We just got back from two weeks in Spain and France. Our adventure started in Barcelona amongst all the fantastic architecture and museums. From there, we went to Bilboa in the northern part of Spain. We visited the Guggenheim museum in Bilboa. Next stop was Bordeaux. Only two days there but had a chance opportunity for private tasting and tour of Le Chatelet winery. Next stop was Toulouse where my roommate from Harvey Mudd College lives with his family. Then back to Barcelona and the long journey home. A total of about 1200 miles of driving and a lot of Tolls!
Here are some pictures from Barcelona. I’ll post the other sights separately.
This is the family on the tour bus the first day in Barcelona. This is a great way to see the all the major sights in the city.
Barcelona has the most amazing blend of both new and old architecture throughout the city.
Here is a picture of the “bullet” building or the Torre Agbar designed by french architect Jean Nouvel. The outside lights up in different colors at night.
One of the most impressive is the Sagrada Familia church designed by Antoni Gaudi with construction going on since 1882.
The interior is much more impressive than the exterior.
Gaudi has influenced much of Barcelona architecture. Here is a local park called Parc Guell. The views are amazing.
The crowds were even more so!
Of course, no trip to Barcelona is complete without the Tapas. We found our favorite vegetarian friendly Tapas Restaurant called La Ciutat Comtal near Plaza Catalunya. This was a very short walk from our apartment in the Gracia district. We tried several different ones but kept going back to La Ciutat.
Try the bravas, cabreados, padron peppers and their sangrias (both the white and red)!