Well five months later here I am back to talk about the rest of my time in Barcelona in late January - I've covered the first 24 hours and the second 24 hours. Here is the third and final installment covering the last 48 hours.
After leaving Park Gruell I took the subway back to La Ramblas and had a bit of a wander in the Gothic Quarter.
There are so many beautiful buildings everywhere - and the detail is something else.
I also popped into the market (the usual one..) and had an empanada and a cone of Iberian ham and queso (cheese) because I am a pig like that. I've said it before and I will say it again, I love food! And I love eating local food - even if I think I might not like it I will try it as you just never know - it might become a favourite.
Two metro rides took me to the Arc de Triomf. Nope, Paris isn't quite that close! This was built as the entrance to the 1888 World Exposition.
Castell dels Tres Dragons (Three Dragons Castle)
I then wandered over to Parc de la Ciutadella.
My friend Pat had told me about an elaborate fountain that I must see and it certainly was elaborately over the top! This baroque fountain named La Cascada was designed by Josep Fontsere who was assisted by a young student by the name of Antoni Gaudi! This was built between 1881 and 1885 for the 1888 World Exposition.
Just above is Venus emerging from a clam shell and on top is Aurora with her chariots.
Catalonian Parliament Building
Not sure what building this was - some kind of church I believe.
I loved these Monk parakeets in the park. Note the collars and bands. They have been tagged by scientists who are monitoring the movement of these birds. Monk parakeets prefer an urban environment - just like moi!!!
By this time I was getting pretty tired. My energy level at the beginning of this trip was very low - I still don't know why but it worried me. I remember sitting at Claudia's kitchen table and telling her I thought I would go home right after my friend June and her brother and sister-in-law visited London in late March. I kept going to the WestJet app and looking at airfares to fly home March 23rd. Claudia kept telling me "no, Laurie you can do it"! I am so glad I listened to her as my stamina increased gradually over the next few weeks and months. I just can't imagine missing out on the last two months of my trip.
I headed back to the coffee shop (Cafe Saula) near to the apartment. It had free wi-fi, friendly staff who spoke some English, delicious pastries and good coffee - what's not to like?!!! Afer my fairly substantial lunch, I just had a piece of custard cake for supper accompanied by my usual, cafe con leche. Hey, one of the joys of traveling alone - you can eat when and what you damn well please!!!
Then I toddled back to my little green room in the flat where I continued watching "Grace and Frankie" on Netflix on my phone. In the meantime, two fellows had checked into the other room of the flat and were they ever noisy. We all had to share the same bathroom of course and one morning I was treated to one of the fellows leaving the bathroom in his tighty whities...except they were black. That woke me up in a hurry - not the worst way to start your day though!
Even before I got out of bed I could hear the raindrops against my window and sure enough -it was pouring. Up went the hood of the jacket (because why would I be practical and bring my umbrella with me?) and I dashed over to my usual coffee spot. This morning it was:
I decided to have the "go to" breakfast for this part of the world - ham and cheese in a roll. Sipping my coffee slowly and scrolling through Facebook on my phone got a bit tedious and I finally headed out in the pouring rain to the metro station.
Once in central Barcelona I headed for the City History Museum. Barcelona's Roman name was Barcino and the Gothic mansion that houses the museum was moved to this site stone by stone. The reason? In the basement are the ruins of the original Roman city.
It was set up beautifully so you could walk around the ruins without touching or harming them.
Layers of fish and salt were left in these tanks to marinate for 20 days (yum...)
Winemaking transfer tank...now you're talking!
The above vats are where the wine was processed and aged
Beautiful original tiles
I spent about 90 minutes in the museum as I found it really interesting. There must be a museum that has a "newer" history of Barcelona (like the 17th century...) but I didn't find it.
Then it was time to get out into the rain again and I wandered the Gothic Quarter...I never grew tired of this part of Barcelona. So let's get lost there! (I'm good at that)
Token dog picture
By now I had a cheapo five euro umbrella which didn't make it out of Barcelona...you get what you pay for!
I find there is a certain beauty in photos taken in the rain - of course editing a bit helps too. And a waterproof camera!
I resisted this shop as well.
But I didn't resist this!!!
Paella for a late lunch
Larry, Curly and Moe?
A Roman tower...
Even the pigeons were smarter than me...
And the cows too...
Barcelona is one of those cities where you could wander for weeks or months and discover new things every day.
The rain was getting to me so it was time to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate and some churros before I took the metro back to the apartment.
When I got to the airbnb my host Ezequiel was back from Uruguay where he had been on holiday. He told me this was his final trip but he wanted to show his ten year old daughter where he was born and raised - his immediate family now resides in Barcelona. Renting out her room for a few months helped him raise the money to take her there. I was the last person to stay in that room as a paying guest.
One last sleep and then it was up to have my last cafe con leche and pastry before heading to the airport for my noon flight.
I enjoyed my five days in Barcelona immensely. Would I go back? Probably not. Although I must say it is tempting to see what the completed Sagrada Familia will look like I can google pictures of it.
I kept my room in London and only had to bring a daypack and a cross body purse with me. I left my larger camera in London and brought my two smaller cameras. Barcelona is the pickpocket capital of Europe so being mindful of your belongings is crucial. I rode the metro without incident and had no worries about my personal safety although being on my own I did not wander around downtown Barcelona after dark. (by then I was too tired and back in my "hood" anyway) I wore a money belt which is something I always do when traveling out of the country. I kept my purse on me when in central Barcelona (even while eating) and did not put my phone on a table while I was eating/drinking.
Hope you enjoyed coming along to Barcelona with me!
After leaving Park Gruell I took the subway back to La Ramblas and had a bit of a wander in the Gothic Quarter.
There are so many beautiful buildings everywhere - and the detail is something else.
I also popped into the market (the usual one..) and had an empanada and a cone of Iberian ham and queso (cheese) because I am a pig like that. I've said it before and I will say it again, I love food! And I love eating local food - even if I think I might not like it I will try it as you just never know - it might become a favourite.
Two metro rides took me to the Arc de Triomf. Nope, Paris isn't quite that close! This was built as the entrance to the 1888 World Exposition.
Castell dels Tres Dragons (Three Dragons Castle)
I then wandered over to Parc de la Ciutadella.
My friend Pat had told me about an elaborate fountain that I must see and it certainly was elaborately over the top! This baroque fountain named La Cascada was designed by Josep Fontsere who was assisted by a young student by the name of Antoni Gaudi! This was built between 1881 and 1885 for the 1888 World Exposition.
Just above is Venus emerging from a clam shell and on top is Aurora with her chariots.
Catalonian Parliament Building
Not sure what building this was - some kind of church I believe.
I loved these Monk parakeets in the park. Note the collars and bands. They have been tagged by scientists who are monitoring the movement of these birds. Monk parakeets prefer an urban environment - just like moi!!!
By this time I was getting pretty tired. My energy level at the beginning of this trip was very low - I still don't know why but it worried me. I remember sitting at Claudia's kitchen table and telling her I thought I would go home right after my friend June and her brother and sister-in-law visited London in late March. I kept going to the WestJet app and looking at airfares to fly home March 23rd. Claudia kept telling me "no, Laurie you can do it"! I am so glad I listened to her as my stamina increased gradually over the next few weeks and months. I just can't imagine missing out on the last two months of my trip.
I headed back to the coffee shop (Cafe Saula) near to the apartment. It had free wi-fi, friendly staff who spoke some English, delicious pastries and good coffee - what's not to like?!!! Afer my fairly substantial lunch, I just had a piece of custard cake for supper accompanied by my usual, cafe con leche. Hey, one of the joys of traveling alone - you can eat when and what you damn well please!!!
Then I toddled back to my little green room in the flat where I continued watching "Grace and Frankie" on Netflix on my phone. In the meantime, two fellows had checked into the other room of the flat and were they ever noisy. We all had to share the same bathroom of course and one morning I was treated to one of the fellows leaving the bathroom in his tighty whities...except they were black. That woke me up in a hurry - not the worst way to start your day though!
Even before I got out of bed I could hear the raindrops against my window and sure enough -it was pouring. Up went the hood of the jacket (because why would I be practical and bring my umbrella with me?) and I dashed over to my usual coffee spot. This morning it was:
I decided to have the "go to" breakfast for this part of the world - ham and cheese in a roll. Sipping my coffee slowly and scrolling through Facebook on my phone got a bit tedious and I finally headed out in the pouring rain to the metro station.
Once in central Barcelona I headed for the City History Museum. Barcelona's Roman name was Barcino and the Gothic mansion that houses the museum was moved to this site stone by stone. The reason? In the basement are the ruins of the original Roman city.
It was set up beautifully so you could walk around the ruins without touching or harming them.
Layers of fish and salt were left in these tanks to marinate for 20 days (yum...)
Winemaking transfer tank...now you're talking!
The above vats are where the wine was processed and aged
Beautiful original tiles
I spent about 90 minutes in the museum as I found it really interesting. There must be a museum that has a "newer" history of Barcelona (like the 17th century...) but I didn't find it.
Then it was time to get out into the rain again and I wandered the Gothic Quarter...I never grew tired of this part of Barcelona. So let's get lost there! (I'm good at that)
Token dog picture
By now I had a cheapo five euro umbrella which didn't make it out of Barcelona...you get what you pay for!
I resisted!!
I find there is a certain beauty in photos taken in the rain - of course editing a bit helps too. And a waterproof camera!
I resisted this shop as well.
But I didn't resist this!!!
Paella for a late lunch
Larry, Curly and Moe?
A Roman tower...
Even the pigeons were smarter than me...
And the cows too...
Barcelona is one of those cities where you could wander for weeks or months and discover new things every day.
The rain was getting to me so it was time to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate and some churros before I took the metro back to the apartment.
When I got to the airbnb my host Ezequiel was back from Uruguay where he had been on holiday. He told me this was his final trip but he wanted to show his ten year old daughter where he was born and raised - his immediate family now resides in Barcelona. Renting out her room for a few months helped him raise the money to take her there. I was the last person to stay in that room as a paying guest.
One last sleep and then it was up to have my last cafe con leche and pastry before heading to the airport for my noon flight.
I enjoyed my five days in Barcelona immensely. Would I go back? Probably not. Although I must say it is tempting to see what the completed Sagrada Familia will look like I can google pictures of it.
I kept my room in London and only had to bring a daypack and a cross body purse with me. I left my larger camera in London and brought my two smaller cameras. Barcelona is the pickpocket capital of Europe so being mindful of your belongings is crucial. I rode the metro without incident and had no worries about my personal safety although being on my own I did not wander around downtown Barcelona after dark. (by then I was too tired and back in my "hood" anyway) I wore a money belt which is something I always do when traveling out of the country. I kept my purse on me when in central Barcelona (even while eating) and did not put my phone on a table while I was eating/drinking.
Hope you enjoyed coming along to Barcelona with me!
Comments