Barcelona Two Ways

Today’s post on Barcelona looks at a visit to the city from two perspectives – from that of my twenty something daughter who visited in June and then from the perspective of middle-aged folks – that would be my husband and myself.

First – From my daughter – Kristen

After finishing the Via de la Plata earlier than expected this summer, I found myself in the heart of Europe with an extra 8 days on my hands. Now this is really not a bad problem to have! So I plopped myself down in an internet cafe and started looking at cheap flights through Europe. I ended up visiting a few places but Barcelona was the highlight.

This city is absolutely amazing. First of all, getting from the airport to downtown is a piece of cake.  There is a shuttle for about 6 Euros that takes you anywhere along the main road. Before you get on the shuttle though, I recommend visiting the tourist office at the airport to get a map. If you know where you are staying, they will point it out to you on the map making it very easy to know where to get off the shuttle. Once I arrived at my hostal, I made a point to sit down with the concierge to find out what she thought was best to do with only one day in Barcelona. We created a little plan and the next morning I set out early. First stop was the famous La Sagrada Familia designed by the architect Gaudi. I will be honest – I am not the type to get excited about seeing all the famous tourist sites, but this one is a must see. I paid the extra fee to go inside and was blown away by the detail.

After visiting La Sagrada Familia, I went for a walk past another couple sites designed by Gaudi but didn’t pay the fee to go inside. The outsides are worth seeing though.

Then it was off to Las Ramblas. I wasn’t too excited about this strip. It’s very touristy and they sell a lot of junk. But there is an unbelievable market that you enter off of this street. The market is a must see. They have lines of stalls of fresh juices that are delicious. There are also great tapa stands which are packed but worth the wait because the food is delicious.

After the market I made I way down to the beach which was packed. There are great seafood restaurants lining the streets but they are much more expensive than anywhere else in the city. I was getting pretty tired from the heat and walking all day so I made a quick trip through the Gothic Quarter to finish off the day. The Gothic Quarter is comprised of twisting narrow streets which make it like maze. It’s very easy to get lost so make sure you have your map handy. The Cathedral is in the middle of the Quarter was like all others I had seen in Spain so I don’t think its worth the visit but you will find lovely cafes and some good shopping in this area of the city.

It was a whirlwind trip to Barcelona but I am so happy I made the trip even though it was only for a day. Of all the places I’ve been this city definitely tops the list of my favourite places.

Barcelona from my middle-aged perspective.

I’m in agreement with my daughter. I think Barcelona is one of the world’s great cities to visit.

And I’m not much for cities but this place stands out.

Our first night was spent in a hotel down on the waterfront. The perspective from there was quite different from elsewhere in the city. You could watch the gondolas go by, check out the city lights – which at night were fantastic – and easily walk over to the Christopher Columbus statue and the waterfront with its’ energetic vibe.

Then we moved to the Hotel Villa Emilia, a great spot in a convenient location – just ask for an interior room so street noise doesn’t become an issue. The subway is only a block away.

On our first full day in Barcelona we headed, along with what felt like the rest of the world, to Park Gell. It’s one of Barcelona’s most visited attractions and for good reason. It’s free and you get a chance to get close to some of Gaudi’s fantastic work.

And I don’t use the word fantastic lightly. His work is like nothing I have encountered elsewhere on my travels.

You’ll see Hansel and Gretel type buildings, multicoloured mosaics and a dragon fountain to name just a few things. Add in an assortment of musicians, a large number of hiking paths, great views and a wonderful vibe and you’ll find it easy to spend a half day here.

From Park Guell we headed for the Picasso Museum – though it took us about four hours to actually get there. We walked the whole way stopping at little cafes, wandering through the maze like streets of the Gothic Quarter and made an effort to see all the major Gaudi buildings that were on the route.

There’s so much more to Barcelona – this just covers the basics.

Leigh McAdam

 

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