December 24, 2013: Christmas Eve in Barcelona

 A new day in Barcelona.  We started our day with another 15 Euro breakfast. I should say that it is 15 for each of us. These hotels man. Anyways, after filling up, we took a taxi down to the Sagrada Familia.  The line wasn't too long. We arrived around opening time and waited for only 15 minutes to get our tickets.  The attraction itself wasn't too entertaining, but keep in mind, it is a religious building, not a carnival.  The stained glass and architecture of the Sagrada Familia really create the beauty of this structure. There is a reason that this is one of the most visited attractions in Europe.

Look at the stained glass.

The outside of the Sagrada Familia.

We hopped on the bus tour again. Not really to go anywhere but just to see the city.  I learned a lot about the city and about how they hosted the Summer Olympics back in 1992.  We passed by Bernabeu Stadium where FC Barcelona plays.  I am not a big fan of soccer (ahem, football) but I knew the magnitude of importance that this stadium holds for Barca fans.  If I ever come back to Barcelona, it will definitely be one of the places I go visit.

Another stop on the bus tour was Maremagnum, a nice shopping center. Not as big as the malls back home, but much bigger and more urban than the shops we had seen on the streets.  I bought a nice black sequin dress that I wore to dinner that night for around 20 euros. After that we went to an aquarium next to Maremagnum. It was a nice little aquarium. Not the best 25 euros I ever spent, but certainly not the worst.

For Christmas Eve, Susan treated me to a fancy dinner at a restaurant in the Maremagnum.  We were originally going to go to a different dinner but we messed up the directions (oops haha).  Regardless, it was a great meal and a great way to spend Christmas Eve. She spent I think 80 euros on dinner. I know money doesn't buy friendship, but I don't know how many non-friends would drop 80 euros on a dinner for two. Love ya girl! 

December 23, 2013: Day of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona

Today was a busy day for me and Susan in Barcelona.  We started off with a pricey 15 Euro breakfast. Gotta love those swanky hotels. Then we set off for Casa Battlo, which we were idiotically pronouncing incorrectly for the longest time.  It was one of the things that Susan really wanted to see.  It was a very intricately designed house with an amazing roof.  Definitely a must-see in Barcelona.

After that, we walked down a couple of blocks to Casa Mila aka La Pedrera, another one of Antoni Gaudi's creations.  It also had a nice roof. Seeing a trend here?

Park Guell was the next stop on our Day of Gaudi.  It's far from the area of Barcelona we were at but thanks to a hop-on hop-off bus tour I convinced Susan to take, we were able to get there easily.  I would highly recommend looking into these types of bus tours at any city you travel to, they will save you a lot of taxis.  Park Guell was very nice.  I got a nice picture of Susan with this lizard thing.

December 22, 2013: Day Two in Madrid/Barcelona

Today was the day we were to take the train from Madrid to Barcelona.  It was a very easy process and the train took about 3 hours.  We arrived in Barcelona and checked into our hotel.

We walked down La Rambla and to Palau Guell, one of Antoni Gaudi's creations.  The ticket came with an audio tour, which was a great way to learn about the building.  The highlight of this exhibit was the rooftop, decorated with interesting ceramic covered chimneys, a perfect photo op!

For dinner, we wanted a nice traditional Spanish meal.  There were a lot of restaurants on the same street as our hotel so we decided to go in and have paella.  We ordered a combination paella with seafood, chicken and vegetables to split between the two of us.  The person who was running the small restaurant was very generous and gave us a larger paella free of charge.  He gave us a free bottle of water and even offered us free shots, which we politely declined as we rushed out.  There is a fine line between being generous and creepy.  But it's a nice anecdote to tell our friends, especially because of the fact that my friend misinterpreted the word "shot" for "shirt" and didn't understand why I was adamant on declining his offer.