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Published: March 27th 2014
We don't often go into Barcelona just to be tourists for the day. There's normally some administrative task to get out of the way or some shopping to be done, or maybe simply a trip to the cinema to watch a film in English, but this visit was purely for the sake of being tourists!
The main reason was a discount voucher. Recently we had been to the cinema at Arenys de Mar where we had picked up a discount voucher of €4 per person for the Barcelona aquarium thanks to MacDonalds (not that we ate there!). With a hefty cost of €20 per person at full price, we thought it was worth a special trip.
First we made our way to Drassanes metro station where we popped into the
Barcelona Maritime Museum to see what the entry fee was. At €5 per person we are quite likely to call in at some time but we had to get to the aquarium before the hoards of schoolchildren arrived on their excursions. The Maritime Museum has quite a few exhibits in the foyer and garden which you can view free of charge, most notably the small wooden submarine just inside the gates.
The main event of the day was going to the aquarium. When we got there there wasn't even a queue so we went straight inside. You don't have to but we left our bags in a locker, only finding out when we collected them that the euro coin was not retrievable! On entering there was also the obligatory touristy photo of the two of us standing behind a shark. I think it was about six euros to buy the print so no, we didn't.
Inside the aquarium there are lots of small tanks with colourful fish as you would expect. The information boards were clear and easy to understand as they were in several different languages including English (hoorah!). The tanks are well maintained and we never felt that the fish were cramped or badly cared for. The shockingly bright tropical fish were stunning and the seahorses unbelievably cute, but the star of the show is without a doubt the huge tank containing the sharks. No, they are not Great Whites or anything remotely as impressive, but standing on a moving platform taking you through a glass tunnel was quite an experience. Personally though, the stingrays were far
better than the sharks!
At the end of the tunnel it seemed that our visit had finished and we were quite horrified by how small the aquarium had been. What we didn't know was that there was another floor with small tanks. That's where we finally found Nemo! We also got to walk inside a huge plastic sperm whale where the jellyfish tanks lurked in the dark. They were impossible to photograph though. Nearby was the penguin enclosure which was nice enough but when you've seen them in their thousands
in the wilds of Patagonia, it's just not the same. The gift shop awaited us before leaving where all sorts of memorabilia are available to remind you of your visit.
Back at Drassanes we took the metro up to Passeig de Gracia where we had two goals. One was to wander aimlessly around looking at the architecture whilst the other was to visit some book shops we had heard about. There is such diverse architecture in Barcelona that it's impossible to cover everything. Perhaps the most famous building is the one designed by Gaudi with what seem to be Mardi Gras masks covering the balconies. It greets you as soon as you
leave the metro at Passeig de Gracia. His other famous building in the Gracia area, La Pedrera, is currently covered in tarpaulin and scaffolding which is a shame for those looking for typical touristy photos.
On the book shop front we had mixed fortunes. We knew from some fellow bloggers about some of them. First up was
Altair , an amazing book shop specialising in travel guides and literature. The vast majority of books are in Spanish but there are some English titles dotted about the place. Thanks to
Meritxell for the recommendation. We will definitely return for another browse some time. Next up was
Re-Read, a second hand book shop we knew about thanks to
Barcelona Check In. We went to the one on Rossello but were disappointed by their selection in English. It wasn't what we expected but perhaps one of their other locations will prove to be more fruitful.
From there we wandered deep into the heart of Villa Gracia in search of
Hibernian Books. We were not disappointed. This was exactly what we had hoped to find and they have thousands of second hand titles in English to delight the travelling bookworm. They even had a giant
English/Spanish dictionary at a fraction of the cost of buying new! It was very heavy to carry around for the rest of the evening though!!
Nearby we stumbled across another book shop, this one specialising in aviation titles.
Aeroteca was an amazing experience. If simply browsing their extensive aviation catalogue isn't enough, you can even pay for a ride on their cockpit flight simulator. That is another place we will definitely be returning too, not that we bought anything! It seems that Villa Gracia is known as
Barcelona's Largest Bookshop and we will certainly be returning to discover more hidden delights.
Our touristy day was drawing to a close and as darkness began to fall we returned to the La Rambla area. Tucked away on a side street was
Cafe Nemrut where we enjoyed a beer and some wonderful
patatas bravas. We followed that up with incredible Thai curries in
Grill Room where we dined in an air of sophistication most definitely not reflected in the prices. Feeling suitably fed and watered we returned to Mataró feeling more than satisfied with a long day out in the big city.
You can follow our adventures further at
www.mataroaming.com
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taracloud
Tara Cloud
Great get-away!
Your top aquarium photos are brilliant! I love those tunnel rooms--try Valencia's bigger aquarium if you get a chance. As a long-time traveler, I appreciated your great finds in the bookstore department--such a necessary treasure. I've stayed in Barcelona several time--it's one of my fave cities. You're so lucky to be within day tripping distance. Visit again and share, please!