Spain: Barcelona

Whoa, where do I begin? Spain in general was just an amazing, invigorating, relaxing trip- one I really, really needed after a few intense months of residency. It was also one where P and I finally began to play with our camera's manual settings- a SUPER fun endeavor that also landed us with so many photos going through them got overwhelming! Nonetheless it was exciting to start to see glimmers of the effects and photography styles that fill the web pages of so many blogs I love and admire. I'll shut up now and let the images do the talking, but if you've got any advice on how to take advantage of a camera's manual settings, please share! :)

First shots are St. Joseph's Market which was wonderful.

Great shot of me by Peter- trust an optical physicist to find the best settings on the camera (side note: Spain did NOT do wonders to my hair. It was basically a big frizzy poof for the entire week!)

 These ones are from Gaudi's Parc Guell, an amazing spot in the hills above the city. It was kind of powerful to me that Gaudi's most iconic work is also a massive failure: the Park was intended to be a neighborhood full of large gardens and promenades but the project was abandoned after only two homes were built. A gentle reminder that some so-called failures can become a beautiful part of life.

Sagrada familia is truly amazing!! Be sure to book online to avoid a loooonnggg wait, though. 

 The cathedral's interior was my favorite. Gaudi put such thought and detail into every element of the design that there's something meaningful in every stone. The tall, tree-like columns ending into golden leaves and daylight made the space reminiscent of Tolkien's Lothlorien (to me, at least.) It was truly amazing to see such a testament to faith being built in this modern, secular age. Standing in the cathedral felt like being a part of history. I'd love to come back after it's completed and see it in it's full glory.

Credit where credit's due: Peter took this awesome shot ;-)

We didn't go inside La Pedrera- we sort of ran out of time- but I'm wishing we did after reading this article by a Barcelona native.

Oh man, was the food in Barcelona good. We loved the Patates Bravas (above,) and of course all the Iberian hams, prosciuttos and chorizos. We did end up missing greenery and salads with our meals a lot (the one night we ordered assorted salads we got the mayonnaise-potato-chicken variety, haha!) but the meats and cheeses were fantastic so we couldn't complain too much. We also had amazing Arroz Negro from squid ink at Restaurante Cheriff- we both agreed it was the best Paella we'd ever had!

Our last full day in Barcelona we drove to Parc Laberint d' Horta and enjoyed strolling the gardens outside of the city. They were filming some kind of show in the labyrinth itself, so we missed out on that, but it was a nice, peaceful break from the busyness of the city.

 We also played with the camera settings here; I really loved how some of them turned out :)

It was a great experience and first taste of Spain. Barcelona has this eclectic feel about it that I really loved. Can't wait to share the rest of the photos, hopefully tomorrow en route to New York!