A Bit Of Spanish Sun


Advertisement
Spain's flag
Europe » Spain » Catalonia » Barcelona
January 22nd 2008
Published: January 25th 2008
Edit Blog Post

Breakfast is only served till ten, so we got up at half nine to catch the end of it. The common room was chaos when we entered but a member of staff informed us that the general gist was to grab a plate and eat as much as possible. We got yoghurt, toast, croissants, fruit, cereal etc.

We decided that a tourist information would be a good idea so that we could get maps and information about attractions. We did get a map, but there was nothing else of use. We sat in the park to examine the map and were approached by a lady who gave us a big Jehovas witness talk. When we finally escaped her clutches we decided to head to the theatre of Catalonian music to see if there were any performances we could afford; there weren't.

The parc de la ciutadella was in the same area so we went for a walk around. It houses the city zoo, a major fountain designed by Gaudi and the parliamentary building. We discovered that they have a sound and light display here at weekends which we'd like to see.

We used the compass to walk in the general direction of le mercat de Santa Caterina. We stumbled across some beautiful streets and quiet little courtyards. We passed so many bakeries and eventually succumbed and bought a cheesey thing and another sugary thing to share. The inside of the market was pretty bog standard but the building it was in had a beautifully tiled roof.

Despite having seen and done a lot our renewed enthusiasm for traveling meant that we decided to see the Barri Gotic sector. This part of Barcelona is beautiful and reminded me somewhat of Kotor. Its all very close and built very tall. Little pathways wind between buildings and you stumble out upon a mass of cafes or a decorative courtyard. At one point we stepped into an open space to see a rather large building under heavy refurbishment. Unbeknown to us it was the cathedral and we have since been told it is beautiful inside, however we didn't go in because it wasn't free.

Back at the hostel we sat down for pumpkin soup and bread and chatted about our plans for Morocco. (we have none) we nipped on the internet and e-mailed our two possibilities for Marrakesh and sent an e-mail to our parents. We then headed out for a stroll up to the top of our road.

Gaudi is an architect that has a God-like status in Barcelona and after seeing a few of his apartment blocks I can see why. The next block up from our hostel is his Casa Batllo and La Pedra which are just unique and breathtaking. (i will buy postcards because my photos aren't that great) after seeing these we have decided that tomorrow we are going to go to park Guell to see some more. Around the corner from the hostel is Fundacio Antoni Tapies which houses work by Antoni Tapies who is considered Barcelona's greatest experimental artist. We know absolutely nothing about him, but if we have time to kill then we are interested in seeing it.

At the hostel we cooked a pizza in the microwave and had a shop bought salad. As we were sitting eating it, a couple came over and joined us. We sat chatting to them for ages and then decided to go out in pursuit of a bar. One was recommended to us by a girl working at the hostel but when we got there it was too expensive so we found a café round the corner that did a very cheap bottle of rose. We sat and chatted for ages and ended crawling into bed around three. Luckily for us, we still had the place to ourselves.



Additional photos below
Photos: 33, Displayed: 24


Advertisement

Park De TriumphPark De Triumph
Park De Triumph

clever eh?
Scooter Con TreeScooter Con Tree
Scooter Con Tree

Steph's arty shot


25th January 2008

WOW kiss table football and albino hedgehogs, bet you were in your element. Glad your having a good time, hope you dont get sun burnt :P xx
25th January 2008

memories
Hi Stob! Just reading your 3 blogs about Barcelona had me going back to our adventures in that beautiful city. The fountain in your photo was the first thing we saw when we emerged from the Metro after leaving our hotel. It was our first trip out and we were heading for the Ramblas. It is a rather large city and I remember getting very tired feet by the end of an afternoon! Will comment further as we gt into the weekend - thank you for nicely detailed emails! Take care, Irene xxx
25th January 2008

Photos
Great photos, just what Dad and I need. Keep them coming. Love Mumxx

Tot: 0.231s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 26; qc: 120; dbt: 0.1609s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.4mb