Welcome to part two of the European Vacation adventure with the Griswolds. I never did find a beret which said "Rusty", but somehow we made it out of Paris and to Barcelona. I went to Barcelona back on a trip in tenth grade, and I thought it would be a cool place to go back to. And I was right. This place is right on the Mediterranean, has a Spanish/French flair accented by its fiercely independent Catalan nature. I was happy to pick up a few Catalan phrases, most notably si us plau (please) and bon dia (good day). Really, my language skills are frightening.
The above photo is from right down the street from our hotel. We stayed in the Gothic Quarter (Barri Gótic), which was pretty cool. It was neat to look out the hotel's lobby at a church built 500+ years ago, near a square where the Spanish welcomed Columbus back from a 1493 voyage to the new world. The streets are windy and twisty, and with street musicians playing all over the place, it takes on this whole weird Hollywood scene feeling. The first place we visited was the cloister and cathedral garden of the Barcelona Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, which has 13 geese permanently living inside (one would assume they're different geese over the years, some ascending to geese heaven, if there is such a thing), serving as an ancient alarm for intruders.
Keeping with the church theme, a must see in Barcelona is the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, which is a monstrous church in the same way as Texas is a monstrous state. The thing has been under construction since the 1880s. It was designed by Antoni Gaudi - the word "gaudy" came from him, because man, does he like his stuff over the top. More on him later. He died before the church was anywhere near complete - just four of the dark brown 300-foot tall spires were hanging out when he stepped in front of a bus. Apparently, they spent decades deciding whether to finish it, how to finish it, and have a little civil war. But now it's in full swing. I saw it back in 1994, and it's amazing how much more has been done since then. A lot of those lighter-colored spires are new, and I think the place might actually have a roof now. When it's done around 2026, it will seat 5,000 for an average mass. The thing is essentially a giant construction site. But the best part is going up to the top of the church. It cost a few Euro, but we found the back elevator, which had a 10 minute wait (instead of the 60-minute wait at the front elevator. The views from the top were amazing (see below). The best part, though, was the walk down. The staircases are definitely not designed for heftier visitors, or people who get vertigo. There were different ways to walk down (well, different paths, that is), and it was an adventure in itself. I think the five of us picked different routes, and we all saw different things: stained-glass windows, views of the city, gargoyles, etc. It was worth every penny. 
It seems like just about everywhere you went in Barcelona, you found something designed by Gaudi. Apartment buildings, churches, the sun, and parks. My sister dragged us to - and I'm glad she did - the Parc Güell. It was a park way the hell up on a hill, way the hell outside of downtown. We got a little lost in the adventure there, and since it was about 90° outside, we were all a little toasty by the time we climbed up several streets and several staircases (it was a lot like the time Andrew & I climbed all the stairs to the Coit Tower in San Francisco, and I thought my legs were going to explode - fortunately, Barcelona put a lot of escalators on its big hills - those crafty Spaniards!). However, the park was gorgeous, offering spectacular views of the city and the sea. The neatest part was what you see on the right - a giant bench. Not just any giant bench, but the longest bench in the whole wide world. It was designed by Gaudi, and snakes along a hilltop. The thing is made out of mosaics, and it was beautiful. People were sitting in all different spots (it's a really big bench, I tells ya), and I think I took about 450 pictures of different tiles. What I'll do with those pictures, I don't know. But I took plenty of them. My sister says there was some kind of mosaic dragon there, and I never saw it until I started sending people postcards. Oh well. I don't know if Gaudi finished this park as he designed it. He seemed like the kind of guy who kept designing things, starting them, but then never finishing them - out of laziness, lack of interest, lack of money, or being hit by a bus. But his stuff is interesting, and you can't stumble around Barcelona without finding his stuff.
To the right there, you see the nighttime show at the Font Magica (Magic Fountain). It sits at the base of Montjüic, a big park/mountain in the city. In the summer, from 9:30-11:30, every half hour there's a whole light show with water and music. It's a lot like the one in front of the Bellagio, and I really can't decide which one is more ostentatious. But they're both awesome. There was a big crowd, and we got this nice symphony of classical music with lots of water. It was really cool, beautiful, and one of the first times I ever took a nighttime picture which worked out. It was a favorite among the family (especially Mom, who had only this as a must-see in Barcelona), and it came to me to symbolize the differences between Barcelona and Paris. This fountain was in a park, it was free, and you just sat there and experienced it. Between the beaches, climbing through the parks, walking around and soaking up Las Ramblas or the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona seemed to me to be about just being there and taking it all in. I wanted nothing more than to sit at a cafe or on the beach with some Sangria, some friends, maybe a few tapas, and no plans but to wander around. Paris seemed like a lot of things to do. And we did them, and they were awesome. But while Paris felt like something to do, Barcelona felt like something to experience. It's sort of like visiting Washington versus Boston. Both are awesome in totally different ways. But visitors to Washington hammer out the tourist spots, while visits to Boston involve soaking up the environment and funny accents. Just one tourist's take. I would go back to Barcelona in a heartbeat. For some reason, it seems to be tucked out of the way for American tourists, especially compared to Paris. So, you know, if you're ever in the neighborhood, check it out.
A FEW FINAL PHOTOS, IN ORDER
1. One of my favorite pictures from the entire trip. It's an alley leading up to the Santa Maria del Mar church (built in the 1300s). My sister and her fiance are on the right, and my parents are in the distance.
2. A picture from the top of Sagrada Familia. In the distance, you can see the Torre Agbar, a three-year old skyscraper with LED lights. We couldn't decide if it looked like an egg, a bullet, or a...well...you know (nsfw).
3. Another from Sagrada Familia: this is one of the facade statues. It's part of a whole display, but I really liked the look on this guy's face. Amazing for a simple statue.
4. These Herbalife conventioneers were all over the place. Seriously, you could not turn around without seeing a gaggle of them in their neon green backpacks. And they were from all over the world, as indicated by the various "Lose Weight Now? Ask Me How!" buttons on their shirts. Fucking locusts, these people.
The title is from the song "Daniel" by Elton John. I have mixed feelings about this song. It's nice. But it gets stuck in my head every time I'm at the airport, and was in my head this ENTIRE vacation. It also makes me think of my former boss Tom, who stills calls me "Daniel, my brother" every chance he gets.
