Monday, April 29, 2013

Barcelona Day Four

Today was our last day in Spain. This morning we set out to visit a monastery in the mountains outside of Barcelona called Montserrat. It rained the whole time we were there so we didn't get to hike like we had wanted to, but we still got to walk around and hear a boys choir sing in the Cathedral. I was hoping to see some of the monks I've read so much about over the last three years, but they did not make an appearance. After we got back to Barcelona we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and went to the Barcelona Cathedral again. The first time we visited there was a service going on so we couldn't see all of it, but today we had full access. Tomorrow morning we are flying to Rome and will be staying in an apartment Mark found for rent. I'm excited to finally see some of the places I've been reading about in my Church History and Bible classes in person. In Rome we will not have an internet connection at the apartment, but we will try to connect at a cafe when possible.

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Barcelona Day Three

Today was wet and cloudy again. It was cold this morning (low 50s), but it warmed up some this evening. We walked around the city for most of the day before waiting in a very long line to see the Picasso Museum. Picasso lived in Barcelona for several years while in art school, so there were several paintings he did of the city. After the museum we ate pizza and walked through the oldest section of town. We stopped and sat through part of a mass at one of the Cathedrals. There was a choir of nuns singing the liturgy; it sounded beautiful bouncing off the old stone walls. Tomorrow we plan to visit a monastery outside of Barcelona in the mountains.













Saturday, April 27, 2013

Barcelona Day Two

It rained all morning again. We took the metro into town around lunch time and ate at a really good Argentinean restaurant. I expected the portions to be smaller here, but so far they are the same as in the US. I have noticed that there aren't nearly as many obese people as there are at home, though. I'm beginning to miss free tap water. I drank a whole coke today for the first time ever ( I don't really like coke, but I REALLY don't like wine). The rest of the day we walked around the city in the rain making stops at the Chocolate Museum and the Barcelona Cathedral. We were only able to see half of the inside of the church because there was a mass in session.

We had tapas for dinner and grabbed some hot chocolate and gelato on our way home. The hot chocolate here is the consistency of pudding, and is served with a spoon.

I went to the gym more than usual the month leading up to our trip and can tell I've built up some endurance, but my legs and feet are still really sore. We are both really tired again, but feel like we've almost adjusted to the time change.

Tomorrow we're going to walk around the oldest neighborhood in Barcelona. I hope it warms up and the rain stops.











Tuesday, April 23, 2013

We're going to EUROPE!





Hello family and friends!

Mark and I will be leaving for Europe on the 25th of April and will be gone for the entire month of May! Because it is so expensive to make phone calls, I plan to post pictures and make updates using this blog. You can view our expected travel plans on this lovely graphic Mark designed while planning this entire trip (thank you, dear).

If you need to contact me please feel free to email me at cort.allen2010@gmail.com. I am not sure how often I will have internet access, but I will check my email as often as I can. If there is an emergency please text me and I will call you back ASAP.

See you all soon! Ciao!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Spring

Springtime in Charlotte is absolutely beautiful. I'm going to miss all these trees.


Tulip Trees




Park Road Park