brads adventure return to spain, return home

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This is the seventh slideshow in a 7-part presentation. It's about Brad and Adam's final day in Spain.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Brads Adventure   Return To Spain, Return Home
Page 2: Brads Adventure   Return To Spain, Return Home

Our trip ended with Malta, and our cruise was over. After one day at sea, Adam and I got off the boat and into a cab.

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We sped away from the Norwegian Jade with memories of the elderly and endless buffets dancing in our heads.

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Back in the streets of Barcelona, everything was just as it was when we left.

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Vespas were still choking the streets.

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Citizens were still vaguely celebrating Christmas.

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Adam and I had a full day and a half left in Barcelona.What would we do?

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Adam and I thought for a long time.

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We decided that we should check out a Gaudi building first.This is the Casa Milà.

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It was built by Antoni Gaudi, Spain’s most famous architect.

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Gaudi was commissioned to build the place for a wealthy Spanish couple. Now it’s an apartment building.

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“This place looks like it was made for bee people!”

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Behind that tree is another Gaudi building.It’s the Casa Batlló.

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Here is a giant, bronze naked woman.In Spain they call this “art.”

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Adam stopped at a pharmacy for sweet, sweet relief. All Spanish pharmacies are marked with the Harley Davidson symbol.

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Adam and I had lunch at a Spanish chain restaurant.

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I got tapas de champiñón, and Adam got more tapas bravas.Adam treated me!

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When we got out, we started off toward the Gothic Quarter.

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There were a lot of street performers along the way.This band featured a cello, wind chimes, and a didgeridoo.

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Spain’s Gothic Quarter is the “medieval” part of Barcelona.It has a lot of buildings from the Middle Ages in it.

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It also has a lot of art galleries in it.It’s like Royal Street in New Orleans.

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Because so many artistic types are in the Quarter,there’s a ton of graffiti on the walls there.

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John KirkpatrickJWKHouston Glenn WiltcherGWWHouston

Some of it is adorable.

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Most of it is trying really hard to blow your mind.

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In some cases, a little too hard.

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Adam and I stopped in one gallery run by a man from San Francisco. It specialized in graffiti artists and pop art.

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Adam actually bought some lithographs.These were the start of his soon-to-be mythic art collection.

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After that, Adam and I went to the Pablo Picasso museum.It’s free on Sundays, and it has loads of rare Picasso pieces.

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This large stone head stared out at me from across the street as I stood in line.

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We spent the rest of the afternoon at the museum.We spent 5 to 6 trying to get out of the Gothic Quarter.

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Along the way, I bought this sandwich for three Euros!

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Adam and I attempted to exit the Quarter by way of a nearby park.

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Like the Quarter, it had a lot of ridiculous art throughout.

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I loved it.

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The park also had some more traditional, overblown art.If you’re into that stuff, it was pretty rad.

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On our walk home, Adam and I found a Spanish comics shop.It was full of Spanish man-children.

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Here is Adam next to the shop’s life-size “Space Hulk” doll.He had no idea what it was, and I’m ashamed that I do.

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After that, we accidentally happened upon Antonin Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia Cathedral, the most famous building in Spain.

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Gaudi started building it in 1882 at the bequest of the Catholic Church.

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It’s still under construction today, and it’s projectedthat it won’t be done until 2026.

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It gave me nightmares. It looks like the Outworld buildings in Mortal Kombat II.

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Adam and I went back the next day so we could get pictures of the construction during daytime hours.

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It’s really hard to capture all of the absurd detailscarved into this gargantuan house of God.

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This is not my picture, but hopefully it conveys some of the majesty of the Sagrada Familia.

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After we stumbled upon the Church for the first time, we walked back to our hostel.

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Our walk showed us that not everyone in Spain likes visitors.“This tag is talking about us!” I thought.

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Barcelona makes great use of the night.I don’t recommend it if you have epilepsy, though.

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Remember the Casa Milà?We also went back to check that out.

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The next day Adam and I walked past the Barcelona stadium...

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...And past the Palau Nacional, an international art museum…

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And we got on a bus!Where were we going?

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Montjuic, the famed “Hill of the Jews!”Specifically, we went to the “Castell de Montjuic.”

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This fort was set up in 1649 as a prison and execution grounds for anarchists and political prisoners.

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Cannons are on all sides of the fort.

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Judging by their positions, it looks like they’re set up to shell the city and the port. Hmm.

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Everything’s still kept up pretty well at the castle, since it’s such a big tourist attraction.

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Adam and I went to the top of the fort and checked out the lookout posts.

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Adam looks depressed in this picture.It’s probably because the lookout posts are ineffective.

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See? There’s no way to spot opposing armies through this.It’s like using a keyhole for missile defense.

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I am terrible at metaphors.

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Once we ran out of things to do in the castle, Adam and I exited through the main doors...

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…And gawked at WWII (?) figurines outside the castle.

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I like to think that caution signhas to do with the lady on the pedestal.

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I want to say this unguarded artillery was real,but I’m not certain it was.

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If it was, that bridge would not have been there by the time I got to the castle.

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Adam and I went underground to see if there was anything else on the castle’s grounds.

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We went right.

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At the end of the tunnel was an amazing courtyard.

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That courtyard contained a portal to the realm of the Druids.But that is a story for another time.

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We left Montjuic by way of gondola.

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It was raining too hard for me to get any good pictures from the Gondola.

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Here is Adam falling asleep while taking a picture of a rain-soaked gondola window.

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It was late by the time we got back to Las Ramblas.

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Adam and I spent our remaining time in Barcelonaby doing a little window shopping.

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We looked at a lot of merchandise that we – and you – would never, ever buy.

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I will give credit where it’s due, though: this window display actually made me consider going inside.

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Adam and I had some cigars before we said goodbye.

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I am not wearing a novelty mask.Those are my real nose, eyebrows, and glasses.

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Spain was an excellent place to spend the Christmas season.

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We even had the pleasure of hearing carolers before we left.

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Afterward, I said goodbye to Adam, and thanked him for an amazing trip. He’s a great friend.

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I got to the airport at 5 a.m. the following morning…

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...And had one last Spanish delicacy before I left.

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A great surprise was waiting for me back in New Orleans.My girlfriend Erin was there to greet me as I got off the plane!

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I had a great trip, but I was glad to be home.

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The Next Day……Back at work.