Paris

Today is the last day of our holiday, as we fly out of Paris tonight to make the journey home.

We've spent the last couple of days exploring Paris a little more and doing some shopping. On Friday, after arriving from Barcelona we went to the Fragonard fragrance museum for a look around and to sample the fragrances. We both bought new perfume/cologne. 

We wandered from the museum and shop to Forum des Halles shopping mall, admiring the buildings on the way.

Yesterday, we walked to Pont de Bir-Hakeim. Ed wanted to see it because it was used in the film Inception. It's a cool bridge - the metro goes over the top.

Last night we met up with Katherine for dinner at a Reunionnais restaurant near her apartment. La Reunion is a French Territory in the Indian Ocean and is a real melting pot of cultures which is represented in the food. The food was excellent and the people were very friendly!

La Pedrera

Yesterday was our last day in Barcelona. We were both a bit sad as even though we saw so much in the six days we had, there is so much more to see and we love the arty vibe! We spent the day wandering the Barri Gòtic, doing a little bit of shopping, and visiting La Pedrera.

La Pedrera, also known as Casa Milà after the family it was built for, is another amazing building designed by Gaudí.

It was built between 1906 and 1912 and was definitely ahead of its time as it still seems very modern today. The highlight for us was the roof, with its incredible sculptures and chimneys. It has amazing views across the city too.

The attic, while an amazing space in its own right, contains an exhibition about Gaudí's design, models and some of his other buildings. It highlights the way he was heavily influenced by the natural world including plants and animal skeletons.

There was also an apartment set up as it would have been when the building was complete. We didn't enjoy this as much as the furnture was very out of touch with the moulded ceilings, doors and the overall style of the building. As Gaudí's style was so different and modern I guess that's how it would have been as he couldn't design the interior of every occupant's apartment.

Overall a stunning building! The murals and iron work in the entrance and ventilation shafts were stunning too.

Relaxing Barcelona style

After two full on days we had a more relaxing day filled with shopping, eating and wandering the streets of Barcelona. 

We headed to the cathedral (not La Sagrada Familia) which we'd previously glimpsed, and circumnavigated it whilst also looking in a few nearby shops. 

Then we wandered down to the marina, before heading back for a delicious three-course lunch opposite the cathedral. Lunch included gazpacho, veal steak for Jane and pork fillet for Ed, and lemon sorbet for dessert.

After lunch we had a look in FNAC and Ed bought a couple of CDs. 

Siesta isn't as common here compared with other parts of Spain but smaller shops often shut for two or three hours in the afternoon so we headed back to the hotel for a rest.

Late in the afternoon we went to look in some of the stores in the El Born area. It's a cool area with lots of narrow laneways filled with bars, restaurants and cool shops. 

Ed bought three shirts from two different stores:

We had a light dinner at a Tapas bar in the same area. 

Dali day trip

Yesterday we went on a day trip to Figueres, Cadaques and Portlligat to visit the museum and home of Salvador Dali.

Our day started early at the office of Explore Catalunya where we met our tour guide Lydia. It was a 1.5 hour trip from Barcelona to Figueres but it went quickly as Lydia described the history of Catalunya, the movement for independence and the life of Dali. 

Salvador Dali created his museum in Figueres, a formerly unknown city which is now famous for his museum that is the second most visited in Spain behind the Prado. It's housed in a former theatre that was damaged by fire before being purchased by Dali.

The museum was amazing, filled with his paintings, sculptures and jewellery with crazy stuff everywhere. It was also filled with tourists and the design of the space with narrow halls and dead ends made it a bit tricky to get around. It was great to have a guide to explain the symbolism he used. For example ants and flies symbolise death, rhino horns ultimate perfection and eggs life. 

Here's Ed next to his 'Raining Taxi' where there's water falling like rain inside.

Dali had an incredible understanding of physics and was always experimenting. This pixel painting which he created is incredible. To the naked eye it looks like a woman with coloured squares behind her but when you take a photo of it (or look through special lenses) it looks like Abraham Lincoln.

Our next stop was Cadaques, a beautiful seaside village which is actually very close to the border with France. 

We had lunch overlooking the sea. We had sandwiches with salami and the tomato spread and some olives to nibble on - best sandwiches ever!

We went for a walk along the beach and sea wall. It was really quiet as it's impossible to reach without a car, so most tourists can't get there.

After Cadaques we went over the hill to Portlligat to Dali's house. Initially he bought a fisherman's hut with only a few rooms, and over many years of living there he bought adjoining properties and together with his wife created an amazing house and garden filled with crazy and delightful objects.

More than a club; more than a church

Yesterday we had a packed day of sightseeing and managed to cross off two of our 'must see' items in Barcelona.

We started the day by visiting Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona. This included viewing the stadium, press box, stands, away team changing room and the tunnel. There is also a fantastic museum with lots of audio visual presentations and all of their many, many trophies. It was great to learn the history of the club, as it is firmly part of Catalonian history and was a way of expressing their identity during difficult political times. Camp Nou was the only place that the Catalonian people were allowed to speak Catalan (their language) during Franco's dictatorship.

They even have their own FC Barcelona potato chips. 

We had lunch at the stadium and looked around the shop. Ed bought an FC Barelona T-shirt, polo shirt and a scarf. 

Our next stop was La Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece of a basilica. We pre-booked our tickets online which meant we could skip the absolutely massive queue. Apparently it's the most visited attraction in Barcelona. 

From the outside the structure is amazing, and it's really cool to watch the cranes moving as work on the basilica continues. 

Inside the basilica was breathtaking! We chose to visit in the late afternoon as the light through the stained glass windows is supposedly at its best. We were not disappointed!

We also booked tickets to ascend the Nativity Facade towers. You take a lift to the top, cross a short bridge to the second Nativity tower and walk down the stairs. It was awesome to see the details of the mosaics on the outside up close from so high up.

Below the church is a museum which details the history of the building. It includes sketches from Gaudi and reconstructions of models he made which were destroyed during the civil war. The museum also describes how Gaudí's records have been interpreted to allow work to continue to complete his vision.

Gaudí's tomb is within the chapel below the main Church.