Espana: Madrid & Barcelona

Ok, get ready, because this post is kind of picture overload.  But you just can't put Spain into words, so I am going to try to let the pictures do most of the talking.

We got to Madrid early Saturday morning.  Nicholas met us at the airport, then took us back to his place to sleep.  The jet lag was definitely the worst on the way there.  We slept for 3 hours!  Luckily Spain is on a later time schedule than the U.S., so we still had the whole day ahead of us.  We spent all Saturday and Sunday exploring Madrid.  Nicholas took us to some of his favorite places and places that are definitely a must-see while you are there.  It was fun to see Madrid through his eyes.  He is basically one of the locals now that he has lived there over four years.  He knows the ins and outs, how to speak the language perfectly, and all the best places to go...our own built-in tour guide!

Nicholas' apartment from the outside.  Aren't the balconies awesome?!

The view from Nicholas' family room window

Walking around Madrid

Paul and I in front of a symbolic statue in Madrid

A beautiful fountain in Sol 

The Museum of Ham.  Probably one of the most unique Spanish places we went.  There is cured ham hanging everywhere in the store, a meat counter, then a bar.  People just stand around drinking beer among the ham.  So strange!

Everyone packed in the Museum of Ham drinking beer on a Saturday night.

A typical Spanish sandwich with the cured ham on a baguette and a cerveza in the background.
The beer there is all the same.  You ask for a cerveza and you get a Mahou, which is just a
typical light beer.

A beautiful street corner in Madrid.  I loved all the flowers on the balconies.  So pretty!

Me posing as a flamenco dancer in the square

Paul's favorite restaurant in Spain.  They sold a 100 different kinds of mini sandwiches for a euro each and they were so good!

A beautiful church in Madrid, dedicated by Pope John Paul II

The palace right across from the church

A beautiful door of the church

Inside the church

The beautiful palace gardens

Nicholas, the statue

The palace and its gardens

We stopped often for a drink and a tapa as we walked around Madrid.  That is what people do in Madrid.  And EVERYBODY drinks beer...all day!  There were tons of restaurants with outdoor seating where you could just stop to get a drink and food.  It was great!

Stopping for a cerveza as we explore Madrid.  Whenever you buy a drink in Madrid, they give you a tapa...a small appetizer of their choice to snack on while you drink.  Kinda cool...maybe the US should pick up on that idea!

Croquettes (fried treat with ham and cheese inside) and fries...a really healthy snack ;)

We tried all sorts of Spanish foods: croquettes, blood sausages (they tasted like taco meat with rice), bravas (cut up potatoes with a red sauce on top), the cured ham, tortilla with egg and cheese, meatballs, smoked salmon on a baguette, churros, etc.  And they love tomatoes over there!  A lot of the sandwiches come with a diced tomato spread on them.

Nicholas, Me, and Paul ready to experience some Spanish nightlife.

Most of the music they play in Spain is from the U.S. so we knew all the songs at the bars and even a lot of the songs the musicians play on the street.

Sunday at the outdoor market...it was the biggest market I have ever seen and SO many people.

One of the many "people" statues we saw in Madrid.  I have no idea
how they stand so still all day.

Another one...the dollar man.  He was actually pouring coffee without moving!

Paul kept trying to say basically "Live it up" in Spanish and kept butchering it, so when we saw a restaurant with the name, I had to get his picture in front of it.  He finally learned how to say it by the end of the trip!

Nicholas and Carolina, one of the teachers at his school, who hung out with us on Sunday.

The "real" churros with chocolate sauce.  And let me say that they even beat Taco Bell's churros, which I thought would be hard to do!

The beautiful lake in one of the parks in Madrid.

We got "take away" as they call it there and had a picnic in the park.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect!

One of the beautiful buildings in Madrid at night.

BARCELONA:

Monday through Wednesday, Paul and I went to Barcelona.  Nicholas had to teach, so he couldn't go with us.  We took the high speed train there and saw as much of Barcelona as you could possibly see in 2 days.  We definitely did all the touristy things, but I was glad we did, because we saw a lot and learned a lot.

The beautiful train station in Madrid

The high-speed trains we took.  It was a 3 hour ride to Barcelona on one of the smoothest rides I have ever been on.

Sagrada Familia-a beautiful basilica in Barcelona designed by a famous architect, Antoni
Gaudi.  The outside is incredible with so many details.  Gaudi designed this church in the
late 1800s and construction is still going on today, following his original design.  Their
goal is to have it completely finished by 2026, on the 100 anniversary of Gaudi's death.

Loved the twirly staircases.  The church was designed to have space for 300 choir members
around the entire church, so the music could be heard from anywhere in the church.

They are still working on finishing the gorgeous stained glass windows that surround the church

The pillars inside looked like trees with branches and leaves covering the ceiling.

The side of the church with scenes of the Holy Family...the Joyful Mysteries

The Nativity

Antoni Gaudi

A famous house Gaudi designed in downtown Barcelona

Gaudi's designs were all inspired by nature and creatures found in nature.  Back when Gaudi was living, many peopledid not really like his work.  They were used to straight lines and Gaudi was unconventional.  Now he is the most famous architect in Barcelona!

An old fireplace nook in the house Gaudi designed

A hall that looked like the skeleton of an animal.

On the roof of the house.  Even the chimneys were decked out

Paul and I in our hotel lobby before dinner

Paul enjoyed a nice dinner outside at Cafe &Te on one of the many busy streets of Barcelona

Time for the flamenco show!

The flamenco show was fun, but a little long.  It lasted an hour with lots of stomping and yelling, but I did love to see all the different costumes the ladies wore!  Here is a little clip of the dancing:

The cathedral of Barcelona

There was a garden with trees and ducks in the middle of the church!

Giants, as they call them, that were on display for the festivals celebrating the feast
day of one of Barcelona's patron saints

All the people in the square for the celebration.  There were probably 20-30 people shooting
guns for the celebration.  It went on for about 30 minutes....it was quite loud!

The cable car we got to ride in on our tour on Tuesday.  We could see the whole city
of Barcelona from up that high!

One of the views from the cable car

The castle at the top of the hill where we got off the cable car

World's smallest cup of coffee!  It's really an espresso, but I thought it was funny
that it came in such a tiny cup.

The view from the park at the top of the hill

Where the 1992 summer Olympics track and field events were held in Barcelona

In the square of the Spanish village

Amazing architecture in the Spanish village

Free glass of cava on our morning tour!

Down one of the streets in the Spanish village

Where we ate lunch in between our tours in Barcelona

These guys were everywhere!  They carry around their 'merchandise' in a large sheet
gathered together at the top to look like a sack.  When they find a spot where the policia
aren't around, they lay out their goods (purses, sunglasses, jewelry, etc.) to sell on the streets.
As soon as a cop comes around, all they have to do is pull a string and their goods are in a
sack, ready for a quick getaway.

The little gelato shop we stopped in on La Ramba street in Barcelona

It was the prettiest gelato I have ever seen!  And the tastiest too!

The house Gaudi lived in.  He actually didn't design the house himself, but he
designed the park and some of the other stuff around it.

He lived in this house for the last 20 years of his life.

The park Gaudi designed right beside his house.

Sitting on the bench around the park.

Two little houses Gaudi designed after the story of Hansel and Gretel...the one on the left was supposed to be the witch's house and the one on the right was Hansel and Gretel's....representing the difference between good and evil.

On the boardwalk on our last day in Barcelona

Walking along the beach

We saw 3 jellyfish during our 5 minute walk on the beach!  An old man flipped one out of the water with a flip-flop, then kicked another one out off the water with his foot!  We saw a third one being carried on a rag by another man.  Now does everyone understand why I don't love the ocean?!

Where we went for dinner in Madrid on our last night there.  Nicholas had step throat and a fever, so he stayed back at his place and just Paul and I went to dinner.  We had the best service at this restaurant!  The waitress even gave us a shot on the house when she found out we were heading back to the states the next day! 

We underestimated the portion size!  So much food, we couldn't eat it all.  

Souvenirs we brought home for the girls and parents

And a big thank you to everyone who prayed for safe travels, because our trip could not have been smoother!  It was great to see Nicholas, get some adult time, and know our girls were in good hands!  Now I want to plan our next trip to Europe...I am thinking Rome!  Anyone want to go with us?!

  Hasta Luego!  Adios!