Valencia and Barcelona, Spain: Old Valencia and New Barcelona

On our last morning in Valencia, we set out to see one of the oldest things in the city: the cathedral.  Consecrated in 1238, it was built in spurts from the thirteenth through the fifteenth centuries, though it has been added to since.  Because of its long construction period, it has several buildings in slightly different styles that are connected by odd passages; nonetheless, it is still beautiful, as you can see above from the Plaza de la Reina (Plaza of the Queen aka Mary).

The nave of the central cathedral is nicely Gothic, as you can see from the shot above.  We were able to go inside, but unfortunately, not able to see the Holy Grail, which is reputedly housed in the Valencia Cathedral.  I suppose there's always next time!

After a bit of lunch, it was time for a four-hour bus ride to Barcelona.  Fortunately, I finally found a fellow traveler who loves Disney movies as much as I do, so Kassie and I happily passed the bus ride watching Beauty and the Beast.

In the midst of our movie-watching, we also had to keep our eyes peeled for castles.  I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but Spain (and Europe in general) is littered with abandoned medieval castles on random hilltops.  The shot above was taken from the bus--no towns around, no tourists, nothing else in sight, just a castle on a hill. 

Upon arriving in Barcelona, Anna, Kassie, and I took the scenic route to our hostel (on accident, of course), but ended up seeing some great architecture.  After dropping our bags, we headed down the main pedestrian street, La Rambla, to grab some food, then sat in Barcelona's fountain-filled main square, Plaza Catalunya, to enjoy our late-night dinner.  Yum!