Beautiful Barcelona, Cozy Carcassonne, Lovely Lourdes

Parc Guell, partially designed by Gaudi, Barcelona


Parc Guell, Barcelona


Do you see Klas sitting on the wall? He loves climbing everything he can, including this wall in Carcassonne.


Outside the medieval walls at night, Carcassonne


The Sanctuary, Lourdes. The Grotto with the spring is around the corner.

We had a fun two days in Barcelona. We stayed near Las Ramblas, a street filled with lots of activity. We did a lot of walking...what's new?! but at least it was mostly flat. The top sites were the Temple de la Sagrada Familia (a cathedral that was started by Gaudi in the 19th century and is still being built) and the Picasso Museum, which we visited as part of a Picasso walking tour around the city. The buildings in Barcelona are beautiful while the atmosphere is vibrant.

We were nervous about getting to Carcassonne, France, as we had planned because there was a train strike in France. However, everything worked out and we were able to spend the day in this cozy little medieval town. The walls surrounding the city are still in tact. We stayed at a cute bed and breakfast. We had 'fluffy' croissants for breakfast as Klas described them. It's exciting to be in France, especially for Melissa since this was a top destination on the list of countries to visit.

Yesterday we went to visit the Sanctuary at Lourdes where St. Bernadette saw Mary and the spring was formed. It was a lovely place - very peaceful with people from all over the world, both healthy and sick. The town has great views of the Pyrenees mountains.

Today we are going to take a wine tour through Bordeaux. Tomorrow we head to Nice.