Great Gatsby & Good Gaudi, There are Sea Creatures Blanketing the Water!

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."- Jacques Cousteau 

On our second day in Barcelona, we were set for sailing! It was supposed to be a rainy day, but the clouds somehow never formed, and the day was sunny and warm. We had booked our first Airbnb excursion with a man named Captain Deo, who teaches you how to sail the Mediterranean. Captain Deo used to own his own tapas bar until he decided to lead a more tranquil lifestyle, live on his boat and take people on sailing excursions. Once we got out on the water, we noticed thousands of what we thought were jellyfish, blanketing the water. Even our captain was mesmerized, for he said he had never seen anything like it even though he sails those waters nearly daily. It turns out, they weren't jellyfish, but hydrozoans closely related to the Portuguese Man O' War, but not dangerous to humans. These little creatures are also called 'By the Wind Sailors' since they have a little sort of sail protruding from the top of their body which helps them naturally glide through open water. Two days after our sail, these invertebrates washed up on the shore, thousands dead. Barcelona beaches invaded by swarms of strange blue creatures. Even with the invasion of the sea creatures, we had an idyllic day at sea with our capable captain.

"I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity and her flaming self respect. And it's these things I'd believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she should be."- F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Great Gatsby.

One place that we had heard about upon arriving in Barcelona was Paradiso Pastrami Bar. It's a faux sandwich shop on the front end, but once you walk into the 'meat locker' you are in a speakeasy. Even though prohibition took place in the United States and ended in 1933, there is something that ignites a childlike playfulness within you when you walk in and ask for a pastrami sandwich and end up going through a secret entrance into a low lit retro bar. The drink selection was inscribed on an illuminated menu, and each cocktail was a masterpiece created by artists of alcohol who really knew how to put on a show. One drink, The Great Gatsby, was served in an etched crystal tumbler inside of a clear glass cake dome in which they inserted a tube that injected smoke infused with chocolate and tobacco, creating a grand showpiece befitting of the Great Gatsby. But, the very best part is that you can legitimately order a delicious pastrami sandwich or Charcuterie board that was seriously pure heaven on earth! One tip I would suggest, sit at the bar so you can watch the show!

"Nothing is invented, for it's written in nature first."-Antoni Gaudi

 Sagrada Familia was a project that Antoni Gaudi took on about a year after its inception in 1883. Gaudi used the fundamental design of nature in all of the aspects of his work, and in this case is so clearly represented. The Nativity facade tells the story of the birth of Christ as written in stone and as seen through the eyes of this visionary. One panel includes a tortoise and a turtle in order to represent land and sea being set in stone and unchangeable throughout time. On the same facade, and symbolizing the idea of change, are two chameleons. This Basilica is so rooted in nature that it looks like it was built out of wet sand. Inside, there are towering white columns that this architect so ingeniously made to look like stone Sequoia trees that have been growing for thousands of years. Toward the end of his life, Gaudi moved into the structure so he could work on his gift to God day and night. He had no time for taking care of himself, only for making his masterpiece come to life. One day Gaudi left Sagrada Familia and was hit by a tram and no one recognized him because he hadn't been keeping up with appearances. He ended up passing away in 1926, his dream unfinished, and now being carried out to fruition by several different architects. The anticipated completion date is 2026, thus honoring Gaudi during the centennial of his death.

I Want to Ride my Bicycle to See the House of the Queen

Upon arriving in Barcelona, we found it to be quite simple to hop on a bus to the area of the city where our Airbnb was located, the El Born neighborhood. It was inexpensive and easy, so I would highly suggest doing so if you are trying to keep your trip low cost. Once we arrived at our Airbnb and vegetated for a few minutes, it was time to clean up a bit and head out on the town for some tapas! After wandering around for awhile, we chose a cider house because Lynzie really wanted to try some Spanish cider. We munched on some Chorizo and white asparagus as we drank a few adult beverages and got acclimated to being in an exciting new place. Afterwards, we decided we wanted to get cozy, so we bought a bottle of red wine and enjoyed hours of conversation on our balcony until we realized it was three o' clock am and we had a bicycle tour booked mid morning.


After imbibing in so much wine the previous night, it was a little difficult to get excited about going bicycling for several hours, but once we were on our way, I knew it was going to be a perfect day. We had booked a tour with Fat Tire Tours https://www.fattiretours.com/barcelona, and ended up going along with the loveliest woman named Bianca who had moved from India to conduct these tours. She was pleasant, knowledgeable and an altogether wonderful soul.

We first cycled to Placa del Rei, the former residence of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. There, we were told all the juicy tidbits of the supposed steamy relationship between Isabella and C.C., as Bianca so hilariously referred to Christopher Columbus. I mean, these stories have been passed down for quite a number of years now, but it may have been the partial reason Christopher finally received his funding for his voyage to 'India'.

Next up was the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia where a young girl of that name is honored for her martyrdom. The young virgin was persecuted by the Romans, and was said to have been paraded through the city with her head shaved and her nude body exposed for all to see. There is a legend that a snow storm began, even though it was the middle of spring, and it shielded Eulalia's body from the eyes of onlookers. Her bones are now safely interred in the crypt of the cathedral, hopefully resting peacefully forever as a Patron Saint of Barcelona.

The Palau de la Música Catalana was our next stop, and just seeing it from the exterior alone was a spectacle to behold. It was built beginning in 1905 and designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner in the Catalan modernist style. Its giant busts of classical musicians and the myriad of colorful mosaics and stained glass are simply breathtaking.

On the way over to lunch which was included in the tour, we took a brief stop at the Arc de Triomf of Barcelona built for the World Fair in 1888. That archway leads to the Parc de la Ciutadella which boasts a gorgeous gilded fountain that brought to mind images of Poseidon leaping out of the water on golden horses in a chariot.

The final stop on our tour was created from sand that was brought in from the Sahara and palm trees transported from Hawaii...Barcelona's man made beach. This beach, as well as its towering golden fish sculpture, El Peix, were created for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Frank Gehry, the Canadian born architect created this modernist sculpture out of stainless steel which is gold in color, making it shine in the sun like a brilliant beam against the Mediterranean sea. All together, this half day bicycle tour only cost us about $35 US dollars per person, and we learned so much and covered a lot of ground. I would highly suggest booking one of these tours, and they are located in other cities as well.