We awoke with the alarm but took a while to get going. Jer eventually helped Jess into the tiny shower stall, which had hot water and good water pressure and would have been luxurious with a bit more room. She then wrote in the journal while he showered, then we got ready and headed out to find breakfast.
We stopped at Bar Yague, down the block from our hostal, where we managed to order two plates of tortilla de patatas, two coffees and an OJ from the Spanish-speaking waiter. The food was quite good,slices of hot potato omlette served with crushed tomato-topped bread, recently-made coffee with milk and sugar and fresh-squeezed juice. Jer also got a chorizo sandwich, just to be sure he didn't miss a day.
Duly sated, we walked to Placa Catalunya, the beginning of Passeig de Gracia. We saw several fantastic examples of Spanish Art Nouveau, including Gaudi's Casa Batllo, which had stunning tilework and well-designed single-hung windows that slide up into the walls. Next door was Bagues, a fancy jewelry store selling jewelry by Masriera, a local designer of expensive Art Nouveau sparklies. Jess barely managed to restrain herself. We stopped at Dunkin Coffee so Jess could try a "frosted almendras" (almond) donut. It was not as good as she'd hoped (unlike the Starbucks the day before, which was better than in the States). We continued on our Gaudi tour, seeing Casa Mila (aka La Pedrera) (with glass-bottomed balconies with intricate floral ironwork) before heading to La Sagrada Familia. We passed other Art Nouveau buildings along the way, including the mosaic-encrusted Palau Montaner and the neo-gothic Casa Asia (with dragons guarding the windows).
La Sagrada Familia takes up an entire city block, and photos really do not do it justice. The facade is amazingly intricate and detailed, and the sheer multitudes of figures and scenes is a bit overwhelming. While obviously inspired by traditional church architecture, the figures here are angular and, in some cases, faceless. We knew that the church was still under construction, but we didn't realize that the nave is still open to the elements in some places, and the interior is completely unfinished (as it's a staging area for the construction). Where they've been installed, the multicolored abstract stained glass windows are surprisingly beautiful. Due to the hour-long line, we opted to skip ascending the escalator into the towers. Instead, we descended into the museum, where we saw the plaster workshop designing models for the work yet to be done, as well as sketches and models of existing and future construction. After a brief foray into the gift shop we headed out to find some lunch.
Jer wanted to see the Hospital San Pau, another Art Nouveau masterpiece, so we decided to find lunch along the way. After passing many touristy and/or fast foody options, we ended up at a bar/restaurant on a side street. Jer had the mixed salad (which was a bit disappointing) and the grilled pork with all i oli, an aioli-like garlic and oil sauce (which was very good). Jess had pureed zucchini soup (tasty) and a very thin steak (not bad, especially once we got her some all i oli). Jess's arroz con leche (rice pudding) had lots of cinnamon and was very creamy (yay!), while Jer's cafe cortado was a bit over-roasted.
Realizing that the afternoon was slipping away, we headed to the Hospital San Pau, which was truly a marvel. The mosaics were stunning and the buildings had fanciful turrets and colorful rooves, which was all the more striking because it is still a working hospital, with ambulances pulling up, people in lab coats rushing around, and an emergency room. Maybe being admitted to a beautiful hospital makes you get well faster.
After a quick walk to the metro, we headed for Parc Guell, another Gaudi masterwork. The park was intended to be the grounds of a housing estate, but the houses were never built. It's perched on the top of a hill, but the City of Barcelona has helpfully built escalators to help minimize the exertion. Even so, the hill is quite steep and Jess was quite happy to reach the top. The views over Barcelona were quite lovely, though dark clouds were gathering for the first time during our stay. Nevertheless, we soldiered on and were amply rewarded, finding the fanciful Gaudi mosaics, including the dragon fountain that's one of Barcelona's symbols. We came upon a Japanese wedding party having their portraits done in the park, and we followed them for a bit. Just as we stepped out of the columned portico, the sky opened up. It was quite a dramatic storm, with thunder, lightning and soaking rain. We ducked back into the dry area, and Jess bought cheap enamel earrings from a vendor. Then we watched the storm for a while before making our way to the cafeteria, in search of the Gaudi museum. He returned, soaked, to report that it was closed. Deciding that the rain wasn't going to stop, we chose to brave the elements and walk 1.2 km to the nearest metro. Happily, it stopped about halfway to the station, though by then we were both quite wet.
We took the metro back to the Barri Gotic, in search of a cafe/ chocolatier called Escriba. We found it easily and ordered two coffees and a slice of white chocolate mousse cake with raspberries. (Jess didn't want coffee, really, but was too out-of-it to try to order hot chocolate.) The cake was very good, but the chocolate wafer with hazelnut, candied citron and raisins that we bought on the way out was truly divine.
We walked back to our hostal, stopping in a souvenir shop so Jess could buy a silver damascene pendant. Back in our room, Jer was happy to get out of his wet clothes and warm up. We then headed to El Raco, a branch of a Mediterranean chain that we'd passed earlier. Jer had carrot soup (bland), risotto with shrimp and mushrooms (tasty) and a glass of Spanish cider (a bit sweet but good). Jess had pizza with ham, olives and mozzarella (okay, but prefab) and a lemon Fanta. Not exactly a gourmet meal, but the place was non-smoking and the staff was friendly.
Finding ourselves full and tired, we wandered back to our hostal and got ready for bed.