Semana Santa Adventures Week 1

Mom and Dad came and visited me for the week of Semana Santa. We went to Barcelona, Sevilla, Don Benito, and Madrid. Here are some pictures and stories from our trip together!

We started off the trip in Barcelona. Our first excrusion was to Parc Güell. This is a park that was designed by the famous, Antonio Gaudi.

Here is a picture of Mom and I on one of the beautiful benches in Parc Güell. The first year I took Spanish-- 7th grade-- I saw a picture of the benches in Parc Güell and I decided then that I had to someday go see them. And so I finally fulfilled that wish! :)

Our next stop was the Sagrada Familia, another Gaudi work. It was impressive as ever. And this time we got to go inside. And I realized just how unfinished it is! However the towers were closed so we couldnt go up in the spires or walk on the little bridges. I was pretty bummed.

The next day, we walked down the famous Las Ramblas with all its craziness and me and mom took a picture with one of the street performers. I carefully selected him as well. He didnt look scary like several of them do. :)

At the end of Las Ramblas, we continued on to the harbor in Barcelona. It was an absolutely beautiful day to walk around the harbor-- the sun was shining, it was warm and there was a nice lil breeze. I absolutely love coastal harbor towns; and this part of Barcelona definitely gave that vibe.

After walking around the harbor, we went to Parc de la Citudella-- a beautiful park where we saw the impressive fountain called, la Cascada.

Next, we went the the "Gothic Bari"-- which is the old part of town. We walked around the exterior of the Cathedral (La Seu).

Then we ate lunch on Las Ramblas and headed to the Montjuïc section of town.

We saw and climbed up to the Museu Nacional D’Art de Catalunya-MNAC (huge building, very impressive). Montjuïc is on this huge hill in the center of town. So we got some great views!

Also from up here, we walked around the Olympic Stadium (the olympics were in Barcelona in 1992).

The next day we walked around Barcelona a little more and visited Casa Milá aka “La Pedrera”. ANother Gaudi creation. This is a few of the rooftop:

Then later that day, we flew to Sevilla. And then the whole next day, we had to take care of some travel issues and made an emergency trip to and from Madrid. Even with the craziness, we still had time to go to el Parque de Buen Retiro in Madrid. I would say it is my favorite part of Madrid. I go there every time I am i Madrid, so of course, I had to show it to my parents. :)

This picture is of me and Mom in front of one of the big ponds:

The next day, we finally got to see Sevilla-- and we sure did see a lot! We started off by going to los Reales Alcazares. This was once the Moorish palace and then was taken over by the Christians and then served various political purposes. However, it still maintains its "mudejar" (morrish) style. Its very beautiful. Here is a pic of the gardens:

We then went to the Plaza de Espana. It is a beautiful plaza that was built in 1929 for an exposition of all countries that speak Spanish. It might be my favorite place in Sevilla.

Then, we headed back to the historic center and went to the Cathedral of Sevilla. It is the largest cathedral in the world and the 3rd largest Christian church. It is massive and impressve. Here is a picture from La Giralda (the tower that is in moorish style, because it was once a Mosque).

Sevilla is world famous for its processions that occur all over town during Semana Santa. It was insanely crowded at night and there were processions going on everywhere. There were 9 going on at once! And all within a relatively concentrated area because they all have to pass by the Cathedral. We would get stuck in zones because the processions would be blocking off all of our routes. Mom and Dad did not enjoy the craziness very much, but I thought it was an amazing thing to experience. Ever since i learned about the processions in Sevilla, it has been on my list of things to see. Here is a pic of one:

The next day morning. We headed off to Don Benito, my little town. I was very excited to get to show them Don Benito since its where I am living my life right now. I showed them the parks, my apartment, the main avenue and we even got to see Don Benito's procession for Maudy Thursday.

Here is Mom and Dad in the Plaza de Espana in Don Benito:

And here is a pic of the Procession in Don Benito:

The next morning we headed off the Madrid-- the last stop on mom and dad's trip. I first took them on the normal site-seeign route in Madrid. The route I pretty much take everyone on. We went to the normal locations: Plaza de Espana, El Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Gran Via, The National Library. I have never been able to make inside the National Library. I have tried to go many times, but I have never actually made it inside. And, of course, when we tried to go, it was closed for Holiday. ... sigh... Some day.

Here is Mom and Dad in the lovely Plaza Mayor:

Then we hiked it out to the Plaza de Toros. It is a beautiful plaza. We couldnt go in, but the outside is impressive enough. (Mom got in my picture, haha)

And then on Saturday morning, Mom and Dad flew back to the United States. I was lucky that they could come and visit me. It was great to have them here and I was glad I got to share something that is a big part of who I am-- Spain and Spanish.

Coming soon-- the blog about me and Nicole's adventures!