I have finally run out of steam! Today, I finished the last of five days of work so now my actual vacation starts and Barcelona awaits!

One native Barcelonan told me her favorite historical church is Santa Maria del Mar because the acoustics are so good. Perhaps the richness of the sound I heard in Santa Maria is unusual for a cathedral/basilica! I had wondered. If I opened the doors to my balcony and had Inspector Gadget arms I could touch Santa Maria. It’s probably only 10 feet away.

My new Italian friend, GianLuca, swears that if you cook pasta right, i.e. al dente, it’s healthier. I’m not convinced. He’s a very biased source.

I was going to read more about Antoni Gaudi, who appears to be a one-of-a-kind human, but my eyes are closing again. Without my approval. Here’s a fun term I ran into on the Wikipedia page on Gaudi: hyperbolic paraboloid. Yep, I don’t really know what that means! But, I’m visiting two of his works tomorrow and Sagrada Familia Thursday, so will read about him between those and share what sense of this man I can find; he may never make sense to me, so I hope at least to catch some of his inspiration! (He is like Sherlock! Never married. His work was his life. While I am passionate, I yet do not understand this. My philosophy: have your cake and eat it too! Also, I wish to point out that I just compared a real man to a fictional one. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle deserves some credit for having created such a “reality”.)

Above is a pleasant view I had on my way to an entirely gluten free pizza restaurant. Pizza was good! Service was mediocre. Bed is calling.