Barcelona

Our first day in Barcelona was a little bit of a throw away because we were so tired. We we got there at around 3pm but couldn't get into our apartment until about 8 pm. Yan suggested that we go to Parc Guell since its a little bit away from the city itself and it would be more convenient while we still had the car. It took is a little while to find a way in and then Jessya and I made a beeline for the bathroom leaving Yan behind. Once the bathrooming was completed we sent Mike to look for him. A mere 30 minutes later our two husbands appeared.
It was a crazy hot day so we decided to stay around the cafe area by a performance space and read. The reading started off relatively well, but suddenly a children's song cut in at full volume. This lasted for a couple of minutes, and then stopped. Not ones to be fazed by such craziness, we all went back to our books. The sound checks were repeated over and over again slowly driving us all insane (don't forget that we were all super tired already). The only lyrics that we could understand were "Mickey Mickey Moose" which we think is a mispronunciation of a very famous Disney mouse :). We made it until around 5:30 and then went to get tapas around Las Ramblas.  I think I was delirious by the time we got to our apartment which is very conveniently situated in el Reval. Mike and I slept for 14 and 12 hours each respectively.
The next day we were planning to do an electric GPS go kart tour of Barcelona. When we arrived the cars had not come back yet, but we said we would wait(we did have a reservation for a particular time). A little while later one of the employees told us that the cars would be back in 20 minutes. We told him that we would walk around and be back. In 40 minutes Jessya went to check on our cars, and was told that they will not be back today. This is very indicative of the quality of service in Spain. It's too bad that tipping is not part of the culture. You can't even punish people for being crappy. We rescheduled our tour for 11:30 the next day and went to Montjuik as it was raining and the journey would be long and in a funicular.
It was a great choice. The views from the funicular were spectacular. We stopped by the fort and got 360 degree views of Barcelona and then went to the middle funicular stop for more views and a little walking around the gardens (very little). We noticed (and this is not just in the case of Montjuik) that there are a crazy amount of Russian tourists in Spain, and in Barcelona in particular. It looks like they are bussed in and they are severely overly made up and over dressed. It's a little crazy to what extent this is true! The people watching was definitely an enjoyable piece of the Montjuik experience for me.
After our mild and easy day of sightseeing we went home to change and then had plans for drinks and dinner. Our drinks were at the ICEBAR. Imagine if you will a freezer with ice sculptures. Everything is made out of ice. The seats are ice with furs on them. The glasses are ice. Everything is ice. You come in and get a big parka and gloves, get into the freezer and get some drinks. Ice Age is playing on the TV. You get your drink, and your mouth morphs the "glass". Once you are done with your drink, you smash the glass into a trash can. It's pretty cool and also really cold. I think I could only handle 30 minutes, but what an experience!
Dinner was at a really tasty place called PLA. we all got a tasting menu and managed to try almost all of the things on the menu. At the end of the night the Pritzkers took a train back, but Mike and I walked to get some of the food to start metabolizing. PLA is in the Gothic quarter so we walked through that and el Reval, but honestly I think those two neighborhoods are a bit overrated.
Our next day in Barcelona was awesome. We actually managed to get our GPS cars this time and took a tour around the old city and some Gaudi buildings. It was great because it gave us a taste of where we wanted to return. We finally went to the bottom of Parc Guell and looked at the amazing architecture. The Pritzkers almost got a parking ticket in their little electric car but they feigned ignorance and all ended well. We also got lost several times because the GPS tour is a little confusing on the directions and sometimes runs a little behind but is was a lot of fun. Fun fact - the word tapas came from the Spanish word "tapar" which means to cover. Back in the day, people would sit and chat and to prevent flies from getting into their coffee/tea they would put small plates  from their snacks on top to cover them. The Pritzkers didn't want to do the long tour because they were worried that we would run out of time, so they left but we finished the tour and it was really nice. I wish we had even more time to explore. We decided that we would come back to check out the Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, and the block of discord on our own, but after a mini siesta so that was our plan.
When we got home mike took a little nap and I decided to buy tickets to the Segrada Familia. Once I bought them I had to pick them up at an ATM. La Caixa is a local bank and on top of serving as an ATM also is connected to ticketmaster and you can pick up pre purchased, or even buy tickets so shows, movies, and attractions directly from there. I went while Mike slept, and spoke to a Catalan woman as I was confused by the process. Neither of us had Spanish as our primary language, but we made do and I came home proud of my accomplishments. This is when I got locked out. The key works, but the door is tricky. I was outside the door for 20 minutes knocking, kicking, and screaming before Mike woke up and opened the door for me. And we were late. Argh!!!!!!
We did manage to go to the Segrada Familia. In fact there were only three other people behind us that were allowed to go into the Tower. We were also basically the last people our of the Basilica. It is indescribable the level of detail and forethought that went into this project. They are hoping to complete it in 2032 and I want to go back to Spain just to see it. The Segrada Familia literally takes your breath away. The stained, glass, the columns of different thicknesses made out of different stones, the acoustics for the choir, and the fact that the tallest tower is as tall as the mountains surrounding Barcelona, but not taller since man should not make anything greater than god - it's amazing. I recommend allotting a lot of time to this. Our hour and a half was not enough. We did not get the audio tour, but we hear it's really good too.
We wanted to grab a snack and then go see La Pedrera, but we met some people sitting at the next table from us (two Dutch and one Swede) and instead proceeded to chat and drink with them for the following 6 hours. We talked about food, and music, and Burning Man (they know all about it) and politics. We talked about the difference between living in Spain and in the Netherlands and how not everyone can handle it. We just had a great time and got really really drunk on a mix of Sangria, beer and Jager shots. I finally threw in the towel and Mike walked me around for a little while, found us a cab, went to a drive through for some food and brought us back home in one piece. Day = total win.
Our final day in Barcelona was all about Gaudi. After a light breakfast we spend several hours at La Perdida. I highly recommend the optional audio tour. It doesn't just go over La Pedrera, but also giver a history of Gaudi and all of his famous works. He hung strings or chains in arch formation upside down and added weights to calculate the load bearing measurements and points in his works. We was obsessed with using elements from nature and making everything organic. He not only designed houses, but also furniture that was ergonomic and door handles that would be molded our of clay to naturally fit the fingers and then be dipped in bronze. The more I found out about him and his process the more impressed I became with this work. By the time the tour was over we were really hungry so we had some lunch then went to the exhibition floor of La Pedrera. This is where free art and photo shows are held. I went to see more of the building, but ended up really liking the photo exhibit BY Chema Madoz.  Once we had a good look around we went over to the other famous building - Casa Batllo located on the block of discord.
The Illa de la Discòrdia (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈiʎə ðə ɫə disˈkɔrðiə]; English: Block of Discord, Spanish: Manzana de la Discordia), is a block on Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample District of Barcelona, Spain. The block is noted for having buildings by four of Barcelona's most important Modernista architects, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Antoni Gaudí, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Enric Sagnier, in close proximity. As the four architects' styles were very different, the buildings clash with each other and the neighboring buildings. They were all built in the early years of the 20th century.
The block is the southwest side of Passeig de Gràcia, between Carrer del Consell de Cent and Carrer d'Aragó. The houses are the Casa Lleó-Morera, at Passeig de Gràcia 35, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner; Casa Mulleras, at Passeig de Gràcia 37, designed by Enric Sagnier; Casa Bonet, at Passeig de Gràcia 39, designed by Marcel·lí Coquillat i Llofriu; Casa Amatller, at Passeig de Gràcia 41, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch; and Casa Batlló, at Passeig de Gràcia 43, designed by Antoni Gaudí.
Due to the presence of these famous landmark buildings, the block is a significant tourist attraction in Barcelona. The name in Spanish, Manzana de la Discordia, is a play on words: manzana means both "city block" and "apple," referencing the Apple of Discord.
I think that the Casa Batllo is more beautiful than La Pedrera, but Mike doesn't think so. It's hard to judge, because the audio tour of la Casa Batllo is awful. It's included in the admission, but I could barely stand it. The house itself is amazing. The most amazing part - Gaudi did not design the building. It used to be a regular house and Gaudi was hired to redesign it. He changed the facade and a lot of the inside, and added two stories to it, but the bones of the house are not Gaudi. I loved the tile, and the stained glass. Everything was very well thought out and the building had a sea motif to it. I highly recommend going, but maybe after La Pedrera and then don't turn on the tour. Just walk around.
After Casa Batllo we were unable to take in any more info, which was a good thing since it was almost time to meet up with the Pritzkers for an outdoor jazz concert on the roof of La Pedrera. The concert was absolutely amazing. I don't remember enjoying jazz this much in a really long time. I even bought a CD as a present for my parents - a souvenir that can be used. It was lovely and a lovely way to end the evening. We were going to hang out more with the Pritzkers as this was the last time we were going to see them before their early morning flight, but Jessya was not feeling well so they went home before the end of the jazz show.
Mike and I spent our last night in Barcelona walking on La Rambla, going through the Gothic Quarter where we found a park over roman ruins, and walking through el Reval where there was a random party outside with a black and white french film silently projected onto a wall and a DJ spinning while people sat and chatted and drank. Not a bad way to say good bye. The next morning we flew to Mallorca. I will just say that we will never fly Ryanair again. Both the trip to and from Mallorca were horrible and they screwed us for a lot of money. If you do decide to fly them make sure that you check in at least 4 hours before your flight, give yourself 3 hours at the airport and print out your boarding pass. Otherwise you will end up paying through the nose.