Friday through Sunday 4-6 April 2008

This past weekend I joined my friend Christine for her daughter’s Hen Party in Barcelona. Back in the States, we refer to these bachelorette parties! It was so nice to get out of London and enjoy a couple of days of sunshine … and yes, I missed the London snow while I was away.

Barcelona is another of Europe’s beautiful cities. When we arrived, we jumped on the city tour bus and took a quick and windy ride around the city. This weekend we saw a few of the historic and architectural highlights including Sagrada Familia, Casa Battlo and La Pedrera. The Sagrada Familia is the unfinished Gaudi cathedral which began building work in the late 19th century and is still under construction today.

The facades of this cathedral are absolutely amazing and unique.

The Casa Battlo is one of Gaudi’s architectural masterpieces. The Modernistic façade of the building conceals a truly artistic interior. Designed as a private home, there are no straight walls in this place. Colorful stained glass and beautiful design work are present throughout this building.

La Pedrera was created as an apartment building and the highlight was definitely the terrace.

This unique roof is a masterpiece of ventilation towers and chimneys which are all designed to fulfil functional role – yet are as artistic and unique as one can imagine. Some are covered with broken pieces of ceramic.

The Hen Party for Gemma included a Cowboys and Indians night out. Of course, Christine and I were dressed in authentic Texan wear imported from Houston specifically for this occasion. Saturday was posh tops and frocks night as we enjoyed a nice dinner out in Barcelona.

Barcelona is a place that I know Ray would enjoy with the architectural delights and beautiful gardens, perhaps we’ll get back here for a long weekend before the end of the year.