Wednesday 22 July 2015

Barcelona

When I was a teenager, I wanted to travel to Spain but it has taken me almost 45 years to get here! We arrived in Barcelona last Saturday after a fabulous scenic 6 hour train trip from Paris. From the train station, we hopped onto a local Metro and made it to the Gothic Quarter where I had booked a self contained apartment for a week - with a washing machine! Sheer luxury, after hand washing for 4 weeks! (Thanks to my friend Bev, for her recommendation as she has stayed here several times before).

It is so lovely just to wake up each morning with no particular plans, have a leisurely cooked breakfast at home and then wander off to explore. Our days seem to have the same pattern - after breakfast, go exploring for about 4 hours (either catch a metro and walk from there or explore closer to home), return home, have a cold beer and some olives, have a siesta and then go out exploring once more. We either have dinner out at a local restaurant or sometimes we (meaning Rob) even cook for ourselves. The food and drinks are much cheaper here than at home.

Barcelona is a wonderful city, vibrant, clean and full of little streets that we love to venture into to see what we can find. Of course, I wanted to see Gaudi's buildings, so they were the first ones to visit.
                                            
                        
                        
La Boqueira Market is just up the road from here and we visited the other day to buy some olives, cheese and ham but intend to go back again this evening for dinner. The food is so fresh and the colours of the market are amazing.
                        
                        
This morning we walked then caught a funicular railway and walked again (up a million steps, it seemed) to Montjuic Castle, an amazing complex on top of a hill overlooking the harbour. We spent several hours walking around the grounds and admiring the views of Barcelona city from there. Then, walked all the way home, thankfully, downhill.
                       
                       
                       
Some more photos of Barcelona taken another day.
                       
                       
                       
We leave Barcelona for Madrid on Saturday by train where we have a Madrid Greeter booked to show us around 'her Madrid' on Sunday.





















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6 comments:

  1. Linda Kay23 July 2015 at 06:11

    You will love Madrid. Be sure to visit the Plaza for outdoor dining and the artisans at work. And the park is really amazing.

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  2. Cynthia25 July 2015 at 05:17

    What a wonderful time you are having, and all that walking means you can eat as much as you like, right?
    I am enjoying your photos very much.

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    1. Jazbriz25 July 2015 at 14:42

      Cynthia, I think I've lost a few kilos with all the walking, so must remember to eat more!

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  3. Anonymous26 July 2015 at 12:42

    So thats where the term "Gaudi: comes from, they're shockers.
    I just saw in the paper where Spain is having its biggest ever tourist boom, so you must be seeing lots of other travellers.
    My son really liked Barcelona when he went there, it does look pretty nice.
    Have you tried the local delicay yet, Churros dunked in coffee, looks so yum, seen it on a couple of travel shows. I'd go there just for that, breakfast lunch and tea.
    Well enjoy, and not too many beers, well OK a few.
    JD

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    Replies
    1. Jazbriz26 July 2015 at 15:00

      JD, no thank you to the churros! Horrible things, we will stick with the beer.

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