Barcelona
2005
Part
2 of our honeymoon didn't get off to a very good start as we were pick
pocketed within 30 minutes of arriving in Barcelona. Thankfully not too
much was taken but we could have done without spending an hour or so in
the local police station! Having got that sorted we checked into our hotel
and wandered the 150 metres or so to the beach for lunch (La Oca - very
nice restaurant). We think that we made the right call to stay near the
beach rather than in the centre. We were close enough to a Metro station
to get where we wanted to be but very close to the sea and sand and it
was a nice walk home in the evenings.
The
beaches and Port Olimpic area were great for restaurants, statues, strolling
and people watching. We really liked the metal fish (and had a late lunch
underneath it on our last day)
We're
not sure how comfortable these chairs would be to sit in for too long
but a lot of people seemed quite happy there.
The
roof lines in this area were interesting ...
...
as was the sculpture
...
and finally, an oasis of calm amidst all the hubbub.
Our
first day also took us to Parc de la Ciutadella where there was a lovely
lake (or 2) and a couple of museums. As the weather was so good we didn't
spend too much time inside (Metro getting from A to B when it was too
far to walk, lunch time eating out of the sun and sleeping - that was
it!)
The
man on the left is playing a cardboard piano and singing away! The mammoth
on the right is called Mamut!
My
favourite building in this park was the Zoological Museum
The
Font Monumental (a huge structure) is also here.
Wandering
further we came across the Arc de Triomphe and a statue or two ...
...
some interesting graffiti (and an artist in action) ...
... and generally interesting
street scenes
Day
2 took us up to Parc Guell, most famous for its Gaudi architecture but
there were some great views of the city from the top of the hill (Barcelona
is very hilly and we seemed to spend a lot of time above the town one
way or another)
We
seemed to have entered the park the back way so we had a lovely wander
around, admiring the scenery etc. as we found our way to the main Gaudi
area
I'm
not sure what the big deal is with digeridoo players but there were one
or two of them in the tourist areas of Barcelona. Not sure what I expected,
guitars maybe, but digeridoos weren't there on the list!
We knew we were at the main
area by the number of tourists around!
... but we did manage to get
pictures without people in them!
We
think the seating area was a fountain but we only saw one of the fountains
switched on anywhere in Barcelona. Someone told us they are really short
of water so perhaps one way of preserving resources is to shut fountains
down?
Next
to this area there was an arcade of pillars ...
...
and just through there the highlight (for me at least) with the ceramic
dragon slithering down the fountain (this one was working!)
...
and past there a kind of cave area and the ginger bread houses that guard
the entrance.
From
Parc Guell, we took a tram and wandered down La Rambla, stopping for a
delicious lunch and enjoying the hustle and bustle.
There
were all sorts of pets stalls with lots of birds in cages being sold (amongst
other things). When those stalls finished, the flower stalls took over
- the scent was amazing.
Down
to Placa de Catalunya ...
...
followed by a prowl round the old town ...
...
then back up above the city for some lovely views of the coastal area,
this time in a cable car!
Finally,
a stroll back to the hotel via the marina with Jonathon having his first
ever paddle in the Med!
On
our third and last day, we trekked up to the castle (well... when I say
trekked, we took a metro, a funicular railway and a bus! but we did walk
back down) ...
...
again, there were some spectacular views, this time of the city and commercial
harbour rather than the pretty tourist marina!
On
the way down, we spent quite a bit of time in the botanical gardens where
we met Vicente,
a fellow garden lover and photographer.
The
buildings in the background are the Olympic stadium and the Palau de Sant
Jordi.
The
gardens are all of a mediterranean theme. The deisgners have taken areas
around the world that share the same climate/soil conditions etc. and
built areas within the gardens to show these off. It's really nicely done
and a pleasure to walk around.
Back
down to the water front and a wander round Port Vell (old harbour).
There
were lots of fish around, encouraged by people feeding them probably!
Just
for fun, we arranged ourselves so we could take a photo of us in each
part of the "g" in the glass ceiling!
Finally,
we wandered back to the hotel to collect our bags and wend our way home.
Despite
the intial problems, we would love to revisit Barcelona as there was so
much we didn't get to visit and explore in our few days there.