Barcelona Day 1

After our time in Carcassonne, we headed back south to finish out our week in Barcelona. We dropped our car off at the airport, and by the time we got to our hotel it was pretty late. We went out for some tapas and wine and then it was bedtime. The next day we had a packed schedule of sightseeing in the city. We started the day with a walk down one of Barcelona's main tourist attractions, La Rambla.

Midway through our walk down La Rambla, we found La Boqueria, an amazing market with the most fresh foods I've ever seen!

Mike, with some jamon, which he ate almost every meal while on our trip.

The city has incredible architecture everywhere. I don't even know what these buildings are, but they were very cool!

After La Rambla, we made our way into the Gothic Quarter, or Barri Gotic. Many of the buildings in this area date back to Medieval times. It was so much fun strolling through the narrow streets and exploring!

Taking a break in Placa Reial.

Neo-Gothic arch over Carrer del Bisbe.

 Barcelona Cathedral, which dates from 1298 (we didn't go inside this one).

The streets of Barri Gotic.

Graffiti on the doors of all the closed up shops during siesta time.

Esglesia de Santa Maria del Mar, a 14th century church.

Inside of the church

Mike standing in front of the Arc de Triomf, which stands at the entrance to Parc de la Ciutadella, built in the 1860's.

The final attraction for our first day was a tour through Palau de la Musica Catalana. The concert hall, built in the early 1900's, was designed by an architect who worked very closely with Barcelona's most famous architect, Antoni Gaudi. The pair loved using natural light to illuminate their structures, and the attention to detail is unreal. Needless to say, it was beautiful!

After our tour, we had to hurry back to the hotel to get ready to meet up with my cousins, who just happened to be passing through Barcelona at the same time we were!

Carcassonne

We arrived in Carcassonne Sunday afternoon and could not figure out how to get to our hotel! We were staying at Hotel de la Cite, inside the fortified city walls, so the only way in and out is a drawbridge. The drawbridge is down from 10am-8pm each day, but it was packed full of people visiting the city! After some driving around, we finally found a lot to park in where they contacted a bellman from our hotel to pick us up. 

The city of Carcassonne dates back to at least Gallo-Roman times, and it was used by different groups throughout history as an impenetrable fortress. The original city was all built within the walls, and the castle where the ruler stayed was built within that. Over time, as borders changed, the location of Carcassonne became less significant and the castle was left to fall into disrepair. In the 18th century the city was restored to its medieval fortifications, and now it's hustling and bustling with tourists.

We made sure not to leave the city before trying the local favorite medieval dish, cassoulet, as well as some delicious crepes and cafe au lait! 

 The front of our hotel, inside the castle walls.

 On our way up to our room in the "Princess Tower".

Doors to the Basilica of St. Nazaire, which was completed in the 12th century.

Some of the amazing stained glass in the Basilica.

 A well inside the city walls.

 Walking around outside the city walls.

 View from the gardens at our hotel.

Overlooking the French countryside.

On the castle and ramparts tour, we learned that scenes from 1991's Robinhood: Prince of Thieves were shot here :)

The streets of the city- lots of shops and cafes.

Coffee break!

Dali Museum

After our night in Tossa, we headed up to Figueres, Spain to see the Salvador Dali museum. Mike and I have long been fans of Dali's work, and the museum did not disappoint!

 The Mae West Room

 Gala Nude Looking at the Sea...or Portrait of Abraham Lincoln? Depends on where you look at it!

 Palace of the Wind ceiling

 Poetry of America

Grabbing some food before heading to our next destination- Carcassonne, France! The drive up to France, along the coast and through the Pyrenees, was absolutely beautiful!

Tossa de Mar

Next up on our busy summer schedule was a trip to Europe for Mike and me! We've been wanting to go to Europe for years, but continued to put it off for one reason or another. My parents offered to come watch the boys while we took a vacation, so we figured we'd go for it! We flew into Barcelona, rented a car and drove up the Costa Brava into France, and then back to Barcelona to finish out the week. Since I took so many pictures and we experienced so much, I'll separate the trip into multiple posts.

After an 8 hour flight (in business class, thanks to Mike's Skymiles), we arrived in Barcelona Saturday morning. We rented our car, set up the GPS and headed up the coast toward our first destination- Tossa de Mar.
Now it's a touristy beach town, but there is evidence that Tossa de Mar has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. Throughout our trip, Mike and I were fascinated by the history surrounding us!

 Beautiful scenery driving up the coast.

 The walled enceinte of Vila Vella overlooking the beaches. It dates back to the 14th century and is the only fortified medieval city still standing on the Catalan coast.

 Admiring the gorgeous Mediterranean Sea for the first time.

 Hiking up to the castle.

On our balcony at the hotel, overlooking the Mediterranean and the castle.