Have you ever loved someone? Imagine that magical way you feel about that special person. That is how I feel about Barcelona. Unfortunately she hasn't returned my calls and the only time she said "hi" to me she was talking to the guy behind me.
If I wrote about every single thing I like about Barcelona we could be here for hours. (In comparison if I wrote about all the things I love about Luke Course we would be here for the best part of a day.) I am now a "Barcasexual", I am not attracted to girls, only the city of Barcelona.
Our five nights in heaven oh sorry I mean Barcelona were spent at the "Barcelona Sound Hostel". This "sounds" good right? Well it was really quite nice. The six bed dorm was a bit cramped, but we had great company and the lockers were good. The chill out zone was a great place to kill time and had computers with free internet. A guest kitchen was a welcome addition and was a great place to cook meals and could double as a crematorium when the hostel dog passed away. The location of the hotel was second to none, close to a metro station, bakery, main street and strip club. For the record I couldn't tell you what the strip club was like, if you are interested ask Mat.
Barcelona has everything; docks, beaches, parks, amazing shopping & elephant man. Oh I haven't mentioned elephant man have I? He is world famous and a big tourist attraction. Basically he is a 60 year old man that walks the streets naked. In an interesting twist he has an elephants head tattooed on his pubic region in a manner that makes his penis the trunk. Quite a large trunk I may add. I did get a photo with him but I won't be able to put it on facebook so feel free to come over and have a look when I am home.
The first day that we were in Barca we headed up to Montjuic, a hill that has the Olympic stadium from 1992 and overlooks the whole city. The diving pool used for the olympics is probably the best thing on planet earth apart from David Beckham. The stands are only on one side and are built into a cliff. The diving board and pool are just below, with the whole city behind them. It is worth a look on google if you have a spare moment. If you use all your spare moments reading this blog I will take this opportunity to both thank you and tell you to maybe get some hobbies.
After taking in the captivating view we walked down the hill and all the way to the other side of Barcelona, to see the beach. On the way we stopped off at the main shopping mall, romantically located on somewhat of an island with docks on either side. Our credit cards got swiped at a frequency that can only be measured in SPS (swipes per second). The Spanish stores called "Pull and Bear" & "Desigual" were the main victims. It really shows how overpriced Australian clothes are, because in most parts of Europe the clothes are better quality and half the price. As a result of this I am struggling to fit everything in my pack and I have had to sacrifice a few of my belongings (and all presents meant for my parents, I know you will understand Mum and Dad). Mat has been even worse than me though, his credit card has had more action than Paris Hilton. This brings me to a somewhat depressing story.
Let me set the scene, the two of us (looking sexy of course) are walking through the shopping centre on the lookout for some bargains. Our eyes come across "Desigual", a Spanish brand that is growing fast and is highly regarded in the fashion world. After arriving at the mens section, my life changed forever. I saw a long sleeved tshirt that in short, was the single best piece of clothing I have ever come across. I tried it on and when I looked in the mirror I finally understood what the song "afternoon delight" was written about. I was on cloud nine. The price tag was the only hurdle. Whilst I contemplated whether I could afford it, my so called "friend" Mat tried it on and bought it. After coming to terms with the betrayal I realized that our friendship is stronger than a stupid piece of clothing. So I did the mature thing and just shaved his eyebrows in his sleep. Problem solved!
The second day of our stay we spent mainly chilling at the beach. The main beach is in fact man made; the sand was all brought in. Whilst sunbaking you get inundated with people selling cold drinks, coconut, massages and in one case cocaine. Another unique feature of the beaches here are that 2/3 of women find tops an unrequired accessory. Not a bad attitude in my opinion, although we would both rather see a girls personality than boobs. (I hope that gets us a few kudos with some of the female readers). The whole beachfront is lined with palm trees and tapas bars which ensures it is picture perfect and has some awesome atmosphere.
That afternoon we actually went to a tattoo and piercing place to get the names of two Spanish girls from the night before tattooed on our ankles. That is in fact a joke, meaning it has no truth but makes you laugh. I hope that joke was successful and you got a giggle because I found it humorous. I did in fact get my nose pierced, just as something different. Mum feel free to not kick me out of home, cheers!
That night we went to Las Fuentes Magicas, a huge fountain that turns into a light and water show on weekend nights. The two German girls from our room were nice enough to accompany us, although their names elude me at this point. Their English was fairly average and conversation ran as smoothly as an outback dirt road. I did kiss one of them but she obviously took this as a sign that I wanted to marry her, and wouldn't let me out of sight or let my hand go. At one stage she actually uttered tge words "we are the king and queen of Barcelona". That is without doubt the worst comment anyone has ever made to me. I hope I never have to hear a comment of this nature again in my life.
The light and water show was spectacular with water flying everywhere and changing colours all the time.
Las Ramblas is the busiest street in Barcelona and was just around the corner from our hostel. I have never seen a street that is always so busy and has so much character. I maintain that anything you could possibly want is available somewhere on Rambla. We both enjoyed looking at some of the stalls that sell animals along the street. Iguanas, chipmunks, turtles, hamsters, lizards and many more species are all for sale very cheaply. There are also heaps of human statues all trying to make a quid or two. If drugs are your thing they are also offered to you regularly by shady looking guys. Souveniers are available in every second shop, which allows you to bargain a lot and get a good price. At times we bargained a bit hard, as we got asked to leave numerous times and one guy actually physically pushed me out of his store. It was all worth it for some of our bargains.
Along Las Ramblas you can find the food market widely regarded as one of the best in the world, La Boqueria. If you can't find something at this market, it's not worth eating. Some of the more interesting food on sale include sheep heads, whole piglets and sheep legs. The best parts of the market in our opinion were the fresh juices and fresh eggs. Coconut and raspberry juice was a personal favourite. The eggs were very fresh and so cheap! A dozen eggs was €1 ($1.40).
FC Barcelona is the most successful football club in the world in the modern era, so when we had the opportunity to go and get a tour of Nou Camp we jumped at it. The stadium was amazing and it was great seeing all the facilities and even walking out the players tunnel onto the pitch. The museum was easily the best museum I have ever been to, with some amazing pieces of history with items relating to Messi, Maradona, Ronaldo, Cryuff and Eusebo. There were also a lot of huge touch screens that offered highlights, stats and information.
Now going to Nou Camp inspired us a bit and that leads me to the most exciting news in the universe. On Saturday night we have tickets to a Real Madrid game at their home ground, Santiago Bernabeu. That is something I have dreamed of my whole life and I cannot wait! The tickets were very expensive but it will be 100% worth it.
We spent our last day in Barca just checking off a few more tourist attractions. Park Guell, Sagrada Family, Arc De Trumph & Parque de la Ciutadella were all visited and photographed.
Park Guell is probably the pick of the bunch, a park that overlooks the whole city that was designed by Gaudi. There is also some amazing achitecture, that coupled with the view, makes a great place.
Today we embark on our last busabout bus to Madrid. It is now only five days until we are home, which is very scary.