I had been very excited about visiting Barcelona ... a funky euro city with so much to offer. I lobbed in to town after a scenic train ride along the coast from Valencia, checked into my hostel then sat there. And sat there. I really didnt think i could be bothered with Barcelona.
I thought it may have been that I had fallen in love with Valencia and had packed so much into my two days there. Then I realised the problem ... Spain was my fourth country in just under two months. I was worn down. I had been on the move for too long, packing too many cultures and too many sights into too little time.
I settled in to my private room (big yay) and decided I needed an early night.
The next morning, fueled by strong coffee (thank you hostel for the coffee machine) I decided to go for a wander. And am I pleased I did.
Barcelona is amazing. From the great architecture to funky bars and so much art, the city has so much to offer.
After meandering through the cobbled streets of the Gothic Quarter I hit the Cathedral. I sat outside for a bit being entertained by a busker playing tunes on water filled jars then decided to venture inside this gothic masterpiece.
The catheral is enormous with small chapels off the main nave and there's even a courtyard with geese.
The main nave has an ornate central choir stall and underneath there is a crypt which contains an alabaster tomb of a local patron saint who apparently was tortured at the hands of the romans.
I headed up the tower to check out the view from the roof. I was more than happy to pay €2 for the lift!
After viewing Barcelona from on high I decided it was time for a bevvie, so headed to Boadas to see what my friend Peter had been talking about.
Behind a very simple brown door is a perfect bar. I felt like I had walked into a 1950s movie set. Watching the bow-tied barman make my martini was pure art. And it tasted so very, very good (read that as awfully strong).
Barcelona has a plethora of artists on show ... some crazy displays in random places that I stumbled upon. Others I went out to find.
I spent ages in the Dahli museum. Not only is place packed with his work, there is an amazing display of photographs of the crazy man himself.
I also took a peek inside Barcelona's most visited museum, Museu Picasso. Now while no photos were allowed, trust me the man was a marvel. I loved the Blue Period the best, but some of the quirky cubism works are pretty cool.
But Barcelona is Gaudi's city. Everywhere you look he has left his mark. Casablanca Batulo and La Pedrera were two of my favorites, quirky buildings that make you wonder if the man was a genius or a nutter or a bit of both.
But the biggest stamp from Gaudi on this city is most definitely La Sagrada Familia.
Now I'm not a fan of queues, never have been, but I happily jumped in the line that weaved it's way around the block to get a look inside this building that has been in construction for over 1000 years ... and is still not finished.
This building with soaring towers takes your breath away. The more you look, the more you see. I spent so long here that my next was sore from looking up.
I thought it may have been that I had fallen in love with Valencia and had packed so much into my two days there. Then I realised the problem ... Spain was my fourth country in just under two months. I was worn down. I had been on the move for too long, packing too many cultures and too many sights into too little time.
I settled in to my private room (big yay) and decided I needed an early night.
The next morning, fueled by strong coffee (thank you hostel for the coffee machine) I decided to go for a wander. And am I pleased I did.
Barcelona is amazing. From the great architecture to funky bars and so much art, the city has so much to offer.
After meandering through the cobbled streets of the Gothic Quarter I hit the Cathedral. I sat outside for a bit being entertained by a busker playing tunes on water filled jars then decided to venture inside this gothic masterpiece.
The catheral is enormous with small chapels off the main nave and there's even a courtyard with geese.
The main nave has an ornate central choir stall and underneath there is a crypt which contains an alabaster tomb of a local patron saint who apparently was tortured at the hands of the romans.
I headed up the tower to check out the view from the roof. I was more than happy to pay €2 for the lift!
After viewing Barcelona from on high I decided it was time for a bevvie, so headed to Boadas to see what my friend Peter had been talking about.
Behind a very simple brown door is a perfect bar. I felt like I had walked into a 1950s movie set. Watching the bow-tied barman make my martini was pure art. And it tasted so very, very good (read that as awfully strong).
Barcelona has a plethora of artists on show ... some crazy displays in random places that I stumbled upon. Others I went out to find.
I spent ages in the Dahli museum. Not only is place packed with his work, there is an amazing display of photographs of the crazy man himself.
I also took a peek inside Barcelona's most visited museum, Museu Picasso. Now while no photos were allowed, trust me the man was a marvel. I loved the Blue Period the best, but some of the quirky cubism works are pretty cool.
But Barcelona is Gaudi's city. Everywhere you look he has left his mark. Casablanca Batulo and La Pedrera were two of my favorites, quirky buildings that make you wonder if the man was a genius or a nutter or a bit of both.
But the biggest stamp from Gaudi on this city is most definitely La Sagrada Familia.
Now I'm not a fan of queues, never have been, but I happily jumped in the line that weaved it's way around the block to get a look inside this building that has been in construction for over 1000 years ... and is still not finished.
This building with soaring towers takes your breath away. The more you look, the more you see. I spent so long here that my next was sore from looking up.
This link should take you to all my photos of Barcelona....
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| Spain part 3 - Barcelona |
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