Return to the US

We almost had to stay longer in Spain because of the Volcano ash coming from Iceland had most of Europe's flights canceled. We were worried about getting back to work but, at the same time we wanted to stay and go to a Real Madrid Soccer match day after. We were delayed several hours at the airport because the airport was going to be closed. The gate attendants sent us to get a hotel voucher and we were called back to the gate. Nobody knew if the airport was going to remain open or closed. There was no free wii-fi at the aiport. I payed the 6 euros that they charged to log in for 30 minutes, check the news, and send an email to my family. After waiting hours at the airport for cancellations we were ready to go just to find out that our plane was delayed a few more hours due to mechanical reasons. We were upset, but not surprised that American Airlines has mechanical problems. We met other passengers that had driven or taken trains across Europe to fly from Spain. Spain was one of the few Countries that were not affected by the ash clouds. We had a multi-city ticket that allowed us to fly from the US to London and return from Madrid to the US. If the price of a round trip to London was significant lower at the time that we purchased we would have had to stay in Europe for at least one more week. It does sound like a good excuse to extend a vacation but I was taken non-paid time off at work and, my boyfriend had a new job waiting for him. It would have been a not so good way to stay in Europe longer. 

Needless to say, we lost our connection in Miami, we had to take the next flight to Tampa which was also delayed. They offered us to spend the night in Miami and fly to Tampa in the morning. We decided to wait for our already delayed flight. We finally arrived to Tampa at 2:00 AM when we were originally supposed to be back around 6:00 PM. We were lucky to be back on Sunday since we had to go to work early the next day. I was exhausted the whole day and a few more days after we were back. The jet-lag was not as bad as I expected it to be. It is worse when you fly the opposite time zone because you are not ready for bed. When you return from Europe you will be already 6 hours past your bed time. 

Euro Bills

Pound Sterling bills

Y El Paseo se Acabo (and the trip is over)

Barcelona Day 3, Madrid Night 1

We only had a half day left in Barcelona. There were many other things to see and do in Barcelona. I was definitely not ready to leave. We decided to go to Park Gruell. We took the train to the Lesseps stop. This is the closest station for the park. The walk was a about 30 minutes long and about half of that was uphill. Get ready for a good workout or take a taxi if you can't take it. 

This park was also designed by Antonio Gaudi and like everything that he did was out of the ordinary. This park was my favorite tourist site in barcelona. I love mosaics and at this park everything was made out of mosaic.

The entrance - I call it the Hansel & Gretel house

They had it right: drive to the park

Entrance to the park

Mosaic

Drac!!

This was the most difficult picture of the whole trip. Everyone wanted a pic with Drac

Mosaic ceiling

Mosaic seats

After visiting the park, we picked up our luggage that the hotel was kindly holding for us. We took the Aero Bus back to the airport. This is really was the best way to get to the airport. Taxis are always expensive and the BCN airport is a little far. On our way to the airport we saw a place that we didn't have in our itinerary in Barcelona. Now I know it is the Palau de la Musica Catalana. The building and the fountains outside are beautiful!!! I will make sure that I visit this place when I return to Barcelona. For any Shakira fans, this is the fountain where she got in trouble while making the video of the song "Loca". Many of the sites in Barcelona are also shown in this video. 

After our short trip to Barcelona we were headed for Madrid. Madrid was our last stop and the one that started the whole trip idea. There was a good deal from Iberia to Madrid and my boyfriend mentioned that he had a friend who could host us. We were originally just going to Madrid for a week. As the days passed, I mentioned that my cousin was living in London only until May. I also wanted to visit Paris more than any other place in the world and I have a friend living in Paris. I asked if she would let us stay with her and she said yes. My boyfriend wanted to go to Rome more than any other place in the world and we planned a stop in Rome. Barcelona and Venice were added last minute because of the good deals from the european airlines. They ended up being my 2 favorite Cities of our trip. I was curious about visiting Madrid since most Colombians LOVE it. We so tired that it was hard to enjoy this City like we did the first days of our trip. Madrid's airport is probably the prettiest airport I have ever seen. My friend and amazing photographer Kyle took the best pictures of the Barajas Airport. Madrid's metro goes all the way to the airport no need to take a bus. 

Madrid has the coolest airport ever - Kyle has WAY better pics than this one

After we arrived at our friend's house, we got ready for a guided walking tour.  It was nice to have someone show us the City on the first day. This also happened in London and in Paris. We went to the City's Centro (downtown). We saw La plaza Mayor, el Mercado San Miguel, El Palacio Real.  We stopped at a bar for tapas and rioja. The perfect way to end this fabulous day. We took a taxi back to the house and we saw La Puerta de Alcala. It was beautiful. This was probably my favorite moment in Madrid.

Palacio Real

I insist, I can't take night pictures :(

Barcelona Day 2

We started the day by going to the famous Barcelona's market La Boqueria. I didn't really care about going to a market but my boyfriend insisted in having breakfast here. It was close to our hotel and we went. Just like I expected, there was no breakfast! It was a market with fruits, meats, and the only thing worth looking at was all of the legs of Jamon serrano and Jamon Iberico hanging. The rest was just a huge farmers market. At least it was not stinky as the ones in Latin American. Maybe it would be interesting if you live in a very industrial city and have never seen a local market. Besides that just skip it. 

La Boqueria

60 Euros x Kilo!!

Las Ramblas

After our first stop, we walked north of las ramblas towards Casa Batlo. We didn't have much time to tour the house. We just took some pictures outside. We walked a few more blocks towards La Pedreda. We decided to go in to the famous Gaudi building. My favorite part was the roof and the chimneys. This is the craziest apartment building that you would ever see. I was surprised that this was built in the beginning of the 20th Century and it was so modern.

We had lunch at a little cafe by La Pedrera. The food was not great but we just wanted to keep going. We went to La Sagrada Familia. The church has been under construction forever and it will be for until 2026. We just took pictures from outside but the cranes were blocking the front of the church.

Casa Batlo

Casa Batlo

La Pedrera

La Pedrera

Waiting in line...

There is a museum inside. The audio tour is worth the extra Euros.

Chimneys

My favorite Chimney at la Pedrera

No men = women???? I still don't understand this sign

The lobby at La Pedrera

I want a vespa!!!! 

La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia

After looking at La Sagrada Familia for a while, we took the subway to La Barceloneta to walk towards the beach. This is the closest stop for the beach and it was about a 10 minute walk to the water. We stopped by a convenience store and bought some cheese, baguettes, and jamon serrano to have a little picnic. It was cold and windy but I was so happy to be looking at the Mediterranean that I forgot about the cold. I didn't go into the water. I am not that brave but some kids were jumping into the water. They were fine getting in but I am sure they are not from tropical weather. 

The beach @ Barcelona

The W hotel in the back

The Mediterranean

Taking a break

We walked towards Cristobal Colon and then walked towards El Barrio Gotico. This was my favorite area in Barcelona. When I get back, I will look for a hotel here. We went to see the Barcelona Cathedral and walked by many cool shops. We got some gummies at a store called happy pills. They had a very cool concept with the packing. We didn't really want to eat gummies but the store was very appealing. We totally fell for the good marketing. I saw a H&M store and got some shopping done. I call it power shopping to keep going. I am a very quick shopper I hate to spend hours shopping. I know what I like, what I want, and what fits me. We don't have H&M in Tampa so I always buy something when I travel to a City with one.

Cristobal Colon

Barrio Gotico

Cathedral

a cool gummy store in Barcelona

H&M

After our long day we went out for dinner to a restaurant near the Hotel. We had some Rioja and I had to have churros con chocolate for dessert. It was just delicious!!! This is a typical dessert in Spain! When we got to the hotel my friend asked us if we wanted to go to a bar. We were so tired that we couldn't go out again. I wish I had but we really wanted to wake up early to make the most out of our last half day in Barcelona. I've always heard that the nightlife in Barcelona is one of the best in the world. I will definitely stay longer the next time and I am sure that I will return to this fabulous City.

Churros con Chocolate

My bottle of Rioja

Tapas