Barcelona with Jennifer

Our final stint in Spain is a tour de force of Barcelona and Madrid with my sister Jennifer. Her first trip to Spain ever, and first return to the European continent in about 45 years.

View from the La Sagrada Familia tower

Julie was in full tour guide mode, not unlike our visit last spring. Julie is meticulous yet adaptive, trying to maximize our collective experience while taking into consideration walking speeds, rest periods, etc. I think we make a good team.

We did many of the usual stops in Barcelona, though each of us were able to visit some places we missed last time around. Julie missed the Picasso museum last March so that was high on our list. This museum is a treasure, with the highlight being his Las Meninas collection.

Modernista hospital

A new-to-me stop was the Sant Pau Recinta complex, a modernista (art nouveau) wonder not far from La Sagrada Familia. I wish this design style was still a part of our everyday built world.

At the park

Of course we also took Jennifer to Park Güell, Gaudí’s modernista city park and housing development.

Our location in the El Born neighborhood also allowed for an easy guided tour of the old gothic quarter, which was a great way to orient Jennifer to our part of town. We made a return visit to the Palau de la Música Catalana for some classical and flamenco guitar and dancing.