Sagrada Familia, Chupitos and Dow Jones

To get the most out of our only full day in Barcelona we got up early and took the Metro to the Sagrada Familia stop to see Antoni Gaudis famous church. Julia had been here with her friends earlier in the summer, and while Katie and I didn't want her to re-trace any steps on this adventure, we were glad we did. It was a Bascilica unlike any other I could imagine.




We had to buy tickets for a later viewing time because of the crazy crowds, so we first went to Gaudi's famous Park Guell. He was a brilliant architect and the park was really neat to walk around and explore. Julia was a great tour guide and between the incredible heat and the time slot to see the Sagrada Familia, we did a brisk tour and were then on our way back to the city.





We then strolled downtown near Las Ramblas to see a market that came highly recommended (but with strong warnings against pick-pockets). It was beautiful and reminded us of the Vancouver and Seattle outdoor markets... but with a lot more garbage and rotting fish, which on a 95 degree day was pretty... interesting.

Taking a break to stop by our FAVORITE old hostel (we had to get proof that the place was actually through the door to a coin shop)



Then it was time for our big night out! Julia took us to her 2 favorite places - Chupitos to start, which is a bar that only sells shots. We 'tasted' quite a few items off the menu and had a good laugh with the bartender when a giant cockroach ran across the bar and Katie and I both yelled "LA CUCARACHA!" in warning. The bartender jumped like a little girl and chased it with a blowtorch. It was very funny and our signal to move on with the evening.


We went to Dow Jones, a stock-market themed bar where the prices rose as demand increased. We were a little to early to enjoy the scene in its entirety but we had a great time reading the ticker and watching the screens.

It was off to bed before the trip to Madrid!