European Tryst: Museo de Xocolata y Colonia Guell

I can't believe I forgot to post pictures of the Chocolate Museum! We there a week or two ago and it was great. I mean, how can anything that starts off with being given a ticket made of chocolate be bad? really...The museum was mostly full of different sculptures made of chocolate but also had really interesting displays of the history of chocolate. Did you know that in the days of the Aztecs one could purchase a slave for 100 cacao beans or the services of a prostitute for 10 (which is also the cost of a rabbit...interesting?). Even similar today when its illegal to forge money, the falsification of beans was punished.

with our chocolate bar tickets

some choclate sculptures/displays

Last Friday we went with our seminar class to visit Colonia Guell, which is a little manufacturing town that has now been eaten by Barcelona. It was designed in its entirety by Guadi and his followers and was meant to be housing for the people that worked in its factories which I believe produced corduroy, among other things. The town was really neat! Very quaint and it felt like we were very far from the city. The people were nice and their pastries were delicious and cheap! always a plus....The item of note in the town is a Crypt/Church designed by Guadi. The project was unfortunately abandoned after only finishing the main room of the church and steps leading to other levels that would be built behind. He also designed all of the furnishings inside, down to evey pew. Eventually it was supposed to have 3 or 4 large towers behind it and house an intricate crypt system. Today it's simply for visiting, I'm not even sure if they hold services there or anything. It was nice though since many tourists do not make the trek out to see it.

entrance to the city