Barcelona in Pictures

I began writing this blog entry in my composition notebook on the plane ride over the Atlantic Ocean.

I spent a most enjoyable eleven days traveling and visiting with friends who are really more like family. I spent the first four days of my trip in Barcelona with Momo. It was especially wonderful to get away from the snowpocalypse that has sucked the life out of my home state.

Barcelona in pictures:

 

The "Arc de Triumf" near our Hostal. Much smaller yet prettier than the Parisian version.

 

Self-explanatory: a sailboat and myself

 

La Sagrada Famiglia. Construction began in 1885 and won't be finished until 2026!

 

The "W" Hotel is shaped like a sail.

 

FC Barcelona Stadium

 

Out on a sunny day overlooking Barcelona...

 

On the cable car above Barcelona

 

Enjoying the view and the beautiful, yet windy, weather.

My favorite things about Barcelona:

• The people didn't make me feel (too) bad about speaking English.
• Eating dinner at 10:00pm and being a part of the "early crowd".
• Parc Guell with the excellent view of the city and architecture by Gaudi.
• Sunshine in February! (Rain, too, is better than snow with temps above 50 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Barcelona is a walkable city with a clean metro system. Au contraire, Paris is a semi-walkable city with a famous métro system containing bacteria never found anywhere else in the world.

While I spent almost half of my trip in Paris, I really didn't take any pictures. I think I had worn myself out from the hundreds I seem to have taken in Spain.

La Durée Prints on Etsy

I'm loving this La Durée Macaron print from Lucile's Kitchen on Etsy.

Fear

Fear controls you.

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." [Mark Twain]

It doesn't matter if you live out of fear of checking your bank account, traveling to a new place, speaking up, losing friends, being alone, or deciding to make a big change in your life.

Many of us even fear admitting what our fears actually are, but no one is excluded from having fears, and your fears can limit you from living the life you deserve.

I double dog dare you to write as a comment to this post one of your fears. It can be big or small, and you absolutely have the right to remain anonymous.

I'll start.

I'm afraid of being rejected as a writer.

I'm afraid of taking the wrong path to happiness.

I'm also afraid that no one will comment on my blog.

Now it's your turn... don't let fear prevent you from commenting!

Mubarak Steps Down

A very exciting day, indeed! I am off to Europe in a few hours and what's even more triumphant is that President Mubarak of Egypt has resigned, giving a chance at democracy to the Egyptian people. I'd say that those protesters understand the quotation I posted yesterday from Mark Twain.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

...and I would add, fight for what you believe in.

Advice from Mark Twain

This morning I find inspiration to seize the moments in the words of a legendary American humorist, writer, and lecturer.

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Happy Monday

In just one week I will be in Barcelona! The weather there has been in the 60s lately which is really exciting! It's that time of year when winter becomes utterly unbearable in Michigan and I can't wait to catch a break. 

Here is a picture from the New York Time's Frugal Traveler blog about Barcelona

Happiness on a Monday

Yesterday happiness came to me in the form of making little tomato and chèvre tarts, like the one that I made in a previous post. I cut up the pie crust and made tiny tarts by putting them into a muffin pan. Scrumptious!

 

I also discovered a bottle of red wine from 2005 in the kitchen. What a good find! 

 

Overall I'd say it was a pretty great Monday!