When I woke up around 3 pm I was completely disoriented and forgot that I had gone to sleep in the hostel...my new Barcelonean home for the next few days. 
We decided to navigate our way by a little walk around to enjoy the city-something you can't do on a metro...It was wonderful. The little cafes, the shops, even the pavement (sidewalk) which was tiled with a floral pattern was so picturesque and just how I would imagine spain to look. Almost every building had a balcony made of black rod iron fashionably shaped into neat curves. Floral type molding covered many of the entrances to these buildings and the windows and such. No building looked the same really. And most had some type of design or color to them. Though it was a large and modern city, the history here was evident on every corner.
We reached the basillica called the Segrada Familia (The Holy Family) which is an ongoing construction site vistited by millions of people each year. The designer, Gaudi, spent 40 years on it before dying in 1926 and the work is expected to continue for many years to come. Despite the fact that his entire vision has not yet been completed..this was the most unique basillica I encountered on all of my travels. There was just soo much to look at and I think I could stare for hours and never truly see all of the details of the building. The statues depict many of the events in the life of Christ and the disciples. The nativity facade (my first picture there) was very Gaudi like. I still am amazed by it looking back on my pictures. 
The statues were beautiful. But I wondered what it would be like to go to church where Judas' betrayal of Jesus stands right next to the door way- a constant reminder of human nature....just the thing to get some good worship going I suppose....
We wandered on and found our first Tapas bar which we decided was definitely authentic Spanish because the guy working the counter spoke absolutely no english. This was agood chance for us to test our spanish skills- even though the only thing I could make out on the menu was ham and cheese. Of course our spanish didn't come in very handy as in Barcelona the people speak what is called Catalan...but we managed for the most part. I discovered quickly that pork is a staple food item in spain....
(My travel buddies outside the Tapas Bar, our first dining experience )
By this time in the evening we were dead tired of walking...but determined to make it to Park Guelle...an entire park that is designed by Gaudi... this is when we discovered that Barcelona is built on a very very steep hill......we walked what seemed like forever and were sad that the park was not lit up enough for us to enjoy it...we trekked the miles back to the hostel promising to return tomorrow....and ready to ride the Metro.
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