An an American, I'm not all that exceptional. I don't have "traditional" nor and "exotic" heritage. I assume that the fascination I hold in my ethnic background will not interest anyone else. That being said, indulge me for a moment...

I'm something around a quarter Spanish. Basque to be precise. My Great Grandfather came to the US to be a missionary and my Grandfather's generation was the last to speak Castellano. What this has given me (beyond half my mail in the wrong language) is a desire to visit the land of my paternal ancestors. When Mr. Gray and I had to come up with an alternative honeymoon plan when Istanbul and Beirut was starting to look like not the best idea, Spain easily won out.

As I mentioned before, my last international trip (besides visit our friends South of the Border) was 15 years ago. Then as a teen I explored London, Paris, Munich and Interlaken. Despite this I was taken back by how much Barcelona reminded me of the cities I visited so long ago. I suppose it shouldn't be all that suprising in the age of the EU that major European cities would seem so similar.


Mr. Gray and I made good use of our few days in the Catalonian capital. Barcelona is a wonderful walking city and we did a lot of that! We tried to stay away from the typical tourist spots and ate in small pastry shops in the morning and corner cafes at night.




Breakfast of Champions


The first morning, after landing too early to check into the hotel, we walked up to the Olympic village nearby, explored the surrounding gardens of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, and visited the Montjuïc Castle.

Olympic Village

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

Montjuïc Castle

We even made it to La Rambla a few times!

Font de Canaletes

Most importantly, we explored the exquisitely unfinished Goliath that is the Sagrada de Familia. Do not miss this! Its crowded and costs €12.50, buts ist a masterpiece in the making. Mr. Gray and I talked about returning to Barcelona when it is finished (sometime between 2020 and 2040) with our families. Even after the attack on the sacristy yesterday, the Sagrada is simply too magnificent to skip.

Unbelieveable detail



This is going to take another 30 years?





Model of completed project. White sections have yet to be completed.