A Fine Weekend Indeed
I’m glad to report that this weekend was a very good one. I’m also happy to report that this post will include a number of pictures, something that has been sorely lacking since I’ve had some issues with my internet connection at home (pretty sure it is a Mac OSX issue, not, as previously thought, a Spanish provider issue).
Friday Night
I decided to check out the Magic Fountain at Montjuic on Friday night. The fountain sits in Placa Espana, which is the site of a number of attractions here in Barcelona, including the big art museum, which is pictured here.
Here I am, with some of the waterfalls in the background.
The Magic Fountain is a big spectacle, with light, sound and the fountain itself putting on a show every half hour or so. It’s very touristy, but well worth the trip...it’s like the fountain at the Bellagio in Vegas, but authentic :) Here’s a shot of the fountain doing it’s thing.
On the way home I wondered down Las Ramblas, which ends at the port with this statue of Columbus, pointing at the New World...in theory anyway, with the way the coast is situated, he is actually pointing at Libya. Oops.
Saturday
Saturday turned out to be a wonderful change from the usual, as I was invited to go to a BBQ outside of the city with my boss and his family. To get out of the city was nice to begin with, but to be able go somewhere that was remote and full of an international crowd was fantastic.
Here is the view from the road to the house:
This is the view from the pool at the house:
And this is the house, and the people at the BBQ:
And finally, a shot of part of the spread...yes that is a piq’s leg, something I am getting used to seeing :)
The day was capped off with an evening on the town, with the highlight being a trip to the crazy-popular Hard Rock Cafe for some Jameson. I swear it’s not as bad as it sounds, the Hard Rock here is a cool place for an international crowd to hang out.
Sunday
Sunday was the day to knock some of the sightseeing to-dos off my list. First off was Park Guell...one of Gaudi’s most famous works. The park has some amazing views like this:
I love the design of everything in the park, from the “caves” built with rocks from the park (America’s Next Top Model finale was shot here...yes, I watched it...bite me.)
To the fairy tale buildings:
To the cactus plants that I fell in:
Ok, that was staged, I did not fall in, but I took the picture just in case I did, because hey, that’s the way things have been going lately.
Oh yeah, did I mention the view?
It was actually right after I took this picture that I realized that it was hot enough that people might be going to the beach, so I hiked to a metro stop and headed to the coast.
Turns out I was right in thinking the beach would be busy, it was packed with folks:
I ended up hanging out, having a couple of beers, and relaxing. A good time indeed. Also walked by the big copper fish sculpture on the coast, which was part of the development built for the Olympics:
To keep up with my efforts to knock stuff off of my tourist list, I headed over to the port side of the cable car that goes from the port to Montjuic.
Again, some great views were to be had of the city, and the busy port full of tankers, cruise ships and some mega yachts.
After all of that I decided to head home, which meant hopping the Metro, which drops me off right in front of Sagrada Familia...something that always astounds me when I look at it. Here are a couple shots from the Passion side:
My favorite part of this side is the golden figure (guessing it's Jesus?!) that sits above everyone else looking down:
That’s it for tonight. Much love to all...tomorrow, back to work!
