It's a Dickens World after all...

My first view of Dickens World. My first thought was, Wow, this is no Disneyland. I didn't expect it to be like Disneyland, I knew it was going to be smaller. But I wondered how I could do a boatride through the Victorian slums in this building. It was actually a fun place, very cheesy but fun.

When we walked inside and up the stairs, we entered a huge dark, gloomy room. This room was built like a miniature Victorian town. It was a dreary place to be. There was a haunted house, a boatride through the slums and two shows about Dickens life and writings. The boatride went under the bridge in this picture and was fun and creepy.

I met a fantastic guy while in Dickens world. As you can see, we got along splendidly ;) You might recognize the name Bill Sikes from Oliver Twist. Thankfully, he has given up murdering women. It was bad for his health and fortunate for me... Actually, this man was originally from Liverpool. He has been living in London for about two years and tried to tone down his Liverpool accent, called Scouse, because he didn't like it. Besides the costume and makeup, he was interesting to talk to.

 Here's what the "town" looked like. It wasn't cheesy looking because the whole town was built with great craftmanship. Obviously, my outfit doesn't go with the time period at all. Dickens World was interesting for anyone who is obsessed with Dickens or the Victorian era.

No Rain in Spain

Barcelona is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. It is the perfect city for a vacation, even if it's only going to be the weekend. I stayed in a quiet hostel and only had two full days to explore Barcelona.

 I felt like I saw a lot of the main attractions, even in a limited time. I went to Parc Guell, which is on top of a steep hill. After climbing to the top, I got to see stunning views of Barcelona.

I'm smiling because the hike is over and I made it to the top.

After the hike up to Parc Guell, we headed down to the bay and to the beach. It was perfect weather for getting our feet wet in the ocean. I got to eat tapas that night as well. Tapas are Spanish appetizers. We went to a restaurant that brought us a selection of all different kinds of tapas. All of them were delicious, except the sardines on bread. I didn't even try to stomach that one. My favorite tapa is patatas bravas, which are fried potatoes served with a spicy sauce drizzled over them. Yum!

My second full day in Barcelona was a lot of fun as well. We got to visit an outdoor market. The fresh fruits were so tempting. I bought mango, pineapple and a kiwi fresh-blended juice cup while in the market. It was such a treat to have any kind of fruit I wanted.

There were many beautiful buildings in Barcelona, but this one was my favorite. It is the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, or National Art Museum of Catalunya. I didn't get to go inside. I just came across this building after visiting the Barcelona Olympic stadium and thought it was the best example of Barcelona's architecture and landscaping. As I was admiring this view, a photographer walked by with a bride and groom to take their wedding photos at this museum. It was that gorgeous. Overall, Barcelona was an amazing place.