The end of July marked the conclusion of my summer semester in Cottbus, and I celebrated by promptly flying into sunny Spain for a couple weeks of travel with a friend from high school. We spent four days in gorgeous Barcelona, where I soaked up the great weather and even better company. 🙂

Nicole and I took in all the usual sights in Barcelona, plus some out-of-the-way options. We traversed the alleys of the Gothic Quarter and El Born, ate amazing food in Raval, soaked up Gaudí’s architecture at the Sagrada Familia and Park Güell, visited Las Ramblas, checked out the Mercados de San José de la Boquería and Santa Canterina, and wandered to our hearts content.

Pics from inside La Sagrada Familia.

Views & details from Park Güell.

In the city center, the Barcelona Cathedral is especially interesting for its exterior architecture. In the 1800s, the austere exterior was covered with an elaborate neo-Gothic façade, but the ornamentation only goes as far as is visible from the main vantage point in a nearby square. The front is covered is highly detailed ornamentation, which literally stops as soon as the view is covered by a nearby building.

Note where the façade abruptly ends.

Besides the major sights around town, we also had many little incidentals throughout the days…laughing after accidentally over-fizzing a glass of vermouth with unexpectedly carbonated water, enjoying a glass of wine on a rooftop bar, visiting a nearby beach for the day, many pastries with coffees, eating delicious paella and tapas for dinner.

One of my favorite dinners were pintxos, sliced bread with various topping options. Cafes have whole counters of options, and we could pick-and-choose to our hearts content.

Other food options in the local markets included cones and meat.

Some architecture, art, and details in the winding Barcelona streets.

The “magic fountain” does a nightly show with light effects and music playing for the crowd. The setting — directly in front of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya — makes the whole scene extra special.

On our final day, we walked up to Bunkers del Carmel, old military ruins which date back to the Spanish Civil War. They are a popular hiking destination now because of the amazing views they offer of the city.

After Barcelona, we headed out to the next part of our adventure…aka we found a new motto: Naples or Bust, 2017!