Parisian Whatsits: Uno Mas

So the second part of my ash cloud travels trip was round 2 in Barcelona. Here are some things I did that I didn't get the chance to do the first time I was there.

Museo de Dali - It has a huge collection of Dali's lesser known work including tons of his sculptures. There was also an exhibit of photographs of Dali and a miniature of his fallas for the Saint Joseph festival in Valencia.

Barcelona Aquarium - the weather was gross on the first day I was there so we opted for inside tourism adventures. The Barcelona aquarium was cool but after the experiencing the joys of the Vancouver aquarium many a time, it really couldn't compare. The penguins were sweet though.

Tibidabo - An amusement part/cathedral on the hill overlooking Barcelona. The only rides that were open were a weird airplane thing and the ferris wheel, which Novack and I went on with a school trip full of children who could pose as an advertisement for birth control. Sweet views though.

Sea food place - I have no idea what it's actually called but it's a great concept! Basically you choose your food from an array of seafood laid out, pick how it's cooked, and then it's delivered to your table. There was tuna, prawns, lobsters, crab, mussels, shrimp, and other fishy stuff. we got mussels, prawns, and grilled calamari however we seriously underestimated the amount of seafood we needed to satisfy dinner hunger so we had to post-eat at McDicks. Sad face.

Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Citudella - The Spanish version of the Arc de Triomphe (more brick, less tourists) and a really sweet park with tons of grass, a huge fountain, and a sick pond for rowing.

Bull fight aka Ring of Muerte aka Advertisement for Vegetarianism - So I'd thought I'd immerse myself in Spanish culture by attending a bull fight. Maybe I'm just really ignorant but I never knew how brutal it actually is. First, they have the groupie matadors come out with pink capes. They try to stab it with these nun-chuck like things (see above). Two men then come out on horses and stab the bull with spears. After some of that fun, the chief matador comes out with a red cape. He teases the bull and that part is cool because it's kind of like a dance. However, after about 10 minutes, the band starts playing, signifying that it's business (killing) time. So the matador whips out his sword and tries to stab the bull in the head. The first attempt at stabbing may not kill the bull instantly so he has to take the sword out and try again. After the bull is killed, two horses come out and they attach a hook to the bull's horn and drag it out of the arena. AND THEY DO THAT FIVE MORE TIMES. After the fourth muerte de torro I had had enough and was ready to join the anti-bull fight protestors across the street from the arena. Also when we were leaving, we made the mistake of passing the slaughterhouse so I felt extra happy face. All and all, when it comes to Spanish culture, I'll stick to my tapas and my sangria.

Gaudí Batlló House - There's a couple of Gaudí houses on the Passeig de Gracia but for time and money purposes, we just went to the Batlló house. This house was built for the Batlló family in the early 1900s. There are no straight lines in the house and it's filled with amazing tiles, mosaics, fireplaces, and columns. Like a lot of Gaudí's work, it's very reminiscent of a ginger bread house.