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Having reached Barcelona late on Friday night after a 5 hour train from Marseille we found the hostel and went straight to bed.
We woke early on Saturday morning to do a free walking tour however we missed it by about 5 minutes! So decided to wander around the city ourselves, making our way towards the sea. We walked along the beach promenade and then to La Rambla which was really busy, mainly tourists. The food market there was really good with so much to see, but also completely packed! For lunch we came across a small cafe in a less touristy area with outside seating, which offered 2 courses and a drink for €12. We weren't expecting much but the food was really tasty and definitely value for money! In the late afternoon we visited the Sagrada Familia, the famous cathedral designed by Gaudi. Having seen a fair few cathedrals on our trip so far, this was without a doubt the most impressive. Inside the huge building was the most amazing coloured light through the stain glassed windows and interesting stone structures holding it all up. It's really hard to explain how great it was but definitely worth seeing! After visiting the Sagrada Familia we headed back to our hostel for some food, shower and to change for the evening. We planned to have a couple of drinks at our hostel before heading out but ended up staying there all night as there was a good atmosphere.
Sunday morning, well afternoon by the time we woke up, started with a big brunch! Then we headed down to the beach where we relaxed in the sun for the afternoon. The beach front was filled with cafes and bars so we wandered along there, stopping to watch the volleyball and slack-lining, which was quite impressive. For dinner we went to a place round the corner from our hostel and had a fairly early night.
Monday morning we made it in time for the free walking tour so headed off with the group to explore the Gothic area of Barcelona. We were shown and told about many of the different buildings and areas, which was really interesting. The tour guide was great and helped us to understand the history of Barcelona, as well as giving us some good places to go for food and drink. Once the tour was finished we went to a cafe for a Mojito in the sun. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the small streets and going to a few shops. After sitting in one of the main squares for a while (where I got pooed on by a pigeon!!!) we found a tapas restaurant for dinner. We didn't think it was going to fill us up enough but turned out to be really good and very filling! Tapas and Sangria - very Spanish! Having showered and changed for the evening we got the metro to the Born area for a cocktail, suggested to us by the tour guide. We ended up getting there quite late and realised the last metro on a Monday is around 12 so caught that back to the hostel, we were both quite tired anyway. Although we didn't quite experience the wild nightlife of Barcelona it was still lively and enjoyable.
We checked out at 10am on Tuesday, our last day!!! Having saved Park Guell until our final day we headed there after breakfast. We'd bought tickets to the main memorial area online the day before so got in quite quickly, saved €1 too! The park designed by Gaudi had some amazing features to look at, the two houses at the entrance were beautiful, the roofs so colourful and detailed. From the large open area, with seating all around, we sat and took in the views over Barcelona. After walking around the park and getting an ice cream we caught the metro back to the centre to eat some lunch. In the afternoon we spent a bit of time in the smaller streets before heading to the Parc de la Ciutadella to lie in the sun. With a lack of sleep and having walked around a lot the past fews days (and weeks!) we were both pretty tired so it was nice to just sit down and relax on our last afternoon away. To everyone else it might just be one big holiday (which I guess it is) but it is still very tiring!! Our last supper was back to a restaurant near our hostel, where I enjoyed some patatas bravas and chicken.
Being stingy we didn't book a hostel for our last night as we had to be at the airport for 5.30am Wednesday morning, so we got the bus to the airport around 1am. Sleeping at the airport wasn't particularly successful but we knew we'd be home soon. Eventually we arrived back in England around 9am after a 2 hour flight.
Barcelona was definitely one of my favourite places, mainly because of the atmosphere and that there was so much to see and do. Especially seeing all the Gaudi work around the city, it really was amazing.
- comments
Dad Well done Georgia you got round the whole of Europe without loosing or breaking your phone ! even through Barca where others have foundered, (maybe the seagull s*** helped, some say its lucky) Well done you have seen some places on your travels, looking forward to hearing the details in full when I get home,
Annie Been great to read your updates and see the lovely photos...welcome back xxx