November 10th – 13th 2016

For a city where Abbie speaks the language she didn’t help out too much.

Read our How to Barcelona here – our quick handy guide

When we first got to our amazing hotel which I really recommend if you ever go to Barcelona – Hotel Princess. Luke had awaiting, a beautiful view overlooking the whole city, a bottle of wine & a cake with the ’23’ candle in order to celebrate his birthday. It was a wonderful welcome & we couldn’t wait to adventure out in the early morning.

The first day consisted of a 30km walk just trying to get our bearings, arriving late the previous night, we didn’t get to explore too much. 

[ https://vimeo.com/194557293 ]

We got the metro (which was €22 each for 3 days unlimited travel) into the city centre.
Sagrada Familia was our first stop on our journey, it’s the unfinished Gaudi church that is a sight to behold. Definitely go sooner than later to here because they’re in the process on finishing it according to Gaudi’s original specifications. We walked through Barcelona from here taking in all the sights and sounds of what appears, on the face of it to be a very modern city with the occasional sprawling assortment of Neo-Gothic architecture. Next stop was the Caso Batllo, another modernist house built by Gaudi. These place’s aren’t the cheapest to visit but it’s definitely worth visiting at least one Gaudi monument or building. Probably best to buy these tickets before going from somewhere like Viator. (Also if your a student, take your card with you). The spectacle of them all leaves in awe of just what he did during his time, the buildings were amazing & wonderful to see the in sight of what it really looked like in that time.

After seeing the classic Gaudi houses and architecture we opted to walk along to see what other wonderful sights we could find. Upon this, we stumbled along Museu Picasso.. something abbie found very interesting to say the least. Swiftly after this, we decided to do what the Spanish do and went for a spot of Tapas which was beautiful, set in a old, rustic building, Luke sipping a cerveza & me a sangria grande! Still carrying on from our long day already, we headed for seeing some wonderful squares towards Museu Palace. These were amazing spots to just chill, have a coffee by the fountains and take in the culture.  The Palace was interesting, you get supplied an audio guide to so you get an insight into everything to see what room would have been what, etc. They also had a terrace at the top so you could take in the views of the art and architecture that it beholds. From here, we made our way down to Museu de la Xocolata (chocolate) which was actually, really impressive. Even though, I wanted to eat it all. But, the best thing is, is the ticket to get in, is a free chocolate bar! From here, we walked through the Arc de Triumph which is a short walk from there, this was nice as you walked through an avenue leading up to it, with entertainers, musicians, etc. Then, our last stop was the fountains in Montjuic. These were incredible, a must of an evening in you are in/near the area. Every night, the fountains create a little show for all the visitors to see & everyone comes to watch, the place is packed out. After this long day, we finally started to head home to relax for the next big adventure.

Bright and early, we headed to breakfast before going to CosmoCaixa which is a Science museum in outer Barcelona, amazed at how the escalators were outside to get up hills. It weren’t amazing if we’re honest but they had a cool zoo/aquarium within it which was nice to see, as well as, some interacting activities. From here, we hiked up to Tibadbo, before getting a cable car to reach the top of the peak. Here, you can see amazing views over Barcelona, enjoy yourself at the amusement park or climb up the stairs of the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor. So we saw the temple and indulged ourselves in a coffee and bite to eat before venturing back down. From here, we walked all the way down towards Casa Mila, which is another Gaudi house which is something you need to experience when you have your time in Spain. We decided to pop back to the hotel early evening, to have a quick dip in the rooftop pool even though, it was freezing temperature outside but, luckily enough the pool was heated. We went back to the room to put on something nice to wear for the evening and headed towards the beach for a nice meal (tapas) and a romantic stroll along the beach. When I say romantic, I mean Luke running into the sea and then later realizing that it was wet and cold.. Then, me moaning that I was hangry wanting a Dominos, then when I finally get my own way, buy one, fall asleep and don’t eat it 😦 Luke will never let me forget this.

Our last day consisted of visiting the Gaudi Park. Now, this is spectacular. Takes a while to get there, even if you get the nearest Metro, as you’ve got to walk down a long road, then up a steep hill, but, trust me it’s worth it. The park is amazing, and if it is nice weather and you had a picnic, you could make such a good day out of it. You are able to visit the grounds for free, but, you have to pay to enter the official Gaudi stuff and you have to have a specific time to go. Here, you saw all the wonderful mosaics, views and grand buildings that you won’t believe how nice it is until you go yourself. After spending, a good few hours here we had to grab our stuff & make our way back to the airport ready to go home 😦

Next holiday: Rome