The other Barcelona

---

Geo: 41.3879, 2.16992

Even though we have been to Barcelona 3 times before, the place always looks different, possibly because staying in a different area gives a different perspective. This time we were in the Europark hotel which is in the Eixample district and convenient for all sites. Our room was on the 9th floor and had a balcony which came into its own on the first night when we sat out on it with a bottle of wine when we got back from dinner. The rooms are black/white modern with a lovely big bed. Bathrooms very modern but not large.Our first foray was towards the Arc de Triomf and into the Parque Ciutadella- a lovely walk through wide paths lined by palm trees, stopping for our first beer on the way. Continuing south we ended up at the marina in Barceloneta (little Barcelona) once a grotty area but redeveloped during the Olympics and now an attractive place to go. There are restaurants all along the front but they are a bit touristy. We had wine and tapas in the Tapas Club just off the front. A wedding reception was going on so there was plenty of people watching to do. One of the things I like about Barcelona are the very wide roads and footpaths so easy to get about with no real crowds even though there are plenty people.Traffic is amazingly light. Cyclists and rollerskaters abound and use both roads, cycling paths and footpaths. There are no high rise buildings and the architecture is very varied and interesting especially with Gaudi's influence. We could have done the Tourist bus for 24 euros each but decided to do a combination of walking plus Metro. A 10 journey metro ticket costs 9.50 euros. Our first dinner was at Restaurant Mossel near the corner of Arago and Passag de Gracia. This was a recommendation of the hotel reception. The decor is eclectic with sewing machines, egg cups etc on the walls but with a good ambience. It is a sort of gastropub so dont expect fine dining. I had a tuna salad starter and Stefan had egg ham and chips (as a starter!) They were fine and we took our time. What we hadnt realised was that this place serves fast and our main course was waiting on the side so we got it as soon as we had finished our starter. The food was actually tasty (pigs trotter for Stefan and Duck Magret for me)but could have been hotter. If ever you go, order the starters and wait till you have finished those before ordering mains. With a bottle of wine the bill came to about £20 each so good value.
The day after we headed for the Sagrada Familia to see if they were still building it. We hadnt seen it for 20 years but they were still building. The queue was horrendously long so forgo that and caught the Metro to the University. This is an interesting area with narrow pedestrian streets opening out into little sqares with bars, just our sort of place.In contrast, there is also MACBA, the museum of contemporary art. This is a huge white building containing very avant garde stuff (free for Seniors) but enjoyable if you like modern art. Outside there is a bar in the Plaza des Angels for the first beer of the day. From here it is a short walk to Plaza Catalunya, which is at the top of the Ramblas. We started walking down the Ramblas but then decided that as we had done that before we would walk in the opposite direction. Catalunya is a huge square with fountains and lots of pigeons. We looked in at the Mandarin Oriental (our favourite hotel chain) but it really didnt look inviting enough for lunch so we ended up at Citrus on the Passag de Gracia. The menu for this place was very interesting but the food didnt come up to expectations. Maybe we are just too fussy in our old age! After a siesta we caught the metro to the Barric Gotic (old city) and had a lovely stroll around the cathedral area and down lots of interesting streets. A light dinner of oysters, grilled prawns and iberico ham was enjoyed in Orio a very noisy place with good atmosphere. Our walk after brought us back to the Rambla and we thought we were walking down it but ended up at the top again so decided to walk home via a lively bar.The following day we decided to do the Sagrada Familia despite the queue. In fact it only took 10 mins to get in. The real queue was for the lift to the top- 1 hour 20 mins -so we just stuck to the basilica itself which is amazing and the photos I include do not do it justice. Another metro trip to the front near the statue of Columbus leads to a lovely walk all along the sea front from the port to Barceloneta where a glass of wine in the Tapas Club we had been to previously was well timed. We had plenty of time to change ready for our lunch timed for 2pm at Ca la Nuri at 377 Consell de Cent. A popular place with locals so glad we booked the day before. Here thank heaven, the food was delicious- starter of Santa Pau beans with sardines and herring roe and iberico ham. The main course was Seafood vermicelli- fabulous!. We even had dessert because they were brought round on a little plate so you could see what you were going to get and these were good too. After 2 hours we walked home for a long siesta. A lot of places are closed on Sunday though we did find several bars open in the Gracia district. Despite opinions that the city is unsafe we found it to be as safe and friendly as any city we have been to and would highly recommend it.

---