Ah - great vacation, but good to be home. I learned a lot from this vacation. Some of the time the lessons were hard won - LEARN A $%^#^%@%$#&^%# LANGUAGE other than English - and some were of the lighter variety - Vinho Verde Very Good. 3 weeks is probably too much for one post so I will start with Barcelona. We spent 4 days there - just enough time to get a little comfortable but not enough time to actually know the place. That was okay - we had a lot of ground we wanted to cover - but I have decided one needs to spend a week somewhere to get something serious and lasting from the place. That is short, but enough (like our time in Levanto Italy). 2 days and you just don't have a clue - can really only get some highlights and a very superficial look. After the 3rd day I think you start getting yourself situated, recognizing landmarks, walking past something enough times to notice it, recognizing people and places. In a country where one doesn't speak the language, it gives you time to hear the language; recognizing separate words at least rather than just a long stream of sound. (It is still very hard (at least for me) to be unable to communicate with someone else in their language.)
We really loved Barcelona - it is such a thriving and vibrant city. Of course, the Gaudy stuff is fascinating but so are the beautiful shops and downtown area. We happened across fascinating experiences in the Park, watched people along the boulevard, and strolled along the water. Barcelona seems to have a sense of its history and is working on preserving it. However, the fact that they are building a train line under the Sagrada Familia doesn't bode well for that amazing structure.
And it is an amazing structure. Words and pictures do not do it justice - the man was a genius and the experience is divine. I hope I can see it finished.
