Touring and Training

August 19th

Burning the candle at both ends, we woke up early and bought tickets for the "Barcelona Turistico" tour bus.  It was the same as the Madrid one as it had three routes that stopped at the historical places throughout the city.

We rode the bus for about an hour but decided to get off and catch a transfer bus to "La Sagrada Familia," the one monument I really wanted to see up close.  The line for the transfer bus was ridiculously long, so we decided to walk the five blocks to the cathedral.

About 1 block out, I saw it towering over the surrounding buildings.  Like a sandcastle that is made by dripping sand into shapes, La Sagrada Familia's menacing towers and architecture looked like it was melting into the sky.  We had to be back to the hotel by 3:30 pm for our martial arts training class with Alex, so we didn't have much time at the cathedral.  The line to get in was over 2 hours, so instead I walked around the entire structure and marveled at the change in architecture and design (Gaudí never finished the cathedral during his lifetime.  It is still under construction and is not expected to be finished until 2020).

Back at the hotel, we met up with Alex and his brother in law, Jordi.  We drove to the dojo and had a quick lunch at the cafe next door.

Inside, the dojo was small but comfortable with white walls, wood trim and green colored pads as the floor.  The training was intense as their techniques were harder and more aggressive than what I was used to in California.  Everyone was amiable and I learned a lot.

After class, we were introduced to Vanessa's family.  We went to a nearby restaurant and I spent the night practicing my Spanish and telling them about my life in the United States and why I was excited to be here in Spain.