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Published: July 14th 2012
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Well, we are finally here in the city of Barcelona, reputed to be one of the most beautiful in Europe. We only arrived this evening but from the little that I have seen so far, I can fully appreciate why it has that reputation. Driving on the wide tree-lined lanes and through its many expansive traffic circles provided, at least for me, furtive glimpses of the capital, Madrid. Anyway, more later on the city after we get to know it better.
First, how we got here. We left our resort in Alfaz del Pi at about 7 am this morning and headed north. I had limited sleep the night before but nevertheless was rearing to take on the almost five hour drive instead of adopting our alternative plan which was to have taken the train. I am glad we drove as we decided to stop in Valencia for breakfast. Jeanette swears that the croissants we had there were the best and I can attest that the caffe con leche was excellent.
About thirty minutes after leaving Valencia I felt sleepy and so decided to pull over near an Auto Grill rest stop for my famous "power nap". During that
well needed fifteen minute rest, Jeanette told me that I snored loudly. After that, I reverted to my normal energetic self and really enjoyed the road, despite the increasingly aggressive drivers that seemed to quickly increase in number the further north we drove.
A stop in Tarragona just to check it out was well worth the slight detour. It is a lovely, clean city. We found an interesting avenue near the seashore, secured underground parking and walked around the many restaurants and shops to find a good place to eat. And we did. As soon as we entered it we knew that we would be comfortable in Ibericus. Hanging from the ceiling and displayed in the counter cases was an exhaustive display of Jamon. We found seats, ordered bagetts with the Jamon and enjoyed a tasty lunch in a great atmosphere. It helped that both the waiters that served us were friendly and spoke fluent English. One learnt his at school and the other in Sydney, Australia, a city we both love.
We eventually reached Barcelona about 3 pm, well ahead of our 5 pm appointment to check in to our apartment which gave us a full hour
Barcelona from our deck
Our apartment is most modern and we get a good view of Sagrada Familia and the street below from our deck. to return the rental car to Europcar at the Sants railstation. And that is where matters went somewhat awry. First of all we identified where both the station and the apartment were beforehand, with the help of our friendly GPS, then retraced our steps from the apartment to ensure that we had the route down pat.
Checking in complete, suitcases and other stuff cleared from the car we set off for our third visit to the station. Folks, I can assure you that street and other signage in Spain leave much to be desired and once again, we could not find Europcar and ended up in the public underground parking lot. Everyone we asked, most well meaning, were of no help whatsoever for they either did not speak English or had no clue how to help. My stress level increased by the minute but after much nerve racking agony, we finally found their parking facility on the roof of the train station. Thankfully, that was resolved without further pain. I can tell you this - the stress was on us and on us alone because the Spanish are really quite laid back and it was no problem if we
The unfinished Familia Sagrada
We are staying in the heart of Barcelona and here I am on our deck on the sixth floor with Familia Sagrada in the background. Can it get any better? were a little late returning the car. It ended well and we picked up the metro and headed for the apartment for a much needed shower and relaxation.
(As it turned out, when we returned to Canada we were greeted by a Visa charge for a tank of gas and an extra day rental. So much for being laid back.)
The walk from the station brought us past the incomplete Familia Sagrada, as we slowly made our way past restaurants, shops and the usual families casually walking around, enjoying Tapas or just sipping coffee and socializing.
Our apartment is very modern, up on the sixth floor and ideally located in the heart of where we wanted to be. And so we plan to enjoy Barcelona.
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