Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Barcelona!

Hello again!


I'm finally getting around to telling the tales of my vacation to the internet, photos included!


I chose to begin my 2 week getaway in Barcelona as I'd never been to Spain before and felt like some culture, language practice and white sands couldn't do me any harm! For those of you who don't know, I minored in Spanish in college and still remember a good chunk of it - but don't take the time to practice and retain all of the old poetry and linguistics skills I once (or twice) crammed for to pass a test.


For my 3 night stay I was fortunate enough to stay with my friend Liam from high school which allowed me the opportunity to start and end each day in the city center. I couldn't have imagined a better scenario! Thanks Liam, I owe you one!


As for what I did - Google "What to do and see in Barcelona" and you'll get a great idea. I walked everywhere to the famous monuments, historical landmarks and buzzing neighborhoods. There is a great transit system, but I preferred to be on foot so that I could soak in all of the sights and sounds of this bright and lively city.


Walking, hilltop running and constant 82-87 degree weather had me putting back water like it was going out of style, but thankfully one can find a supermarket on every street corner that's fully stocked with refreshments and more.


Things I enjoyed most about Barcelona:

  • My independence! I navigated the city by myself and my agenda (or lack of) was completely up to me!

  • Playing with my camera in great lighting conditions - Portland won't allow that year round.

  • The beach! Miles of sand to relax and play, rest and dream upon.

  • Parks and Monuments galore!

  • Beautiful architecture to capture.

  • Hearing Spanish men say "Guapa" in passing :)


Some of my favorite photos are ready to share, enjoy and don't be jealous - plan a trip!

Beach! (Hint: The Chairs aren't free to lay on!)



Central Fountain



Casa Mila



City View from Parc Guell



Arc de Triomf



Streetlamps in Gracia



Jewelry Display - genius!



Fresh Fruit at Every Corner



Clean Vacation Snacking


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"5 Minutes of Stairs" Before my Hilltop Run



10k Path on the Hill



London and Luxembourg posts are up next!

<3 JE

3 comments

Tanna said...

Good thing you wrote about everything here since I still haven't seen you in person to hear about your trip! I was wondering if you were in Spain all alone or what. The picture of the fountain is great! I remember there's another fountain picture that I loved, but that must be in another post. Did you do any editing to those? I thought they might look a little different than the FB pictures. What program have you been using to edit photos? I really need to get something for all of the Olive pictures I'll be taking soon!

Jessi said...

I just use Picasa on the editing but really haven't done much more than play with light and shadows - no professional work ;) The Facebook photos don't come out the same just because of the resolution - that's the main difference!

2012, We Had Fun! | JESSI EVEN said...

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