just a warning to those who don’t know: the beach is topless. So we were taken a bit by surprise.

My favorite place in Barcelona was Park Guell! Climbing up a seemingly endless hill, we arrived at the park and explored the pathways surrounding the main attraction. Gaudi designed an incredible wonderland decorated with stunning mosaics and a balcony that overlooked all of Barcelona. There was a lightning storm off in the distance adding a stroke of electricity to the city’s canvas of a blue sky. We then walked up to the Three Crosses, one of the tallest points, to get an even better view! At night we enjoyed the lights and music set to choreographed fountain springs at the Magic Fountain.

We concluded our trip by visiting Sagrada Familia, a cathedral designed by Gaudi. The architecture was dreamlike! It was decorated with large stained-glass windows that filled the inside with an array of colors. The interior was lined with tall columns that touched the kaleidoscopic geometric pattern of the ceiling.

We returned to London feeling like we were coming home, only to remember that we only had a few days left. We knew that we had to make the most of them. So after saying goodbye to my awesome coworkers, we ate at Bodean’s (delicious barbeque—seriously you need to go there) and planned out my last day here. We climbed the hundreds of stairs in St. Paul’s Cathedral, had afternoon tea at The Orangery, shopped at Harrods, admired the commemorative pool of ceramic poppies cascading from the Tower of London (in honor of the British soldiers who died in WWI), ate at Nandos, admired the view at Trafalgar Square, and reminisced about our London experience in Parliament Square.

Now I am packing the night before my flight back to America. I’ve procrastinated as long as I could so I wouldn’t have to accept the fact that I’m leaving the city I fell in love with. I am excited to see my family and friends though, and I am so ready for Mexican food! Next time I blog, I’ll be in the great state of Texas!

Thanks and gig’em!