Just the sight of this...

MADE MY BLOOD BOIL!!!
Especially when right down the street gas was on sale for $3.39.
THANK YOU SHELL and MOBIL and CHEVRON for GAUGING our eyes AND our frickin pocketbooks!!!

Gaudi's Sacre Familia

We have already discussed the impact that artist Antoni Gaudi has had on Barcelona. Nestled in the center of the city is a unfinished masterpiece that has people flocking by the thousands. It is his cathedral known as "Sagrada Familia" and was begun in 1882. He designed the cathedral to have four sides...three of them would each have a design of one of the moments in Christ's life: Nativity, Passion, and Glory. Gaudi dedicated the last years of his life to this design and construction of this awe inspiring monument. He died in 1926 and less than a quarter of the project was complete. It is not complete tot his day, but is a work in progress. If I remember correctly, cathedral completion is scheduled for 2026...the anniversary of Gaudi's death

This one obviously is "The Passion" Gaudi placed himself at the foot of the cross and if you look closely...this is the inspiration that George Lucas took to design the stormtroopers. I wish I could place arrows on these pictures to show you the examples. Just trust...

This is the "Nativity" side. Note the "Christmas tree" design on the top of the doorway. AMAZING!!

Kinda busy...but amazing.


The work continues on the "Glory" side of the cathedral. Scaffolding, plastic, and suspense looms on this end.

On a side note: The throngs of people in the area was immense! I had the same rush of heart beats here that I experienced in the McDonald's in Paris and in the streets of New York. This thought process leads me to believe that maybe I am a tad bit claustrophobic and don't like to be large large LARGE crowds...my pulse races, heart rushes, and I just get tense. The quicker out of there the better.

Makes me sad realizing this at such a sacred, holy sight.

Various FOOD from Europe...

This is an amazing chocolateria in Paris... Yes, friends, that is pure chocolate stiletto sculpture. I know you are all shocked to see this in my blog. I loved it. May have bought some cool things from here...

Most gardens in Europe seem to be built on a hillside...I love the fact that fresh vegetables will be right outside your door when you get up in the morning. YES PLEASE!
SHOCKED!!!!

Yes that is a restaurant named "Nebraska"...made me think of home!




Tried two new things on my European adventure that have "ruined me for life"!! LOL!!!! Those would be SANGRIA and PAELLA!! Funny story...so Jen, Liz, and I took the kids to an open air cafe/bar plaza where we were trying to find some dinner and casually hang out for the evening. We found this loverly restaurant and after going through the process of "trying" to get seated...which believe me was a HUGE process...we ordered tapas, sangria, and paella...Liz and Jen ordered seafood and chicken and after the day of being in the open air market with the scents and sights and the overwhelming feeling that that experience brought me...I decided to order vegetable instead...(YES friends I was naively shocked that shrimp actually had heads and looked like crayfish...WHO KNEW?) (quit shaking your heads at me...cause I know you are! :)

The food arrived and it was HEAVEN! What a wonderful tasty experience! Lots of laughter, stories, smiles, watching the kids experience this for the first time, hanging with good friends...a truly memorable evening had by all.

This is a usual sight while walking down the side streets of Europe...legs of salted/ smoked ham hanging in the markets and restaurants...now that is FRESH!!

This was a very interesting "trusting" concept for dinner and bars. I am aware of tapas bars/restaurants. There was one in Omaha and had never had the chance to go. Tapas is bite-size portions of food...appetizer-esque. The food arrives on smaller plates to your table. The following pictures are a brand new concept that relies on a great amount of trust. This is called "pinchas" food.(I hope I am spelling this correctly) Upon arrival and drink ordered, you are given a plate. The bar has a large number of appetizer small hand foods to select form, each with a toothpick in it with a sticker on the pick. As you work your way through the food, you just place your stickers on the edge of your plate. At the end of your experience, you take your plate up to the cashier and they ring you the stickers on the plate and you pay accordingly. Know think of this in America...that is very trusting don't you think?

You know me, friends....

In conclusion to this blog entry, I had to include this photo I saw on a side street in Paris...

Who knew that "ASS" came in so many varieties and all cost 8 Euros?? LOL!!!

SERIOUSLY???

St. Josep La Boqueria

This is one of those experiences that was completely visceral...I had heard tell of open air markets being the most amazing experiences of being overseas...

Now mind you...

This is an everyday experience for every European shopper...going to the market to get dinner and yummy treats.

Outdoors.

Open air.

The heat.

The smells.

LMAO!!!

Here is what I loved:

The COLORS!

The variety of fresh fresh FRESH foods...

(did I mention fresh??)

So I found myself taking numerous pictures...I could not stop myself. I found myself snapping photos left and right, and trying to take in everything, while experiencing the smells and sights. COLORS everywhere...smells...sights...AWESOME!

Dried fruits and Candies...

"Organic is Orgasmic"

TRUE???




More candies...

Fresh eggs...of every color...

Fresh seafood...(did I mention the freshness of it all)

UHHHH...

So fresh that these crabs were still moving on the icecap...

UHHHHHH...can you smell this?? Yeah...it did have quite the odor in this area...







YUMMY OLIVES!!!

And fresh Spices...

And Ah-MAH-zing fresh fruit!! LOOK AT ALL THE COLORS!!!

Yes you have to go overseas to just experience the grandeur of the European open-air markets. Yes they are orgasmic. They are sensory overload...a vision of COLORS, SIGHTS, SOUNDS, SMELLS...

When you think of living here in America, we do not have this type of shopping experience? Sure we have the Farmer's Markets...but not to this level of AWESOMENESS!!!

Now I would imagine that Europeans would read this and think, "Yeah, AND? You CRAZY Americans and the things you choose to write about!!"

But being a city boy from Bismarck, North Dakota and Arkansas...Yeah, definitely not used to this type of open-air market of this size and experience. One I will not forget!

Did I mention it was FRESH??

The street performers....

All of the wonderful performers in the streets of Barcelona...

One of the HIGH-larious memories: we were walking along the side streets and came out into this open plaza where a group of guys were gathering a crowd to perform their rehearsed hip-hop routine...They came around and gathered up the pocket change and prepared to get ready to perform their signature showcase "move"...and then they just grabbed their stuff and disappeared...and then the police came! LOL!!! We continued to walk around the streets and came back on the same plaza about an hour or so afterward, and the team of performers were back in the same place, performing the same routine...so we caught the signature step regardless of the time frame.

Yes these three guys WHEELED that piano through the streets of Barcelona and began playing Dixieland jazz on the streets...LOVED IT!!!

His costume was AMAZING! He looked so much like a gargoyle with HUGE wings and make-up and for a fee you could have your picture taken with him, which usually resulted in a SCARE.

Was AWESOME!!

Seated.

Statue.

Make-up.

No Chair???

TOTAL DOUBLE TAKE!

Crazy flower guy outside of the SACRA FAMILIA.

For a fee you could have your photo taken with him.

Part of this "street performance" phenomenon is a huge result of the world economy. In all three of the major cities we visited, there were protests by alot of the young people concerning the world economy and the leaders of our world not making appropriate choices. Folks are struggling to make ends meet and they have to do whatever it takes to make those ends meet. Whether it is by swindling money and pick-pocketing, or selling their wares (that are basically knock-offs), or bringing your performance craft to the streets to make whatever money you can to help out.

Quaintness Personified...

One of the wonderful things you will immediately notice about Barcelona is that there is a natural quaintness where you can immediately get lost in the side-streets filled with little shops, cafes, and bars. On our first afternoon in the amazing city, we were given a tour downtown with Sabrina. Street peddlers, Street performers, Souveniors, Cafes where lovers smoke and drink wine, hot heat... We walked down the Plaza de Catalunya and were taken down a side street...

It curved around and then just opens up onto a plaza with the primary focus being this amazing Gothic Church with phenomenal carvings, windows, and huge doors...

I had also a wonderful tour partner. My friend, Jen Curran, who is currently in veternarian school in Scotland, flew in to meet us in Barcelona and join us for some much needed R-N-R. So, Jen joined the crew on this lap of exploring the city. So we grabbed a little gelato in this plaza area, took in the grandeur of this amazing church, got ourselves into a little personal conversation on our own, shed a few tears (more at a later time), and pulled ourselves together. Was very emotional for me to not only be in this wonderful city, but to be connecting once again with a wonderful friend, whom I don't get to see but maybe once a year, talking about some life changing ideas, was a little overwhelming, to say the least. Our friendship is one that no matter how long we are apart, when we are together, it is like we just pick up where we left off...I love those kinds of friendships. Facebook also helps us maintain what is going on in each other's lives...where were we years ago without this amazing feature??

Thank you, Jen for that moment outside the church... it is one I will never forget.

Look at us paying attention to the tour going on behind us...LOL!!!! Such great tour leaders, right??? :)

Finally Barcelona!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After an overnight train ride from Paris, we arrived in the city of Barcelona! I was not really sure what to expect, but was immediately at ease in what we saw. We took a guided bus tour through the city and was able to view many of the city's sights, including the Sagrada Familia, an amazing church in downtown Barcelona (#1 tourist attraction and more photos later), the Olympic Village, as well as my first glimpse of the Mediterranean.

Barcelona is known for its connections to one of its well known architectural artists. Antoni Gaudi, who was born in 1852, hit the architectural world by storm. Today his works would most definitely be known as a "green" style of architecture-filled with the use of recycled goods. He even covered the top of one of his buildings with coffee and tea cups he had cut in half...very cool.

His work is all over the city of Barcelona. His style was greatly influenced by forms of nature and is reflected in the use of unpolished stones, twisted iron sculptures, and organic-like forms are all traits of Gaudi's amazing style. What was most striking to me was his use of mosaics and recycled tiles, plates, and cups to create brand new works of art. Absolutely beautiful to experience...The colors...The POP of color...the idea that nature can blend so artfully into a landscape...catches you off guard at times...