Now onto my day!
We woke up late! Kind of. It was a later start today. One of the girls from the previous part of the trip wanted to meet up with Hailie before she left so we went for coffee and some breakfast. After some chit chat and some nice warm croissants we made our way to the metro to go and see the Gothic Quarter. I had already been around these parts when I went on the tour with my group here in Barcelona and I wanted to show Hailie around too. We realized that the Cathedral of Barcelona was actually free admission until a certain time so we made it just in time for that.
When we walked inside all I could say was wow. It was obviously a Gothic church just simply by the different style of architecture and the different use of building materials. There were a lot of different icons and different types of embellishments all throughout the cathedral. It was absolutely gorgeous. Inside and out. When we were on our tour of the Gothic quarter our guide told us that it was a new type of Gothic that was featured on the outside. It is still very beautiful. While inside we saw the different chapels that feature different saints and then when we went outside we saw the cloister that was also surrounded by more shrines and chapels designated to the saints. 
After this we made our way outside and walked around. We went to where the fountain and church are that were affected after the bombing during the civil war in Spain. It was busier today then it was when I went to visit so we kept walking after getting some pictures. Then we just walked around. We came around to where the state buildings are and looked at them and I explained some of the history of Catalonia and their fight for independence. Then we made our way to Las Ramblas. There we just walked along the street and saw the different kinds of vendors they have there on a daily basis. Then we made our way to Barcoloneta. This is the beach where everyone goes. It wasn't too bad and we got the chance to dip our feet into the Mediterranean and just relax for a few minutes. Then we stopped at one of the beach bars and got a coke and some water and relaxed while watching the ocean waves. We also made a stop at the Arc Triomph. Hailie had seen the one in Paris and had made a point to make sure we saw the one here in Barcelona! So we found it and got our picture with it! It was so beautiful and ornate. I am glad we decided to go and see this building. After that we made our way back towards home. We then hung out at Hailie's place for awhile before our trip to Sagrada Familia. I was so excited to finally have this chance to go and see it I could not wait.
We made our way there and actually got there a little early and when we went inside both of our reactions were the same. "Woah". It was so breathtaking. Quite different than the cathedral we saw this morning which was very Gothic. Sagrada Familia I want to say is almost very modern. Either way it was a beautiful sight. The stained glass reminds me of how Gaudi used the different kinds of mosaic in his work and it was very similar to this. I also really enjoyed how the sun would come through the different windows and just shine and the light would hit it and just reflect off the walls and the ground. It was so beautiful. Not to mention just the modern aspect of the different creeds on the wall. Plus the hanging crucifix hanging above the altar. It was stunning and something I am so thankful I got to see. Plus the ceiling was beautiful too. Everything was so ornately done but not overly done so. Then we had bought tickets to go up one of the towers and we went up the Passion Tower. It was a nice trip up by elevator and then we walked around a little bit and saw the different views of Barcelona from the top. Then instead of taking the elevator down we decided to walk all 373 steps back down. It was so worth it because every so often you could see outside some of the windows and slits they had in the tower. It was magnificent. After reaching the bottom we made our way out of the cathedral and just around some of the surrounding buildings and then we actually went into the crypt. It was so cool because they were holding mass down there while we were going in. I had a great time watching a little of the mass and seeing the different chapels they have set up to remember the saints as well. 
Whew! We finally made it out of Sagrada Familia and by that point it was time for dinner. We went back to Espanya because we decided since that was where we had started we should end there as well. So we did! We went to an Italian restaurant this time and had a blast just talking and having a great recap of our weekend together. Then we got to see a little more of the magic fountain show and then made our way back home. We said goodbye and hugged and departed ways. I am so thankful she came to see me though. I have had such an amazing weekend being the ultimate tourist. I am so grateful for the experience and the chance to see as much as we did. I can't wait to see what these next 2 final weeks bring.
Until then!
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