Ahhh..Barcelona! Don't forget the lisp when you say it. What an incredible city- I can't even begin to tell you. I would love to return here for a week. Art-Art-Art everywhere. It's insanely ornate with details in the sidewalk pavement, tiling, modern sculptures, it's Art Nouveau style of architecture and much more. This city has so much detail, beauty, culture, and great food. Businesses are very slow to open up. You will still see restaurants setting up their tables for breakfast at 9am and most stores are not open at all. The place does not even wake up until late morning, but I assure you the party lasts all night. No wonder why they need a siesta. This is our home port which means that every 12 days we return here and from 7am-3pm we can run around the city.
There is a lot to take in just walking around. It's got a well organized transit system but the weather is so nice and there's so much to see it's much better to walk. Barcelona is incredibly deceiving in size. Beyond the main tourist area called La Rambla or the waterfront promenade the city continues to be just as lovely and bustling.
So since we return here many times and it's an easy 30 min walk from the port I can really take my time to see the sights and not rush around trying to get it all in at once. I tend to pick one thing to do that day- Gaudi buildings, parks, Picasso Museum etc. My friends and I took a trip to Parc Guell which is the Gaudi park. It is quite large with a lot of trails. The view point shows you the entire city of Barcelona and the ocean. It was absolutely mobbed but well worth going to. I could imagine not being peak tourist season this would be a really nice place to sit and relax in the winter on a week day :)
Aside from seeing the sights the other extremely important accomplishment of the day is to eat the local food. Now off of La Rambla is the big market. Yes there is a Dunkin' Donuts there on the corner, and yes I got a Boston cream. Unfortunately there were no chocolate glazed munchkins. But the rest of the inside of the market is all produce, meat, cheese, chocolate, wine bars, seafood, nuts and spices, fruit and smoothies galore. Your mouth absolutely waters. It makes me wish I had a kitchen and 100 Euros. There are some prepared food stands too. I like to get at least 2 smoothies which are only 1.50 Euros a piece, some fruit and then some other sort of food. I have made it to 2 restaurants to try some local paella and tapas and was not at all disappointed.
Glassblowers: notice the sophiettas hanging from the meat collect the dripping fat!
These are like 3.50 Euros for just the half of it. I have no idea what it is called but it tasted delicious. How do you not try a fruit that looks as crazy as this?!?
Here's a glimpse at the beautiful architecture again. You find it on every block. Now the Gaudi buildings are very expensive to go into the cheapest being 18E. So I decided I would just take pictures of the outside. Europe is killing my wallet. And it's hard over time to remember that we are talking euros not dollars. So I have gone to check out these buildings and maybe one day I will return to visit the insides. I should also mention I have downloaded an amazing travel app called Triposo which has an amazing map showing attractions, sightseeing and food as well as information on the exact places like the hours and entrance fees to museums and historical facts. So if I sound like I know what I am talking about, I don't, my iphone told me all about it.
Palau Guell mansion
The famous Sagrada Familia by Gaudi.
On the left Casa Amatller by Cadafalch and Casa Batllo by Gaudi on right.
Casa Mila or also known as La Pedrera by Gaudi
Arc de Triomf. It sits at the end of a wide promenade that connects the city with the Parc de la Ciutadella.
So my most favorite spot in the city is the Parc. It easy to get to as it is at the end of the waterfront promenade. It was for decades the only green area in the city. It's 70 acres and hosts the zoo, some museums and the most amazing fountain I have ever seen. The fountain was designed by Josep Fontsere (who at the time had Antoni Gaudi as an employee. funny how that works out).
Random building inside the Parc
I LOVE IT HERE!
No comments:
Post a Comment