Monday, April 9, 2012

Barcelona

We had a beautiful March here in Zurich - nice spring weather, blooming cherry trees, longer afternoons... and then April came, and now we're back to clouds, rain, and cool temperatures. April showers bring May flowers?

Fortunately, Brian and I had planned an Easter trip to Barcelona. We had gone to Madrid in October and were excited to check out the Catalonian city on the sea. Mostly for the (slightly) warmer weather than Zurich and the food (seafood! ham! sangria!), but also the sights.

While in town, we visited Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi's unfinished-but-still-under-construction masterpiece cathedral. Pro-tip: buy online tickets beforehand, instead of waiting in a massively long line like us! Though the outside facades are interesting, the inside is amazing and worth the wait.

Sagrada Familia Sagrada Familia


We also saw some of Gaudi's other works, including apartment building facades and Park Guell, a park on a hill overlooking the city. Completely filled with tourists on a sunny Saturday, but very interesting architectural features and views of Barcelona.

Park Guell


Of course, we visited museums, other churches, and walked the streets and waterfront of Barcelona. But we also ate lots of great food! I didn't plan ahead too far, so some of the restaurants we wanted to check out were either full or closed for the Easter holidays, but we did have some great Catalan seafood dishes and Spanish tapas. For those planning a trip, our two favorite places we tried this time were Tapas 24 and Suquet de l'Almirall. More pictures here!