Family ties

My good friend Claire came to visit me in Barcelona and we had a cool weekend catching up on news of the past four months and mooching around the city. We’d spent a weekend here together in 2016 and really liked it, so this time was about us hanging out more than seeing the sights. Although the one thing we did not do last time was see inside the Sagrada Familia basilica, designed by Antonio Gaudi in the late 1800s as a homage to the city and to celebrate his love of architecture, nature and religion. Several designers have been involved in completing the building since he died in 1926, and it is expected to be finished in 2026. Different to other cathedrals, the outside is ornately carved, and the inside has very few statues. But what makes this place worth a visit are the huge stained glass windows that cover most of the walls, spilling light in every colour onto the walls and floor, giving the feeling you are walking in a rainbow. I have never seen anything quite like it. Both Claire and I looked at each other with mouths open when we stepped inside and had a giggle that we had not come in last time. Highly recommend the guided tour when you do go, it’s only 45 minutes but really worth it to get the full history, and you can stay after for as long as you want. And of course we sampled some of the amazing food that Catalonia is known for, including a rooftop tapas dinner for our last night. After so much time traveling alone (which I do love), it was super nice to spend time with a wonderful friend and have normal conversations. I spent a couple of weeks with Claire in the UK before I left for Iceland and have a stash of clothes at her house waiting for me to pick up before I head home. When she arrived Claire was like, ‘I didn’t know if you were going to be super chatty, or annoyed to be sharing your space :), but you’re just normal Merran’ 🙂 🙂 so its good to know that I haven’t gone mad. I’ve known Claire for ages (maybe 17 years), and am also good friends with her sister Alex in New Zealand. They both have the same mannerisms and voice, and it just makes me smile. Big kiss CB xxxx thanks so much for coming to visit.