Tourists!

Today (which was really two days ago) we decided to be tourists. We woke refreshed and ready to take on the world! We bought a metro day pass and made our way to the Sagrada Familia. This massive Roman Catholic church was designed by architect Antoni Gaudi, and has been an ongoing work since he began in 1882. It was amazing. We purchased the English Audio guide (totally worth it) and spent the next two and half hours in complete rapture. The acute details combined with Gaudi's knowledge and passion for nature makes this temple absolutely stunning. The contrasts from one facade to the next, with their deep (and sometimes hidden) meanings transported me smack in the middle of a living breathing story. His intentions were to create the perfect church, one of both God and Man. Spectacular.

After the Sagrada Familia, we filled our bellies, and headed towards the Park Guell, another famous attraction here in Barcelona. Once again we set our eyes upon a non-park, one perfectly landscaped alongside large gravel pathways. But, I must commend this particular Park, as it was bustling with a life seemingly foreign to the culture of Spain. As we treaded down the paths we witnessed the most remarkable event. Spread along the sides of the walkways and in the middle of a huge gravel pit were blankets upon blankets displaying crappy tourist junk, sold by some people trying to make a buck. All of a sudden the merchants were frantically rolling up their blankets, tucking them under their arms or shoving them into grocery bags, running for an escape. And I do mean running, like full on sprinting, fear stretched across their faces. It was mayhem and chaos - but it lasted only a moment. In a blink of the eye there was nothing, the grounds completely bare, void of all blanket-shops, as if they had never really been there in the first place. We looked around and it all made perfect sense. Sitting at the end of the path was, of course, a cop car. A truly fascinating moment. After a bit of a jaunt around the park we settled onto a bench, the forgotten sun at last kissing our faces. Raggae music floated to our ears from the left and steel drums far away to our right. Our eyes scanned the distant city of Barcelona before us with the Mediterranean sea sparkling in the background. We wish you were here.