The final Spain post.

The moment you've all been waiting for is here. Just to let you know, I am not the type who finds enjoyment in souvenirs. This sort of includes pictures, too, so suffice it to say, there may not be AS many as you'd expect.

Here we are in Las Ramblas, where I think I have discovered my future career in street performing. Definitely the best one I ever saw was last summer though, where there was a guy dressed up as a Transformer.

When I met up with my friend on the last day, I'd sent him an email that said, "Meet me at the house that looks like a masquerade ball." I'd been wanting to say that all year. Next time I come to Barcelona, I hope to go inside, too, I'd bet it's pretty fantastic.

Like, what Antoni Gaudi did when he was bored. Created mosaics on the ceiling.

The famous lizard at Parc Guell.

This is what changed my life last summer. La Sagrada Familia. Begun in 1865, due to be completed in 2026, I have already decided that I want to come back to Barcelona in 2026 to be there when it opens. It affected me that much.

Now we're in Zaragoza. I went for a run along this river.

Something I've noticed is that water seemed to follow me all over Spain. First with the beach in Torredembarra, then this cool fountain, then rain in Burgos and Madrid, then a fake river in Sevilla, aqueducts in Granada, an aquarium in Valencia, and a fountain back in Barcelona. This square was bustling at night, and to me it felt like a good place to chill out and take in the fact that I was doing this.

La Basilica del Pilar. I have started my personal collection of church photos. I wish that I could have taken a picture of the view from far away against the sunset, but alas, I try not to carry my expensive camera when I go for runs in strange countries. I had to stop at a playground, climb on the monkey bars, and look at the view of these towers from afar. It's really quite wonderful to see something like that. When I first stepped off the bus into Barcelona I noticed a tall, distant hill with a castle on top...blew my mind.

The Gothic Cathedral in Burgos is very well-known. It was this building which chimed the hour in that sing-song way and where I saw mass. I tried to draw this tower, but failed.

Are there any botanists who can explain these trees? The branches of different trees are connected to each other, they actually fuse together perfectly. Romantic, much?

Again, it's always breathtaking to see a normal-looking city with something like THAT in the background.

Madrid! City of art.

The best word to describe Madrid is "huge". Everything from the plazas to the buildings to the parks were just colossal. This happens to be the former Palace of Franco.

I know what you're thinking. They look like KKK members. I know you're thinking it. I was a little weirded out by this, too, until I realized that dressing up like this is how the Spanish Catholics celebrate Easter. It's a symbol that's been taken very far out of context. I didn't get to see too much Semana Santa (Holy Week), I think I was just in the wrong places. Parades like these, solemn and dark with some trumpets, were all I got to see.

Me with a piece of artwork in the huge Retiro Park, taking a break from museums.

And here is (supposably) the biggest Gothic cathedral anywhere in the world. I say "supposably" out of a personal opinion that the one in Burgos was bigger, but what do I know? This is Sevilla now...

It was the plazas like these that made it so beautiful here. Green trees, shade, small streets, and a sense of relaxation.

That bridge there is where Anakin Skywalker and his lady Queen once walked with R2D2 right on their heels. I mean...this is the Plaza de Espanya. :)

Such a beautiful place to spend a day. There's a park next to it, too.

Here we are in Granada, overlooking old moorish buildings.

The Alhambra, castle built by the Arabs. Seriously, I still marvel at how close I was to the Arab nations, even after being in Greece, I'm still amazed by Granada.

The girls are in the way, sorry. Just a nice picture of the small Sevilla-esque street in Granada. This city was a really nice place to simply walk around.

Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences. Looks like the Sydney Opera House to me, or like an Olympic stadium. You could call it a day just by being outside, no need to go in! (I didn't take any pictures of the fish in the aquarium).

I just thought these buildings looked like they were begging for a photo.

Just a picture of the street in central Valencia to remind myself how the streets in Europe look so different from the ones in the States. Everything right down to the balcony railings looks delicate and authentic.

Here I am back in Barcelona with a well-needed familiar face from Athens. He has a friend studying abroad in Italy, so they decided to meet up in Barcelona the same weekend I did. The fountain behind us is magic. It's called the Magic Fountain :). It puts on a show not at all unlike the one you find in Disneyland (what's that called, Fantasma, or something like that?). We missed the night part, where they light it up in different colors, but we got to see the huge display coordinated to music. And below of course, is my good-bye image of la Sagrada Familia.

And to make my day in Granada that much better.