I couldn’t pass up the chance to see some of Gaudi’s work while in Barcelona. I needed to stop by the marathon expo anyways so Paul and I drove the van into Barcelona. I wouldn’t suggest doing this if you are not a experienced driver. There were so many one way streets and nowhere to park. We finally found a place way up on a hill and had to cycle back into town. After the expo, which was nice but not that alluring we headed to Casa Mila, “La Pedrera”. I loved how Gaudi made even the rooftop a magical setting. The exhibit showed some of his design ideas and all the organic forms which came directly from nature. The apartment looked charming and modern enough to live in today. (which people do)

Barcelona has no good camper parks so Paul and I found an aire on the edge of the city in Colonia Guell. Totally free with dumping and fresh agua. The best part is it was a stones throw from Gaudi’s crypt!

I woke bright and early and got there before all the other tourists. I had a whole half hour of alone time in this inspiring place of worship. You could see Gaudi was really playing with many of the ideas that went into Sagrada Familia. It is a shame it was never finished  because of funding and family issues. This was my favorite place of Gaudi’s to visit.

I walked  around the charming town of Colonia Guell which has many modernist buildings created by different architects in the time of Gaudi. There is a castle on the outskirts called Torre Salvana built in the 12th century. Now it is in major disrepair but graffiti artists are enjoying the space.

You can imagine it being  a majestic palace with royalty possibly residing there.

Our last day in Barcelona was comprised mostly of the marathon. I signed up the week before and figured it would be fun. I took a train in the morning from Colonia Guell which filled quickly with runners. I was a bit nervous but found it comforting that I was probably not the only one. We got into out perspective corrals for estimated time. I tried to follow the 3:30 pacers most of the way but it was a little ambitious. I thoroughly enjoyed running in the sea of humanity past all the famous sites. The crowds cheered you on the whole way and I had Nick and Paul cheering me too. Afterwards, a shower at the Olympic pool and a massive amount of Indian food and of course, cervesa!