Don't take your shirt off!

    When I stepped off the plane in Girona, Spain, I couldn't stop grinning because of the sunshine that greeted me. 70 degrees felt pretty nice compared to the German freezer I had just come out of. I think the warm temperatures in Barcelona account for the lax--hmm.... decency? standards that Spaniards have, for on our walking tour the next day, our vibrant guide Sophia told us about its nudity laws.     

   Nudity in Barcelona is completely legal, she said, and is quite common, especially on the beaches. But what's really strange is that half nudity is illegal. 

"So men," she said, "if you take off your shirt on the streets because it's getting hot, and a policeman starts coming toward you, just slip your trousers off too and you won't get arrested!" 

   I kept that in mind as I went running around in Barcelona, but the cloud cover didn't make stripping that tempting. The mornings in Barcelona were dreary, but right on cue the sun came out at 11, just like our homeless friend predicted!

 

I wasn't expecting palm trees, but there were plenty. And there is Christopher Columbus on the top of that tower, pointing towards the New World. Barcelona was the city he returned after his trip-- we saw the steps where Ferdinand stood when he greeted Columbus on his return. We also saw the cathedral where the Spaniards baptized the Native Americans who came back with Columbus. Love him or hate him, Barcelona was definitely Christopher's place!

This was one of the ports of Barcelona that had a nice path to run along. Barcelona is a very vibrant city, with plenty of bikers and runners. Unlike the German runners who are STICKS, the Spaniards actually have some muscle on their legs.

 I liked these statues- the elongated green effect... kinda endearing :) Also, Barcelona might just be my favorite city, because EVERYONE rollerblades! It was so fun to see people rollerblading along the coast. Of course I asked someone about renting rollerblades, but she looked at me funny and said no. She was a skateboarder-can't trust them.

You can see the World Trade Center in this picture. It was great running along the coast; we were five minutes from our hostel. There were restaurants, a movie theater, mall, and plenty of crepe stands to make the tourists happy.

This was a view from the bridge back to the city. It moved to let sailboats come through to dock.

Los Ramblas! The most famous street in Barcelona. Mimes lined the street (my favorite was John Wayne) as well as souvenir and flower stands. During the day, it was packed with tourists. Don't try and eat at a restaurant here, though; they charge 10 euros for a coke! That's what the waiter told my friend anyway-maybe his English was confused? We left the restaurant obviously. 

This was the entrance to the street where our hostel was. To the left is an excellent Doner stand. Doners are the best food I've had in Europe so far--we had them three nights in a row in Barcelona. Our Ambex group is obsessed with these gyro/sandwich hybrids; whether it's the slices of lamb meat, yogurt sauce or  their cheapness, they're definitely worth the complete messiness of eating one. 

   Other highlights of Barcelona included:

• Seeing the Sagrada Familia and the genius of Gaudi. The cathedral was unique because of Gaudi's emphasis on nature and integrating it into every part of his architecture. The whole cathedral was supposed to represent a tree and it was an incredible combination of modern, natural, and religious elements.
• Hiking up to Montjuic, the old fortress near the city. There was a beautiful cactus garden and the view of Barcelona from the top was worth sweating a little to get up there, although everyone knows it doesn't take much to make me sweat :)
• Going to a traditional Spanish restaurant and eating snails, calamari, and little silver fish, with their heads still on. Still can't believe I decapitated a fish.
• Going on tours of the city through our hostel and meeting people from all over the world.
• Touring the excavations of the Roman city, Barcino.
• Wading through the Mediterranean Sea

Barcelona was a great combination of sites, weather, people, and things to do! I didn't get close to seeing everything, but it just gives me an excuse to go back someday. With rollerblades of course.