Days Who Knows: Granada, Barcelona and Rome

This post is goign to be shorter, as I had msot of it written up on my mini-computer, waiting for WiFi, but the airline lost my luggage on the flight from Barcelona to Rome. BOO is all I can say.

Granada was beautiful, of course. We had breakfast at the hostel, and then stayed a few hours and talked with Natalia, who has been living there for a year. It was a nice, relaxing morning spent drinking Yerba Mate and talking about everything from the internet to the state of the E.U. We left at around one for La Alhambra, which was absolutely gorgous. It was huge, and intricately carved, with running water everywhere. It was a refreshing change as well to see something of a different style than the Gothic churches we had spent so much time touring lately.

We also went to the Cathedral in Granda, which was, in a word, GILT. Everything was surrounded by carved gold frames, or statues of angels or saints. It was quite a sight, especially seeing how the Morrocan influence could be felt, mixed in with the usual archetecture and themes.

From Granada, we took a night train to Barcelona. We shared a cabin with a crazy Spanish lady who was convinced we weren't supposed to be there, and who we're pretty sure stayed up all night watching her luggage to keep us from stealing it.

In Barcelona, we visited the Cathedral of the Sacred Family, which has been a work in progress for a hundred and fifty years. It most likely won't be finished until 2030 at the earliest. It was really amazing, and like nothing I'd ever seen. The structure and decoration was thoroughly modern, yet still managed to feel like a sacred space.

We also walked along La Rambla, where we saw people selling chipmunks in cages as pets. We spent a lot of time people watching, and I tell you, it was worth it. Lots of interesting (and often questionable) fashion decisions.

From Barcelona, we flew to Rome. I checked my bag for the first time, as it was just a little too big, and the airline lost it. We spent yesterday in BArcelona, then in the airport. Today we went to the Vatican, which is only a few blocks from out hostel. We went to the Vaticn Museum and to Saint Peter's Basilica, which was awe inspiring, especially to see the dedication put into each piece of art. We were both just blown away.

Tomorrow will be Ancient Rome, and most excitingly, the Catecombs!