Barcelona Baby! Part Two

 On our second day we wanted to go to the Sagrada Familia, another building of Gaudi’s. Once we arrived we were amazed at the beauty of the exterior. There was so much detail, and even though it wasn’t the most colourful building ever, no one could deny it was beautiful! We went to ask how much money it would cost to get in, but decided against actually going in because it was quite expensive and I had another place in mind that I would have rather visited.

I have just finished my second year of my Religious Studies degree at Canterbury Christ Church University, and in my little Barcelona guide book (my pride and joy, I was surgically attached!) I had spotted the sinagoga major. This was something I really wanted to visit and it only cost us €2.50 which was an absolute bargain. I was so excited to visit and we found the old Jewish quarter of the city in no time at all. I have just finished studying a module called “Defining Judaism” so this was really useful for revision to visit as well (it made me feel a million times better for skiving revision for the whole city break!).

The Sagrada Familia Exterior 

The outside of the synagogue was really small and we had to go down a few steep steps where we were greeted by the friendliest lady ever! We paid and had a good look around, even though there were only two rooms. One room had the remains of the roman walls of the synagogue which was really interesting to see, and the other room contained religious objects such as the Torah, the Minora and gold plates depicting festivals such as passover.

The lady told us all about how the synagogue came to be refound in the city, and how the founder’s brother had done this beautiful glass Star of David for the inside of the synagogue. It was really interesting to hear about the history of the Jewish people in Barcelona, definitely something you should try out if you go to the city as it is something that wouldn't really be considered one of the main Barcelona attractions but at the same time was so fascinating!

 After the visit to the Sinagoga Major, we went on to Plaza Reial. This is like a little square, with a fountain in the middle and it has cafes all around the edge so we stopped for a Cola Light and to absorb the culture. I really love just sitting and people watching in foreign countries and this was the perfect place to do it. Dan enjoyed messing around with fountain pictures too as you can see!

   

After this, we went to the Arc de Triomf. Who even knew there was one in Barcelona! It was huge, and really cool to see as well. We headed back to La Rambla, walked down to the beach and just enjoyed the atmosphere along the street. We then stopped for dinner at one of the restaurants with seats outside so we could carry on with our people watching. We enjoyed some Tapas each, including Patatas Bravas, Croquettes and some kind of Chorizo! I have had Tapas before in Madrid, but Dan has never had it before and he was so excited. I then chose to have Spag Bol (not a Spanish dish but my all-time favourite so I had to try it out Spanish style!) and Dan had seafood Paella. 

  It was such a busy and long day, but I loved it. We saw so much in so little time but it was completely worth it. It was time for bed again before starting our adventures the next day...

 Have you ever had Tapas? Would you be interested in visiting somewhere a little different on a city break?