Love and Food in the Big D

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Barcelona, Spain Day 3 - Old Neighborhood, Park Guell & Tibidabo

Ten years ago I called this little piece of Barcelona home.  For four months in the fall of 2001, four of my best girlfriends and I from Texas A&M, would wake up in our tiny Gracia apartments and head to our studio for our architecture classes each day.  We'd walk down the street of Escorial, passing the supermercados, and little cafes, that not surprisingly, were still alive and kicking..unchanged over the last ten years.  The moment Chad and I stepped off that metro train at the Joanic stop I had known so well, it all came back.  The smells were the same, the buzz and energy of the neighborhood was exactly the same...even the people somehow LOOKED the same.  Because we were meeting Jenn and Brent for lunch before heading to see our old apartment, I got a chance to just stand there and soak it all in.  I've never appreciated my life and all that I've been able to experience quite like this before.  This day was a day to show Chad the pieces and parts of Barcelona that were mine...if only for a little while. 

Our little neighborhood eatery Lalola..

Chads yummy baguette pizza

And I just couldn't help ordering the same exact thing I used to get back in the day.. Spaghetti Carbonara

It's like NOTHING has changed.. ONE BIT... IN TEN YEARS!! 

Walking up to our old apartment..

Chad testing out the phone that I used to use to call home :)


Jenn and I at the corner of our old street..

There was a flicker of a thought and a longing to follow a few people into the building...but we didn't.. boo. 

After taking about a BILLION photos in front of our building (I'm sure people passing by thought we were nuts), we caught a cab up to our next stop:  Park Guell... another Gaudi masterpiece.  And our nice cab driver even took us to the TOP entrance, verses the bottom, in order to easily make our way down through the park.  What a nice guy.  ;) 





Time for a pit stop. 

Someone looks tired..


Gotta love the butt grab by that girl in the bottom of the picture.. lol!

Surfin' Gaudi's wave.. ;)



How do you even BEGIN to construct columns like THESE?!?!

Jenn called them swizzle sticks.. :)



Down at the bottom entrance into Park Guell


Little Gingerbread House



Not sure what this little inset was originally used for but we had fun taking pictures in it.  :)














So long Park Guell, until we meet again...
Now, OFF TO TIBIDABO :)

Church of Tibidabo, the highest point in Barcelona :)



Panoramic Views :)





Communications Tower



As if you couldn't get any higher, Jenn, Brent and I decide to take a little ride to the TIP TOP in...

THIS CONTRAPTION!  NUTS! 
It was a teeny tiny little basket that went up like a ferris wheel..

Off we go!

I was too busy bracing for dear life to really tell what I was taking pictures of... :)

Almost higher than the Church itself!




Nervous, happy smiles :)


Hasta la vista Tibidabo! 

Next Up:  Siesta time & VERY tasty dinner at Comerc 24 :)  Stay Tuned!

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