Day 45- 49 Barcelona

What a beautiful city. We had been told along our travels that we would really love Barcelona and you don't want to get there and think 'what's all the fuss about' but the city does live up to expectations. 

Barcelona is the capital of Spain's Catalonia region and is known for its arts and architecture.

    Hotel Astoria is in another great location to explore the city. Iber Tours have been responsible for booking most of our accomodation on this trip and they have been fantastic providing us with not too expensive rooms in good locations in each spot.

   All walls in the hotel are covered by a permanent exhibition creating a Parisian- style Art Nouveau ambience.

   And the view from the rooftop small pool area introduces you to some of the architectural treasures found in Barcelona that span over 2000 years.

   A stroll down La Rambla and you will find yourself in the busy Gothic Quarter. This area is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. Again as with old towns/cities there is a labyrinth of cobblestone streets leading often to small squares. Traffic is very limited in the area.

Throughout the city there are streets with a very wide pedestrian strip down the middle and a small narrow lane on either side for traffic making strolling very pleasant indeed.

   Bikes are major form of transport for the locals and safety gear doesn't seem to be a prerequisite as women ride in the highest of heels and the shortest of skirts.

   Continuing on from the Gothic Quarter and you find Barcelona's Port( Port Olimpic de Barcelona) and huge marina area. This area is a hive of activity and a favourite spot for locals and tourists alike. This area was the site of the Olympic village for the 1992 Olympic Games putting Barcelona on the world map.

   Continue strolling in the heat and you come to Barcelona Town Beach. This area is vibrant full of activity and characters as well as unusual sculptures. ' Homenatge a la Barcelona' is what this leaning sculpture is known as.

   A little bit further along the coast are the much quieter beaches that require you to walk a long way, ride a bike, catch public transport or drive.

Lots and lots to see and do and to get our bearings to know where we were headed each day we caught the hop on hop off bus. There are two companys that run these buses and we caught the one run by the city as it was more convenient as we could purchase our tickets at the hotel. They are much the same. 

We spent a day doing all the different routes, 3 in total, and it gave us a very good insight into the city and its history.

We passed many of the very interesting and famous landmarks of the city.

    The most famous of the landmarks is The Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, aka La Sagrada Familia. This impressive sight is a large Roman Catholic Church designed by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. It has been under construction for over a Century beginning in 1882. It is hoped to be finished in 2026 but more likely 2040.

There are many examples of Antoni Gaudi's architectural genius around the city.

   Walking along another lovely tree lined, shop filled street called Paseig de Gracia you will find another of Gaudi's inspirations.

And of course Park Guell.

   This park began construction in 1900. This park is a must visit in Barcelona and you must book your ticket online as they only allow a certain number of people into the park every hour. It is easy to do at a cost of 7€. The views from the Teatre Grec or Nature Theatre are spectacular and afford you a view all the way to the ocean across the city. 

    Serpentine seating around the edge of the Nature Theatre are covered in intricate patterns using small pieces of broken tiles.

   Colonnaded footpath with external sloping columns are amazing structures which mind you took me some time to capture this shot without any one around, patience was the key.

   Everywhere you turned was another unusual masterpiece of architecture and intrigue.

And of course State of Origin 3 was on while we were there so we had to take time out to watch the game. We were so lucky to be told this bar, The Philharmonic might be a chance of seeing it. A lovely older English lady runs this bar and was kind enough to go through the channels to see if it was on. Mez spotted it on a channel and we had the bar to ourselves as the game started at midday and the bar only opens at midday.

   Unfortunately NSW lost again but a good time was had by all - the two of us.

  Definitely enjoyed Barcelona.

Now the journey on the long fights home begin.