The Second 24 Hours

The second day of our trip was just as packed as the first.  My program starts Monday, so I'm trying to see as much of the city as possible with my parents before that.  We started out the day with Casa Mila, another apartment designed by Gaudi.  The rooftop was breathtaking, and we took the audio tour through the inside that taught us a little about Spanish life in the early 1900's.

The roof of Casa Mila; the statues are actually chimneys 

We grabbed a plate of paella, which was delicious, then we wandered down the to Las Ramblas to watch street performers, look at the fancy shops, and use drinking fountains that look like faucets.  It was packed with people from all over the world, which was really neat.  From there we went to the Gothic Quarter (only 1 block away, so not a strenuous trip) and saw a bunch of neat old buildings, Barcelona's only church, and lots of narrow streets.

The Cathedral- Inside

The Cathedral- Outside

"Barcelona's only church" was a joke, by the way.  As we wandered through the Gothic Quarter, a trip that was a mere 3/4 mile long, we saw 4 different churches.  The one in the picture is the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, which is one of the biggest in the city.

From there we walked south to Mediterranean, which was full of sail boats and cruise ships, and had a monument to a wooden submarine.  After goofing around in an FC Barcelona store, we walked back.

Barcelona is just a gorgeous city, and my pictures certainly don't do it justice.  That definitely doesn't stop me from trying, though; I took about 250 pictures today.  It seems like there is something cool around every corner.  Tomorrow we're heading to the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.

Best wishes to everybody stateside!  And to Elissa, who is not.