It was well worth staying at the airport hotel on the last night in Madrid as our transfer to the airport was straightforward and fast. Terminal 4 at Madrid is a satellite terminal but is much newer and nicer than 1-3. Again we had a short flight and our Airbnb host collected us from the airport this time – very convenient. 25 minute ride to the suburban area – La Guineuta to the warehouse apartment we are staying in. Very spacious compared to our last place. We headed out for lunch but realised quickly that siesta is taken seriously here and only one place was open. Still it was good food, pastel de carne followed by chicken schnitzel for me and a local chicken dish for Charlie. Our obligatory trip to the supermarket before heading back to the apartment to finally wash some clothes (impossible in Madrid in the rain).
Sunny Sunday! Making a pleasant change from the last week we were faced with a beautiful day on our first full day in Barcelona. Given it’s Sunday and not much is open we decided to make it a day of local explorations. Our first stop was a large park nearby (the second largest in Barcelona). We managed to catch a soccer game – including a goal! We then climbed to the top of the hill to take in the views. Barcelona is surprisingly densely populated including up the sides of the mountain ranges which surround it. We could see a large building in the city that looks like Canary Wharf – we later discovered it’s a design museum. Back down the hill, stopping at a kebab store – Data Doner for a grilled chicken, pretty good. We continued wandering until siesta time. For dinner we tried to find a highly rated local churrasco place but after struggling to find them, Charlie rang them and found out that they are only open in the warm weather! So we went to a highly rated seafood place (Casa Angelita) instead where we had pulpo and gambas as well as the best patatas bravas we have ever had.
Metropolitan Monday. We had a long walk and a late breakfast today. Made the decision to buy the 5 day travel pass – valid on all trains and buses in Barcelona for EUR 35 each (31.50 when bought online) so we could get around easily without having to stop and buy tickets each time. We set off for FutbolMania which was a bit of a disappointment but as it put us not far from La Rambla it wasn’t a total loss. We started to stroll (ramble haha!) and came across a place selling gnocchi with pesto for lunch – delicious, especially washed down with an espresso and tiramisu. We headed to the main section of La Rambla and then ambled in and out of the side streets for the afternoon. Last stop was the FC Barcelona store before heading back to the Airbnb.
Treating Alyson on Tuesday. Our first stop for today was the Gothic Quarter. We wandered around admiring the buildings and checking out the graffiti art. Nowhere near as good as what we had seen in Portugal and Madrid.
We did however see a place selling rotisserie chicken (they had it cooking on the corner outside) that was opened in 1835!!! After a little more walking we headed back to eat there – Los Caracoles. It was one of the most expensive meals we had – at 45.88 EUR but it was delicious. The chicken was so well seasoned and juicy. The vegetables and bread accompanying it were also wonderful.
Next we set our sights and GPS tracking to Citadel Park, hoping to see the Gaudi cascades (of course it had no water!) so we headed to Casa Battlo instead. On the way to the park we stopped in at Estacio de Francia – a grand old station with beautiful architecture (and free toilets!).
Casa Battlo was amazing, the amount of detail and colour makes it a stunning sight. The building next door was also incredible – Casa Amatller. Our final stop was Casa Mila. We cheated here by grabbing a coffee in the cafe which means you can sneak a peak into the inside of the house which is decorated just as impressively as the outside.
Match Day! We took a long walk this morning through a new park in the barrio of Nou Barris including some odd shaped boardwalks across a man made lake. After breakfast at home we set off for Park Guell and decided to pick up some food for a picnic at a supermarket on the way. We weren’t sure if the admission to the paid part of the park was going to be worth it so we didn’t pre book. So glad we made that choice as the main viewing platform was closed for renovations and you could see most of the buildings from the free area of the park anyway. The park was originally designed to be a housing estate for Barcelona’s wealthy by Gaudi but only a few buildings, staircases and walkways were built. The views of Barcelona are certainly impressive and Gaudi’s unique style makes for some nice sights as well.
We hopped on the bus back down the hill in search of coffee and cake but everyone was closed for siesta so we headed back to our neighbourhood where we knew places would be open. Alyson enjoyed a super fluffy, chocolate covered doughnut while Charlie partook of an ensaimada. We both enjoyed cafe con leche before heading home for our obligatory siesta. Headed back out to watch the Champions League match between Barcelona and Chelsea at the local bar, as tickets were either scarce or ridiculously expensive (965 EUR!!! – yes, each). We ordered and started to eat when we found out that the little bar we were at no longer had the channel needed for the game (we checked the day before that they had it) so we headed elsewhere. We missed Messi’s first goal in the 3rd min of the game but saw the rest of the game including over zealous locals celebrating the next 2 goals (it was cool to see grown men hugging and kissing! such passion for their team).
Tourists on Thursday. Slow start after the late night (for us) watching the football. Today was Charlie’s choice and he had decided we would eat at an el corte ingles where your meal is cooked fresh and you can eat it with views over the start of La Rambla and one of the main squares in Barcelona. This was a really good choice and we enjoyed both our burgers and beers while people watching for quite some time.
Following our lunch we set off to La Boqueria another traditional market in Spain which attracts both locals and tourists alike. If we hadn’t been full we definitely would have tried some of the fresh fruit – 1 EUR for a cup full! We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the streets before indulging in corn chips and homemade guacamole for dinner.
Familia Friday. Another slow start today, we skipped our walk as we were hungry. Took the bus to La Sagrada Familia, we had a chuckle on the bus as there was one very odd lady who kept swapping seats and offering up dirty looks to most of the other passengers. At first Alyson thought it was just her (since she was obviously a tourist and couldn’t understand Catalan/Spanish) but then we saw others on the bus also commenting on her odd behaviour! A bit of light entertainment to make the bus ride faster. The basilica is absolutely amazing from the outside, we wandered around for a while taking in the views and looking at the construction (it’s been being built for over 100 years and is set for completion in 2026!!!). Inside was just as incredible. It’s beautiful and the columns that have been made to look like trees were very clever. We spent about 1 hour and 20 minutes here, using the audio guide this time. The detail in each aspect of the basilica shows how much thought Gaudi put into everything as well as the very specific instructions, plans, diagrams and models he prepared as well. He purposely designed it to be constructed in stages as he thought that if it was undertaken all at once the project would be shelved. This was clearly a prudent step with people still investing and the construction finally close to completion.
On to el Tuscania for lunch (Charlie had scoped this out on Google the day before). We enjoyed the gnocchi with pesto and mushroom risotto but were horrified that we paid 3.50EUR each for a can of Fanta Limon!! Since it was only early afternoon we headed to the suburbs to see the el corte ingles, not only for Charlie to check out the soccer gear but because this one has one side completely made of glass from which you have amazing views. It was definitely worth the visit as there was also a nice park alongside. Final stop before heading back to the Airbnb was a Joma store but it only had a couple of boots as well. Nice walk home before indulging in a pizza and relaxing at home.
Soggy Saturday. Our usual morning walk today with an added bonus of a couple of kid’s soccer games and some girls practicing their figure skating. Onto the metro heading for Placa Espanya so we can visit the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. We had read that entry after 3pm is free on Saturday so we planned to have lunch first and then visit the gallery. The first place we tried for was full (open to reservations only) but the second place took us straight away – Can Lampazas. So glad we ended up there. We had octopus cooked the local way and some spicy chicken. This was a really nice restaurant with incredible service. The prices were also reasonable, especially given the quality of the food, the location and the atmosphere and decorations. With our appetite satisfied we headed to the museum. The views before you enter are great as it’s on the top of the hill. We were definitely more impressed with the building than the art. A lot of the work is religious (which is fine but it was repetitive). There was some modern art upstairs including some art deco/nouveau pieces as well as propaganda materials which was impressive. What was also impressive is the method of collection and display of the older religious art. The paint is transferred from the walls of old churches etc, they then move or rebuild what they can in the gallery and transfer the paint/colours back on. The museum has lovely comfy couches dotted around and so we spent some time people watching and admiring the architecture bringing the total time we spent here to about 2.5 hours. Sadly by this time it had started raining (note that weather forecasts in Spain are pretty inaccurate) so we had a quick dash to the metro and then home so we could pick up Charlie’s rain jacket. Final stop for the day was groceries so we were prepared for Sunday as well as Monday – Father’s Day where many stores and restaurants were planning to be closed. We enjoyed chori-pan for dinner!
Slow Sunday. We are set on going to Parque del Laberint d’Horta to try out the maze! So no morning walk as the park is 34 minutes away and we are not planning on using public transport today. The park is very pretty, a lot of hidden gardens and plenty of seating available. We had our picnic – salad with chorizo and guacamole, wandered around and beat the maze, making it to the statue of Eros in the centre! We noticed that depending on which entry you use to the maze it has a different level of difficulty (we chose the hard one!) On the way back we stopped to watch some soccer. We also stopped at the velodrome for an amazingly clean toilet stop (tip if you are going to the park). Meandered back home for tea/coffee and a pasta dinner at home.
Mellow Monday. Our last day in Barcelona today, we decided to stay around the area, pack our bags, finish some blog posts and generally wind down. We did go for a walk in the morning, we headed to Nou Barris in the hope that their local market would be open, but not much was unfortunately. We wound our way back through the suburbs making a few stops in some nice squares and parks, but other than some pretty houses and churches there wasn’t anything spectacular to see in this very suburban area. Lunch and dinner at home in the Airbnb today.
Ciao! from Barcelona, tomorrow we say Bonjour! to Bordeaux.
Our long way home 