Barcelona: the land of Gaudí, palm trees, and pickpockets

So this post is incredibly late, considering I went to Barcelona over a month ago... We took the midnight train (going anywhere) from Madrid to Barcelona which was an experience, to say the least, involving very little sleep. Somehow we managed a full day of sightseeing upon our 7 AM arrival in Barcelona. We explored the awesome Barri Gotic (photo above) and the old cathedral in the morning. 

By the waterfront is the statue of Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colón in Spain). Catalunya (the northeastern region of Spain) claims that Columbus was actually Catalan - it's a very contentious topic. The statue is supposed to point to the New World, but actually points in the wrong direction - oops! 

Pics of the harbor and the salty Mediterranean:

Barcelona created its own Arc de Triomph for the 1888 World's Fair. It's Paris with palm trees:

We saw the Sagrada Familia for the first time at night. We literally emerged from the subway station on our way to dinner and saw this:

I loved Parc Guell! So unusual, great views of Barcelona, and lots of great photo ops! I couldn't decide which ones to include in this post...

More Gaudí works - La Pedrera and Casa Batlló. This trip was especially cool for Lea and me because we had just learned about all the modernist architecture in our Art History class! We didn't go inside any of his houses since they are so expensive (17 euro with student discount!!), but enjoyed them from the outside. 

We were, however, willing to fork over the bucks to go inside the Sagrada Familia (which was actually cheaper than the houses, surprisingly enough). Construction began in 1882 and it's still under construction (expected to be completed in 2026). They've built now completed the roof, 8 of the 18 towers, and 2 of the 3 facades. 

We also went to the Picasso Museum, explored the Ramblas, went to the market, and walked A LOT! I enjoyed my first hostel experience - we met people from Serbia, Mexico, Germany, and the Netherlands. Most importantly, didn't get pickpocketed!! According to tripadvisor.com, Barcelona is the pickpocket capital of the world, followed closely by Rome.