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Published: December 12th 2011
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Barcelona
La Familia (Another blog where the photos have not loaded properly...but hopefully you can see some)
Barcelona is a party city that lives the life of a late start, siesta and late finish. It is also a city we are sure was settled by aliens. The buildings both modern and old are out there and if you consider Gaudi and Dali were from the area we maybe onto something.
We drove up from Valencia with a brief stop in Peniscola, a beautiful seaside town that in summer must be full of visitors. The old end of town is full of old stone alleys and white walled buildings looking out over the ocean. It has a very Mediterranean feel to the place. Here we wandered around and headed down to a long expanse of beach surrounded by shops and restaurants which included a shop called Bondi. It was only a short stop but would have liked to explore the area more.
From Valencia we decided to use the toll-ways as it cut the trip in half. This is not the cheapest way at 35 euros for a 2 hour trip but easy. The drive into Barcelona was uneventful as we had
Barcelona
Gaudi Apartments our trusty Bruce the tomtom. He guided us into the centre of the city even around the 7 lane roundabout. Here Ian left me on the side of the road with bags, coats and 4 kids while he drove off into the sunset with Hamish to drop the car off. I am sure this was the easier of the 2 jobs as we had to tag team getting the luggage into the building, up lifts and into the apartment. The Apartment itself was great, right in the city in a great residential area surrounded by bars, cafes and restaurants.
The first night was filled with a trip up the road to see a La Liga football match between Barcelona vs Levante . We decided to walk to the stadium and as you got closer you could feel the excitement as the crowds got larger and larger. Getting into the stadium proved no issue, none of the security and bag checks we saw in Italy. As we entered the main stadium the enormity of the crowd hit and the stands were not full yet. As the crowds filled the seats the atmosphere grew. If all games could be like this
Barcelona
Gaudi Apartmnets I think even I could become interested. I watched the excitement on the face of the girls, the grin on Hamish’s face was a classic, Oliver was amazed and Ian transfixed. The locals are passionate about their soccer and the crowd really did make the night. They sang, cheered and even had a few rounds of the wave. Ian will blog about the game itself but we saw a 5 nil win to Barca.
A lot of our time in Barcelona was filled with wandering the streets, stopping for a drink and moving on. Some of the buildings are so detailed you spend your time just looking up. And then there is the Gaudi influence throughout the city. La Familia is wonderful with all the details you could look for hours and each side is so different. I would love to come back in 2026 when it is due to finish 100 yrs after his death. The other Gaudi buildings are a must to see as is Parc Guell. The sculptures and patterns throughout the park are brilliant. We were there early so had a lot of time to look around before the crowds hit. The park is a
Figueres
Dali Museum great escape from the centre of the city and seems to be used by locals and tourists alike. Sitting in the sun overlooking the whole city spread in front of you while you sip on an espresso is worth the trip up the hill alone.
We did get to the Picasso Gallery. The gallery has been designed to highlight his younger years and show the progression of his work. The explanations throughout the gallery really added to your understanding of the works and his life. They even have doodles out of his school books on display.
The Dali museum is in Figueres , about 2 hrs north by train. So up early we headed off for a day trip out of Barcelona. This was something Ian was keen to do and to be honest I might not have bothered if he had not pushed but so pleased he did. The gallery is set in the old community hall and is filled with his work. The building itself with its egg topped tower and glassed dome is worth seeing. The kids took off around the gallery and we were left to take it all in. All you can say
is wow. The work is diverse and some you love and some you look at and just think why but it is all great to see. The collection of jewellery is also spectacular. The jewel encrusted beating heart was my favourite but would happily have most of the pieces in my collection.
The food once again featured heavily in our experience. The tapas just gives you the opportunity to try such a variety of food. Throughout Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona we noticed a huge range of pancetta type meat that are carved off the whole leg in front of you. The meat is spectacular and another tapas dish we did enjoy. The last night in Barcelona we took the kids out to dinner on top of this strange looking building that serves as a shopping mall, cinema complex and theatre and has a great view of the city. Here we had a variety of dishes including snails. We were both impressed that all the kids bar Bella gave them a go and came back for more. We will see if it happens in France.
The city is full of parks designed for both kids and dogs. Many of
the playgrounds are shut overnight and are in pristine condition. The local seem to take pride in their parks and protect and look after them. We discovered a few of them with a variety of play equipment both practical and artistic. The kids favourite was beside the main train station where the sculpture of a dragon/dinosaur has been turned into a slide surrounded by water. This extended into sporting complexes, ground and courts. The city is also orientated towards cyclists and pedestrian with many of the main roads split in the middle and walk and cycleways created and much of the old area of the city is pedestrains only. For such a big, densely populated city you did not feel surrounded by cars.
Barcelona is one amazing city that I would love to live in. If I ever win lotto you will find me dividing my time between here and Venice with Rome for brief stays in between.
Alex
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