it was august 1 2008

after a very long journey we made it to barcelona. 

so there are two things in barcelona that are truly unique, you could not have the city without them, they contribute heavily to the character of the city, they are outdoor markets and street performers. all along the most famous street in the city called las ramblas are street performers, each with there own outfit and performance. some wore all fruit, another dressed as a tree, some took the scare tactic by moving and jumping out of a box as you approached and then of course there was my favorite, the man dressed all in white siting on a john. there was one performer that just blew us away, he did the most incredible magic... in the end let's just say he was so good we actually gave him money! incredibly really!

as for the outdoor markets. there was this unbelievable food market with just the most beautiful array of fruits, veggies, meats, fish, cheeses, olives, nuts, fresh fruit drinks...and tucked away in the back a completely vegetarian/organic stall that we ate from and it was delicious. i just wish these types of markets were more easily accessible here in the states. i could spend an entire day really looking at all the vendors, taking pictures of the wonderfully colorful foods, but alas picasso was waiting.

we went to the picasso museum which was really interesting, tucked away behind side streets. 

everything about barcelona is charming. i loved the ecclectic style and was overwhelmed by all the artisan jewelry which also was sold at an outdoor market right along las ramblas. so barcelona captured my heart and soul right on the first day: great food, great jewelry, warm sun, bizarre street art, i truly could not have been happier.