Hola Barcelona!

When we have plan to travel, it's hard to choose which country/city to visit and that's always the great travel debate, isn't it? Most often, it's my choice over him and so I decided to add Spain, particularly Barcelona to our list. Spain was our last destination and despite being  tiring, it was in fact, incredible. The beach and city are a rare combination, the architecture, the food, the language, the people and the weather are awesome...Oh I love Barcelona!

ARCHITECTURE

Barcelona is all about architecture, great architectures everywhere. Topping my list is Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia. Built for more than 120 years yet still unfinished and it has been built from donations from people around the world. What makes it more interesting is that the facade of the church symbolizes the mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

The Nativity facade which celebrates the birth of Jesus.

The Passion facade, represents the twelve station of the cross.

Glory Facade 

Glory Facade

Glory Facade

and the Glorious facade, which also serves as the main entrance of the church represents the Resurrection of Jesus. 

It really takes the breath of any person who visit it. The amazing details take you to another dimension and both the interior and exterior complexity makes you admire Gaudi more. As expected, thousands of tourist flocked in the church as soon as it opens early in the morning. While there are many architectural marvels with a grand design, the surrounding cranes really detracts the image of the church. 

We also visit another Gaudi's work of art, Park Guell.

This is more like an outdoor museum for me. The art throughout the park is breathtaking, beautiful gardens with interesting plants, amazing views overlooking the city. This is one park that you need to walk slowly to appreciate all it offers.

The colours, curves and textures stands out and every single piece of work is made up of tiny mosaics. The entrance is free and you'll be delighted to hear some entertaining jazz bands  around. 

On our way back to the metro, we saw Arc de Triomf station. Instead of heading back to Plaza Catalunya, we spend some time to walk around the arc. Quite impressive, but not as good and grandeur as the one in Paris. 

PEOPLE, FOOD & LANGUAGE

Our three days in Barcelona were really a positive experience. We were spared from the pickpockets during our stroll in the long avenue of La Rambla, thank God!. I would say that one of the biggest problem of Barcelona is pickpocketing. We were always cautious about our belongings especially our cash, passports, cellphones and cameras. There's a need to be constantly aware of the surrounding and the people around us. But these doesn't stop us from exploring Barcelona, though we have been warned to take extra care while walking around, we also found some good souls out there. There's some people who helps us find our way to the bus stop, metro stations and some even accompany us. 

Language seems not to be a problem at all. It was a surprise that my husband can speak and understands their language. Even if we lose our way, we can easily approach any locals to help us find our way. It's like a music to my ear  every time he speaks spanish!

As we walk around La Rambla, we sat on one good yet affordable fine dining restaurant. Jonathan enjoyed some wonderful Spanish wines.  Of course you have not been to Barcelona unless you try a glass of Sangria and last but not the least, the authentic Spanish Paella. Once in a while, it is good to indulge and experience the taste of their local food.

BEACH and THE CITY

In Barcelona, one can comfortably walk from the city to the beach. It is only our visit to Barcelona that I've learned  "playa" as the spanish word for beach.  I remember during my childhood, we always say "langoy tayo sa aplaya" (which actually means let's swim in the beach). I don't have any idea why my husband was eager to walk in the beach until we stepped on the white sands. 

He is hoping to see some nude girls lying on the sand haha. It's true, Barcelona beach is sometimes called as nude beach especially if you are on the back most part, the Mar Belle. There you can see a small and marked section for "nudists". Our trip is not the right season to see nude girls lying and walking around the shore line. I just told him to come back during  summer haha.

Back to the city, we met some Filipino pilgrims. We sat and talked for a while, sharing our experiences for the day while happily feeding the pigeons. It is good to hear that we have the same itinerary for the next day, a visit  to Montserrat.

MONTSERRAT

Part of our itinerary is going out of the city and visit the Montserrat. It is a 40-km train ride and a cable car ride going up to the monastery. The general knowledge of Montserrat is a home for Black Madonna and a place of worship. However, Montserrat also provide perfect opportunities for climbing and hiking.  They have an unusual shapes and formations and if you try to look closely at the stones, you'll see that they have faces and you can start to imagine what is it look like.

I could go on and on about Barcelona. It is easy to fill every hour of your stay here with interesting sightseeing and very satisfying pleasures. While we did our best to see as much as we could of architectures, parks, and museums, our time was very limited. We did however, leave with fond memories and hope to return again someday. 

My Fab Family

It has been almost five months since I have posted on my blog. Finding time to update my blog seems impossible these days. My mind are occupied with a lot of things and when I think of sitting down to write, something else comes that I need to do first. But the truth is, I miss writing, I miss my blog. 

So many things have happened since my last post.  My mother-in-law turned 70, we went for a family summer vacation, we started one investment and of course I am super busy  with my roller coaster schedule at work.  I am going to try to update my blog with the places we have been and I hope to finish it before our next trip in December, hopefully, if the budget permits haha.

For the meantime, here are a few pictures of my fabulous family. How I wish we can do this often!

Salzburg

Our 2012 trip might be considered to be the trip of a lifetime. I probably won't have another opportunity to have the same budget, paid working leaves and good health condition to do this one more time. We have had our first Europe trip package back in 2011 but for some reason, I am more nervous and anxious as it is a do-it-yourself trip. Covering eight cities in fifteen days needs detailed planning, extremely organized itinerary and flexibility especially when you're travelling on a tight budget. It's like one mistake can create a chain reaction and the rest is over. 

During our planning, I told Jonathan that I want to make our trip unique. I want to visit a city that our friends/relatives might not have been to. That's why we choose Austria.

It's been my dream to visit Salzburg someday. I am a fan of the musical The Sound of Music, the story I grew up with as a kid. It will be my chance to see the stunning and picturesque location where the movie was filmed. We took a day tour via Viator, which offers the best way to see the city especially the countryside which could be harder to access otherwise. 

Our day started visiting the Mirabell Gardens. It is considered as one of Europe's most beautiful baroque garden. The best time to visit is early mornings before the hordes arrive. 

"Doe a dear, a female dear...Ray, a drop of golden sun...Me, a name I call myself..." Who would have not known this famous song? This place is a notable location where Maria and the children were seen dancing around the Statue of Pegasus singing Do-Re-Mi.

I think we have made the right season (Autumn) on visiting Salzburg. There are fewer annoying queues, most of the museums and major landmarks are free from the huge crowds.

One of the scene in the lake where Maria and the kids were coming from a day out. They were riding in a row boat and fell in the freezing water

We were told by our tour guide that The Sound of Music is not well-known to Austrians until the Hollywood stepped in to make a movie of it. So for the meantime, I'll be playing Maria, the lead actress hahaha.

The famous Gazebo, where "Sixteen going on Seventeen" was shot.

behind us is the Wolfgang Lake

Next, we drove to the small town of Mondsee, an hour of travel outside Salzburg.

 This is the church  where Maria and Von Trapp held their wedding.  We spent two hours of free time, enough to have our lunch and to buy some souvenirs. 

One thing I love about countryside is that you have a chance to enjoy the serenity and beauty of the place without being rushed. I feel like a kid, playing and running in an open space without thinking anything. I have never felt more like a tourist than I did here. 

Of course we're not leaving Salzburg without visiting the famous and legendary biergarten, Augustiner Brewery. 

The beer is served in a ceramic mugs. If you run your mug under the cold water of the fountain, it will give in an even better taste. The beer is manually brewed and stored in barrels of different sizes.  

The Salzach River

As with everything else, leaving is a bittersweet. It was fun, it was memorable, one of the places that will get stuck in your head. A place you would definitely tell your friends.