Spain, glorious Spain

Chuck had a conference in Barcelona, so I tagged along and did some sightseeing while he spent his days locked up in a building. I remember when the roles were reversed and he was able to enjoy the sights and sounds of San Diego, San Antonio, Minneapolis, and Charlottesburg, while I was cooped up in a conference center.

I must admit, over the years, his conference (and work) locations far outshine anything selected for a local government worker...ie, no extravagance in the public sector!

We spent 6 days in Barcelona and then I flew over to Madrid for 4 days and Chuck returned to Denmark.

Barcelona was quite the city! I'm sure the Summer Olympics in 1992 helped revitalize the city and improve the infrastructure. The subway system was great and easy to use (probably the best I've even been on in Europe). The boardwalk area along the Mediterranean was amazing. And, the sites were pretty impressive.

What did we do...

...aside from our brush with the local law enforcement and a pickpocketer

• Sagrada Familia - not sure when this structure will EVER be finished. I can see why it's been a 'work in progress' for the last 127 years...no one seems to be working there!


• Palace of Catalan Music - stunning. I wish we would have planned ahead and got tickets to see / listen to a performance. No pictures as cameras weren't allowed, but it is an absolute work of art. Just stunning.


• Mercat de San Josep de la Boqueria (Fresh market) - if you've seen one open market, you've seen (and smelled) them all.


• Picasso Museum (and sighting of the naked 60 year old man on a bicycle)


• Catalunya Square


• Port Vell - the sight of our encounter with the pickpocketer. Nice place to get a beer, walk, and watch the boats and people around you.


• Olympic Village


• Day trip to Montserrat and a Cava producer - more on this under a separate post.


• Las Ramblas street (complete with tons of vendors selling birds) - the street is boulevarded with the center strip lined with vendors selling everything from touristy key chains and other crap to live birds. I wonder how a tourist from the USA get a little birdie on the airplane???


• Montjuic (Mountain of the Jews) - we took the aerial gondola up to the castle on the top. It was interesting, but there wasn't much to do.


• Museum of Contemporary Art - great art work, but not a lot of it. I'm not sure if they were between collections or if this was their normal exhibits. Good, but limited.

Stay tuned for the slideshow. In the meantime, here are a few pictures.

Ahhh, the beach!

Fresh fruit stand at the Market

Sagrada Familia - the cathedral that was started 127 years ago and isn't slated to be finished until 2020!