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Sun, sea, beach, monuments, history and fun - Barcelona has it all!!!
Friday afternoon we hit the road for the long journey north curtesy of Tono and his company car. There was a small glitch after 30 mins when Javi realised he didn´t have the keys to the free flat that we were staying in. With a slight detour back to Valencia we finally reached Barcelona, only a mere 2 hours after leaving Valencia for the second time.
For the first night, dinner in a dark back street ally with the locals i.e. Tono´s cousin, getting to see the Barcelona that many tourists don´t. Superb fresh food, cool refreshing beers and a stickiness that only a day in the sun can bring we headed to the flat. The flat was free, and we got what we paid for. On the 3rd floor (3 floors after the entrance floor and the principle floor, so I believe really it was the 5th), with floorboards that floated as you walked and views of the flats across the way, however very near the plaça d´españa, so I´m really not complaining.
As mentioned Barcelona has it all - and I wanted to see it all. The easiest way to fit everything into one day is on the tourist bus - which is cheaper online when purchased before you go, for all you backpackers out there. So an early rise, after a cheap and pretty nasty breakfast we jumped on the "jump on/off bus." This was rather short lived due to the conductor not knowing how to process our e-ticket (it was the guys first day). Nevertheless we eventually made our way round the city, taking in all the sounds, smells and the scourching heat, which hadn´t looked to promising when I had first left the flat, therefore believing I wouldn´t require suncream. Sure everyone can guess what happened to my nice pale white skin.
Not to be missed - the sagrada familia, the highlight of I´m sure everyone´s trip to Barcelona. This isn´t actually finished yet, and the proposed date will be, if they are lucky, sometime in the year 2020. Other great things are the harbour with the old port, la rambla - a street packed with people, street artists, shops and pubs. The old bull fighting ring is also worth the visit, it looks really nice from the outside but inside it has been made into a shopping centre. If you can pull eyes away from the bargains and make your way to the top there is a lovely viewing platform of the plaça d´españa and the surounding area, and is free, always a bonus.
Javi and I also went on the tram up the mountain, which offered spectular views and there is also a theme park up there for anyone who wanted, we decided against it since time was of the essence. Night and out once again, this time with Javi´s cousins to a Vietamese restaurante serving traditional food only topped by the food in Vietnam and China - worth the visit if I could remember the name. Few drinks, live music (which wasn´t that good) and of to bed to recharge for another day in Barcelona.
The second day, and it was the final of the wimbeldon with Rafa. Obviously in Spain, supporting Rafa, we found a sports pub in La Rambla to park our butts in to watch the match. This was only after making our way to the MNAC, the olympic stadium, poble and the old port again, seriously fitting in as much as possible in my 2 days. Sports bar was crowded, overpriced and a sheer disappointment at the performace of Nadal for most of the match. There were a few sour faces once the game had quickly come to an end. There were also very happy faces, of people who clearly weren´t Spanish.
On the road again, the three and a half hour trip, once again only taking 2 at the most to see me back in the familiar city of Valencia before venturing back to Alcoy the following day. Got myself a little bit of work for the summer, and looking to get myself a bit more so I can afford to fund my trips to the lavish cities where the sun shines and the beers are more expensive than I charge for an hour of teaching.
If all goes to plan, I´ll be seeing my folks in a few weeks and heading south to Vera.
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