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After crossing the border to Spain (tho we have no idea when that was) we eventually arrived in San Sebastien and somehow found a car park not too far from the random little backpackers hostel we were booked in to. This was an interesting hostel.. it was basically a hostel run by a bunch of boys, and it felt like it. But it was kinda great. The main guy there was Mario, he'd cook a meal (seafood payella etc.) for crazy cheap, so ALL the backpackers would cram into the tiny kitchen and drink free Sangria and all mingle and chat. Worked well! He even threw in an ice cream for dessert!! Then he rustled up those of us that were keen to hit the town and dragged us to some of the dodgy clubs in the old town. It was terribly cheesy, but a good laugh. I made friends with 3 young German dudes and pretended to be in my early 20's again… crusin' the dance floor for chicks and so on.. until I got my toes stood on (I was wearing thongs) and I got sick of being pushed about so I ran back to the safety of Clare and the others. Hmm…
Anyway, the weather deteriorated to constant rain so after a couple of days of seeing what little there was to see there, we were keen to hit the road again.. and after a VERY scenic (and money saving: saved €33 on tolls!) drive we spent the night in the rather forgettable Lleida. Though I'll probably never forget how long we spent looking for some dinner! So many people wandering about busy streets and malls lined with retail shops.. yet not a restaurant or take-away in sight!!
On to Barcelona where we found our next hostel.. which was much more spacious and trendy than the one in San Sebastien. Barcelona = wow! We crammed so much into our time here I'll have to gloss over most of it and give you the best & the not so best of it.
BEST:
Las Ramblas - Terribly touristy mall that leads down to the harbour, but very entertaining. The human statues line a section of the mall, petrifying small children while posing for photos. La Boquera undercover market was so colourful and packed with great fresh produce. We also had a VERY fancy meal at a Michelin starred restaurant named Fonda España. Was a touch pricey, but totally worth it to have traditional Catalan food served in a stunning fine dining interior. The food and wine were unbelievably good (although Clare's starter did taste a little bit like tuna mayo) and the service was impeccable. This would be a treat in any circumstance but considering the life style we have been living this was like a whole other world and we spent the whole afternoon there enjoying every last drop of it.
Catedral de Barcelona - Really cool cathedral where you can go up and walk around on the roof (great views).
Gaudi - That guy has his fingerprints all over Barcelona and what sexy fingerprints they are! I really loved the Casa Batllo as it was a feature in one of my first Int Design assignments (Art Nuevo) but all his buildings around the place are completely impressive and individual. The park he designed, Parc Güell, was probably the coolest park I've ever been to. Everything was curved and organic.. with mosaic tiles everywhere (much to Clare's delight). Many different little areas to explore and some of the best views of Barcelona. Though we paid for it, we had to climb up & down an epically long and steep street to get to the park, luckily they had a few escalators up to help. But his crowning glory (and easily our favourite part of Barcelona) was no doubt the Basilica de la Sagrada Família or Cathedral of the Holy Family. We've seen more cathedrals and churches in the last couple of weeks than some peoples see in half a lifetime, but this was much more than a just another church. 45 metre high columns that look like trees reach towards the "canopy" to make you feel like you in a massive yet somehow tranquil and intimate forest (even with the crowds of other tourists in it). His use of colour from the stained glass windows in most of the cathedral was amazing, while at the rear there was only clear glass used to amplify the white stone used and make it seem super fresh, bright and clean. It even had balconies and spots all around the perimeter for a choir of over 2,000 to pump surround sound while-you-worship (or so said our audio guide headset that Clare & I shared because we were too tight-ass to get one each). Truly a magic and inspiring place to be in. There were 4 entrances as the whole place is shaped as the cross, all of which were magnificently decorated with statues of Christ and all those other guys. As you enter from the outside, one side was the Nativity Façade (which was busy but more traditional) and the other side was the Crucifixion or 'Passion' Façade (a lot more sparse and modern, kind of cubist looking statues). The other sides were all covered in drop sheets and scaffolding, as the whole place is basically a big job site.. due to be finished in about 20 years, so don't hold your breath. Although it's being in construction for about 130 years now, so it's in the home straight!
NOT SO BEST:
Car parking issue - Woke up and went to the car one morning which we had parked on the side of the road to find a bit of paper under one of the wipers. Clare looked down and saw a bright orange triangular sticker on the road next to the car covered in Spanish, but we could clearly see our number plate hand written on it. I immediately thought it must be a way parking inspectors keep track of how long cars have been parked or something like that.. but upon getting it translated back at the hostel found it was a sticker that gets stuck to the ground after your car has been towed!! After clearing up with the hostel staff that our car had not been towed yet, we ran back to the car and quickly moved it (even though there was no clear issue with where we were parked). We can only assume the tow truck was on the way, so we counted ourselves EXTREMELY lucky, as apparently it's quite expensive here to get your car back, and it no doubt would have ruined our time here. Quite a stressful start to the morning though!!
Picasso Museum - ok, this probably shouldn't' be in this list, but it just wasn't that great. Guess I'm just not a Picasso fan.. just think he's a tad over-rated.
Liceu Opera Tour - This was supposed to be a self-guided tour, but ended up being a boring guided tour of a place that wasn't that amazing.. where we weren't even allowed to take photos of the grand opera (the main thing) and ended in the cafeteria, exciting!
Overall: LOVED Barcelona.. and one day will definitely return for another nosey.
Daz
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