Mi corazón está en Barcelona

Today totally made up for sleeping in yesterday, but I´m pretty sure my family doesn´t love me too much at the moment. Woke everyone up around 8:30-9, saying we had to leave by 9:30. Since not everyone was ready by then, Jeremy and I left on our own. We picked up the tickets for La Sagrada Familia, walked over, went to a souvenir shop and had cappuccino. At 11 we headed over to the church and went inside. This church is like NOTHING I have ever seen before.

 

This is what the ceiling of the church looks like (taken from Wikipedia, my pictures will come soon)

 

 

Seeing this as you first walk in is breath-taking. The first thoughts that come to your mind are: OMG how is this possible, this is one of the most beautiful churches ever, and how did they build this in such early years?

 

There is a lot of information connected with the church, but here are the parts I find most interesting. Construction of the Sagrada Familia began in 1882, and they are still not completely done with it. A year after construction began the artist Gaudi became involved. He included his architectural and engineering style. Gaudi continued working until his death in 1926. Construction was halted during the Spanish Civil war, and resumed in the 1950s. There are four spires, one on each corner. The highest spire is 560 feet tall, making the Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world. However, as tall as it is, the spire is not as tall as Monjuic since Gaudi did not want to outdo something that G-d made Himself. The design of the church is supposed to portray a forest. Some of the stained glass windows are a flower shape. The second tier, for the singers, can hold 1,00 people alone. They are hoping that the church will be done by the 100th anniversary of Gaudi´s death.

 

Like I said yesterday, we ordered our tickets to visit the church and tower yesterday online. We were able to pick them up from a local bank, or you can swipe your credit card right at the church, and they will give you the tickets. I highly suggest pre-ordering tickets wherever you go to eliminate waiting time. We entered the church at 11, and had to wait until 11:15 to join the line to visit one of the towers. I kid you not, the line was over an hour long! We had to wait for the elevator (which only held 5 people plus the elevator operator at once). I was extremely antsy since I wanted to do so much that day. We finally got up to the top of Torre Naixement (nativity). This tower faced the water, and had a pretty great view. We were able to see the city and ocean. It was an awesome experience, but I would not recommend people going up to the top of the towers. The wait was very long, and the view at the top of Montjuic is way better! Plus so many churches out here have bell towers that you can visit, so you will be able to walk up the 400+ winding stairs. Stick with just the church. Also, below the church is a museum of the church´s construction. I walked through quickly, but it looked pretty interesting, and it was pretty big.

 

After Sagrada Familia we picked up lunch and hopped in a cab to go to Parc Guell. Since we took a cab, we didn´t have to walk up the steep hill with all the stairs and escalators, but we did go in through the exit, so I felt like I was missing a lot of the park. We had lunch on some benches, and then Jeremy and I took pictures near the lizard. Jeremy has been doing the Tim Tebow all over Europe, so we decided to take a picture of us posing with the lizard. Pictures are pretty cute!
 
We walked through the park, admiring the artwork and view of the city. We we felt like we had enough of Park Guell (which I´m not sure is possible) we headed towards Montjuic. The views are unbelievable. You can see the whole city from the castle at the top.  Everyone was impressed with the view.  The only problem was it was bit chilly.
 
Once we were done with Montjuic we came back to the hotel for a little siesta.  Many places are closed here on Sundays, but we were able to make reservations at this amazing restaurant called Bar Mut.  It is all tapas, and their menu is constantly changing depending on what is fresh that day.  Apparently Anne Hathaway ate there recently!  I highly suggest people try it out.  They also have a night club upstairs every night except Sundays.  Apparently it gets very packed so you need to make reservations. 
 
I can´t believe we leave Barcelona tomorrow morning and head to Seville.  I am completely in love with this city, and cannot wait to return.  Next time I come back, I will make sure it is late spring or early summer.  It was a little chilly this time around, making it somewhat difficult to stay outside most of the day.  The sun also sets much earlier, cutting down half the day.  There are also so many more museums and attractions that I want to visit.  Who is ready to travel with me this summer?!

 

Barcelona dia 2

¡Buenos Noches!

Today was a somewhat stressful day.  Jeremy and I woke up around 11, having no idea what time it was.  We were expecting to be woken up early, but were not.  We rushed to get ready (and I ordered my iPhone 5), and managed to leave the hotel around 12.  A little to late for my liking.  

We walked down to the Gothic area of Barcelona.  It was a nice walk, and the area was great.  There are a lot of small, winding streets filled with stores.  We passed a big Cathedral and tried to go inside, but they closed right as we arrived.  Instead, we continued to walk around and found a music hall.  We wanted to go inside, but they only allow people to take tours.  They have a restaurant area and it was decorated very ornately.  There was a lot of stained glass, and the large polls had flowers going around the top, near the ceiling.  The ceiling also had a nice crisscross pattern.  We all split up for a bit to wander around, and I spotted a man carrying a pug inside a bag.  The pug was so cute!!  She was 13 months old, and weighed 8-9 kilos, or about 20 pounds.  He said that they had been walking for a few hours and she got tired.  We were able to pet her, and fell in love.  Wishing Pudge was here with us!

After we found the music hall, we started walking towards the Mercat de la Boqueria, or the market.  This market is amazing!!  There are probably 50 stands crowded in a square.  The stands offer meat, fruit (and juices), candy, nuts, cheeses.  It was so overwhelming how much was there!  Jeremy had a coconut, banana, kiwi juice, and I had a raspberry juice.  They were both delicious.  Since the places that had counters and chairs to eat at were full, we found a restaurant on the edge and ate there.  We ordered so much food: tuna carpacio, paella, cheese, mussels, and I´m pretty sure I am missing a few other things.  Everything was so good, and it was relaxing lunch.

When we were finished, we walked back towards the old city and went to the Picasso museum.  There are so many pieces of artwork in that museum!  It´s insane how much Picasso did in his lifetime.  The museum in Barcelona focuses on his early life, so we saw paintings and drawings from when he was in his pre-teens until he was in his mid-to-late twenties.  They had pieces from his blue period, as well as ceramic pieces that he made.  Usually when I think of Picasso, I think of those crazy paintings that make little to no sense.  These were not like that.  Most were portraits, and some were landscapes.  It was very easy to read the artwork.  The museum did not have small descriptions next to each piece of work, and Jeremy said that is because Picasso wants people to think.  Glad he is keeping our brains sharp!

Leaving the museum we headed towards the fountains at monjuic.  Robin and I were here, and I fell in love with the whole place.  Every night except Sunday, the park puts on a fountain show.  It is definitely not as good as the ones in Atlantic City, but they are pretty cool.  Last time the fountain show used different colors, like red, orange, yellow.  But this time it was all in red.  They made an announcement at the beginning that they were trying to raise money/awareness for blood banks.  The music for the show we saw was old Hollywood.  They had a Louis Armstrong song, the theme to the Odd Couple, L-O-V-E, etc.  Of course the music for the show after, when we were leaving, was music that Jeremy and I enjoyed.  They had Destiny´s Child and other music like that.  

The restaurant was near the montjuic, and we only got a little lost finding it.  The restaurant was called Rias de Galicia.  Apparently the downstairs section has been around for almost 26 years, and the second floor just opened up 2 months ago.  The first floor is typical food in Barcelona.  The section where we ate, upstairs, was different, more like sushi.  The menu was split into two sections: before man had fire, and after man had fire.  We order a mix of raw food (tuna and salmon) as well as cooked food (beef, shrimp, crab).  The fish was probably the best, most fresh fish we have ever had.  My mom said that she could have lived on that salmon, and I whole-heartily agree. 

Now it is after mid-night and Jeremy and I are catching up on facebook/emails.  We were debating going to a discoteca but they are pretty far from the hotel, and we have a busy day tomorrow.  Instead I think we are just going to grab some drinks and hangout!  Adios amigos!

Back to Barcelona

Last time I was in Barcelona was summer 2011, after graduating from Montclair State.   Robin and I backpacked around Spain and Italy, staying in hostels.  This time around is a little different.  I am traveling with family, so everything is a lot more fancy. 

 

We arrived this morning at around 9:20 AM, and went through customs pretty quickly.  We didn´t have to fill out any paperwork which was really nice.  The airport in Barcelona is beautiful, a lot of glass windows, very modern.  Jeremy met us at customs and it was great to see him!  He now dresses very fancy, in nice pants and top and a scarf!!  I think more American men need to head over here and learn how to dress.

 

We hopped in a cab and came to the hotel to drop our bags and change.  The game plan we decided on was to visit Sagrada Familia (church).  Robin and I visited the church last time, but we went at night.  Seeing it during the day was just as breath-taking.  The church is huge, and you can´t stop looking at it.  For the past few years they have been working on the outside, cleaning the soot off.  Once side is completely white, and the other side black.  It was crazy to see the difference.  We didn´t go inside today since the line to buy tickets was about two hours.  However, while looking at the church, we started talking to another couple.  They said that you can buy tickets online, and pick them up at an ATM at la Caixa bank.   All you need to do is enter the credit card you used, and select pick up tickets.  Brilliant idea Barcelona! 

 

Since we decided to skip the church today, we wanted to walk around the whole thing and see the back.  According to a guide (that we overheard) the back of the church represents Jesus´ birth, and the front of the church represents his crucifixion.  Pretty interesting. 

 

After looking at the church, we pre-ordered tickets to visit La Pedrera.  This building was built by Guadi (who also created Parc Guell).  It was an apartment building, but the architecture is so unique and stunning.  We bought the audio guide and learned a lot.  When you walk in, you´re not expecting the building to be circular, but it is.  The walls are painted multiple colors, bleeding into each other.  However, when you look up, you realize there is no ceiling.  It´s like a courtyard.  The walls near the top have been bleached white from the sun, and only the lower half of the building is still painted.  The first stop was the roof.  There you can see views of the city, including the Sagrada Familia and the W hotel.  There are many spires on the roof, and the walkway is curvy and full of steps.  The second floor visited was the attic.  The ceilings are rounded into the walls, and it is very dark inside, kind of like a cave, but not dark and damp.  This had different artifacts and information about the different projects Gaudi worked on.  The third and final stop was to see an apartment.  These apartments are huge!  Each had 3 bedrooms plus a servants room, office, living room, dining room, and two bathrooms.  The ceilings and door frames had different moldings on them.  The floor was also done specially.  The child´s room had a special green tile, and the floor in the dining room and living room was a special wood.  This was to show that the family was separate from the servant.  I highly recommend visiting the museum.  It was awesome to see the architecture.  However when you do buy the tickets, do some research online and buy them in association with other museums.  You will get a much better deal, and if you order online, you can skip the lines!

 

So far that is all we have done today.  It is now 5 pm, and after traveling/exploring for about 25 hours, we are ready for a little siesta.  We will be going to dinner in a bit, and then hopefully walking around after.  I would like to see La Pedrera lit up at night as well as Sagrada Familia. 

 

 

I Dare You...

In high school I had a friend who loved to always be busy, and always have plans for the next few weeks.  Of course I enjoyed that as well.  I loved being able to fill in my planner, decorate the date if it was something special, and being able to tell people that I had to "double-check my schedule" to see if I was free.  At the age of 25, I am lucky if I remember to fill in my planner (luckily I have never forgotten to show up somewhere). I still enjoy filling in my planner, but now I don't decorate.  I just write down the event in the little calendar box, look back, and reassess how much "free" time, or me time, I have.   Honestly, everything that I have been doing recently, I absolutely love.  Seeing shows, going to dinner with friends, seeing college friends, playing kickball.  All that stuff is awesome, but what I'm beginning to realize is that the best times are the ones that are unexpected.

Lately I have been making last minute plans with friends, doing simple activities like going out to bars or just wandering the streets of NYC.  Those are the times that I have the most fun.   And it's not because of who I am with (although that always helps), but it's because it is unexpected.  When I make plans to see my friends from college, I know that we are going to have an amazing time, and we do.  But I love the unknown.  I think that's what life is all about: always trying new things, learning something new, discovering likes/dislikes on a daily basis.

The one question I hate being asked is, "what have you been up to lately?".  We are all guilty of asking it, but yet it's always out of our mouths within the first 5 minutes of seeing a friend.  I used to hate this question because I felt like nothing exciting was happening in my life.  A lot of my friends are at the point where they are getting married, buying houses, finding the job they love.  For a long time it felt like my life wasn't really going anywhere.  I was stuck.  I was in a profession that I really didn't like, and it was tinting how I saw everything, and limiting my excitement for fun plans.  However, now that I have given up on looking ahead, but focusing on the future, I still hate that question.  My reasoning is different now.  I dislike that question because I honestly can't remember what I have been up to lately.  I could give you the generic answer: working, going to dinner with friends, catching up on books that I've been wanting to read, playing kickball, enjoying the weather.  But come on!  That is so boring.

I want to be able to give people real answers.  And honestly?  I want to make you guys a little jealous (don't we all?).  I want to be able to brag a little bit that I did something awesomely cool, and had a fabulous time doing it.  Now we all know this might not work out too well since I don't like talking about myself too much, but I'm going to attempt it.  For the next 12 months, this will be something that I work on.  To add to my goal, I am going to start taking more pictures.  Every day that I do something fun/exciting/new/scary I am going to take a picture or pictures of it, and post it on Facebook.  I am sorry now for all the pictures that will be showing up on your newsfeed.  I don't post the pictures on Facebook for you (okay, maybe a little bit), I mostly do it so that I can remember what I've done.  Facebook has made it so easy now for remembering!  With being able to enter the location, who you were with, the date, it's basically a reference of your life.  Plus, I love looking back at old pictures, and remembering silly moments that I've had.

Before you read anymore, go to your page on Facebook and click on the year 2010, and tell me that you did not just smile or laugh?  When I click 2010, I see a picture of one of my best friends who now lives in Chicago.  She was home visiting for a few days, and I went into NYC with her and her dad and his girlfriend.  We had such a great time being silly.  I still laugh and miss her every time I see those pictures.  In a few years, we are all going to want these memories, and we are all not scrap-booking pros, nor do we have time to make photo albums.  Facebook/other internet sites is what we are going to have to help us remember.  So here is my dare for you: take at least one picture every day, and post it on Facebook.  It really doesn't have to be anything too elaborate.  It can be as simple as a nice sunset, or your dog, or even a new pair of shoes that you're absolutely in love with (okay, maybe only I take pictures of my shoes), but you get the point.  What are you going to remember in 2 months? 1 year?  5 years?  What are you going to want to show your future friends, husband/wife, or kids?

With that, let me leave you with a few words from Jason Mraz:

If this life is one act
Why do we lay all these traps?
We put them right in our path
When we just wanna be free

I will not waste my days
Making up all kinds of ways
To worry about all the things
That will not happen to me

So I just let go of what I know I don't know
And I know I'll only do this by
Living in the moment
Living our life
Easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
With peace in my heart
Peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going, I'm already home
Living in the moment

I'm letting myself off the hook for things I've done
I let my past go past
And now I'm having more fun
I'm letting go of the thoughts
That do not make me strong
And I believe this way can be the same for everyone

And if I fall asleep
I know you'll be the one who'll always remind me
To live in the moment
To live my life
Easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
With peace in my heart
Got peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going, I'm already home

I can't walk through life facing backwards
I have tried
I tried more than once to just make sure
And I was denied the future I'd been searching for
But I spun around and hurt no more
By living in the moment
Living my life
Easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
With peace in my heart
Got peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going, I'm already home

I'm living in the moment
I'm living my life
Just taking it easy
With peace in my mind
Got peace in my heart
Got peace in my soul
Oh, wherever I'm going, I'm already home

I'm living in the moment
I'm living my life
Oh, easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
Peace in my heart
Peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going, I'm already home
I'm living in the moment

Sammy's Fall TV Guide

As sad as I am to see summer ending, I am very excited for fall TV to start!  If you're anything like me, you probably watch way to many shows, don't have time to watch everything, and rely on your DVR way too much.  Unfortunately my DVR only records two shows at once, forcing me to catch up on shows using on demand.  This "problem" forces me to make out a complete list every season/year of the shows I want to watch.  Below is my list, including the premier date, time and station.  Hope it helps!

Sunday

8:00 PM: Once Upon A Time - Sept. 30 (ABC)

9:00 PM: Revenge - Sept 30 (ABC)

10:00 PM: 666 Park Ave - Sept 30 (ABC)

Monday

8:00 PM: How I Met Your Mother - Sept. 24 (CBS)

8:00 PM: Dancing with the Stars- Sept. 24 (ABC)

8:30 PM: Partners - Sept 24 (CBS) (New Show)

9:00 PM: 2 Broke Girls - Sept. 24 (CBS)

Tuesday

8:00 PM: New Girl - Sept. 25 (Fox) (2 episode premier)

8:00 PM: Dancing with the Stars Results - Sept. 25 (ABC)

8:00 PM: Hart of Dixie - Oct. 2 (CW)

8:30 PM: Ben and Kate - Sept 25 (Fox) (New Show)

9:00 PM: Go On - Sept. 11 (NBC) (New Show)

9:00 PM: Happy Endings - Oct. 23 (ABC)

9:00 PM: Flipping Out - Sept. 4 (Bravo)

9:30 PM: The New Normal - Sept. 11 (NBC) (New Show)

9:30 PM: The Mindy Project - Sept. 25 (Fox) (New Show)

9:30 PM: Don't Trust the B in Apt. 23 - Oct. 23 (ABC)

10:00 PM: Parenthood - Sept. 11 (NBC)

Wednesday

8:00 PM: Animal Practice - Sept. 26 (NBC) (New Show)

8:30 PM: Guys with Kids - Sept. 26 (NBC) (New Show)

9:30 PM: The Neighbors - Sept. 26 (ABC) (New Show)

9:30 PM: Suburgatory - Oct. 17 (ABC)

10:00 PM: Nashville - Oct. 10 (ABC) (New Show)

Thursday

8:00 PM: Big Bang Theory - Sept. 27 (CBS)

8:00 PM: Raising Hope - August 23 (FOX)

8:30 PM: Two and a Half Men - Sept. 27 (CBS)

9:00 PM: Glee -August 23 (Fox)

10:00 PM: Real Housewives of Miami - Sept. 13 (Bravo)

Friday

8:00 PM: America's Next Top Model - Sept. 24 (CW)

8:30 PM: Malibu Country - Nov 12 (Fox) (New Show)

9:00 PM: Made in Jersey - Sept. 28 (CBS) (New Show)