Day Two...What a Day

Ok Thursday was an awesome day...our first stop was to visit an advertising firm here in Barcelona....SCPF, the number one ad/markinting firm/agency in the city and most of Europe!! I will get to more of that in another post. Yesterday was our group lunch and dinner...lunch was served around 1PM and it is customary with almost every meal there is wine. I don't know if my body wasn't used to the "day" consumption of alcohol or what but I broke out in cold sweats and had to leave lunch early and make my way back to the hotel...I was a little unsettled not knowing what brought the sickness feeling on..but after a shower and a rest I started feeling much better! Subsequently I missed the second session of the day but trust me when I say this, it was well worth it.

I made my way to the Parc Goell. This is definitely one of the most beautiful places to see in the city. I took the L3 Green Line from the Passeig de Gracia metro stop (subway line right near our hotel) to the Vallcarca exit (North of the starting point toward the mountains). Once back up on the street I made my way to the Parc. Ok this was a hike. Up three escalators...up two steep, steep hills, then up another 6 escalators to the parc entrance. WOW...I made it!! I started making my way through the trails of the parc and I could see all of Barcelona laid out in front of me!! I looked down and I saw the La Sagrada Familia Cathedral, a old cathedral that has been in Barcelona for hundreds of years. I could see all the way to the port and beyond! I was setting up my camera from afar and setting the timer so I could run around to get in front of the camera with scenery behind me...YES I WAS THE EPITOMY OF A TOURIST..but so what...right? I only got one shot that actually came out decent! Looking down just infront of the park were three buildings that all had beautiful architecture and the roofs were made of moasic tile....the pictures do not do this justice...it was one of the coolest things I have seen...the tile work was intricate and definitely hand crafted.

I also bought a new guitar...I am having it shipped back to the states so I am really excited about that (for those of you that play guitar you know why). Last night was our welcome dinner...we ate at the Poble Espaynol de Barcelona (this was an awesome old castle that had many restaurants, bars, and shopping all in one area. This was set on the Southwestern side of Barcelona also up in the foothills. From there we all walked to Palau D'Alfons XIII which was another castle (and this thing was freaking huge). At 9pm they do a fountain show...again here the pictures don't do justice...it was a little weird hearing American tunes set to a water show in the middle of Spain...i.e. Madonna's "Like a Virgin"...HAHAHA...none-the-less it was cool to see!! Thousands of people gather up and down the steps leading from the street to the castle to watch the show!

From there we got lost again trying to get back to the port for a few drinks...we ended up walking about 7 miles then finally broke down and got a cab. (After we found our way into the La Rambla area, which is not a place for tourists to be...)

My feet are killing me this morning and I think I am going to have to get hip replacement surgery in the next 5 years....HAHA...I am feeling my age.

Stay tuned for more adventures in Barcelona!! PS...I leave for Madrid on Sunday, I was originally scheduled to be in Rome today but due to some unforseen logistical issues, I cancelled my plans for Rome and I am staying in Spain :(. I am a little bummed but I am putting it back on my bucket list!! (This way I have a reason to come back :)).