Barcelona

I walk around the large park near the beach. I spend a few more hours at the beach.

I go to the Aquarium which is pretty good. I think it is over priced at about €12.

I go the Picasso museum which is excellent. I particularly like the porcelain plates he decorated.

I meet a nice couple, an Irish guy and a Kiwi woman. They have just come from France and said Paris was amazing. This has got me curious of a visit.

I meet a Finnish couple called Pina and Kelle. We go out for dinner but the excellent Tapas bar is shut and we go to another, which is not so good.

I have done what I wanted to in Barcelona and decide to move on to Tosa de Mar.

I get up late and head down to the beaches. They are beautiful for being so close to a city. It is busy but easy to find a spot. I have walked past the various marinas which have a lot of boats, and various stalls selling things.

Gabriel and I have lunch at the excellent Tapas bar near the hostel. I love it, and am now a huge fan of Tapas.

In the evening I go to Gaudi’s Park Guell. I am surprised by the slum like area that it is in. The park is beautiful and worth the effort of getting here. I have a good walk around. The buildings at the bottom are excellent. It is worth entering the park from the top and walking down.

I get up early and head out to see the sights. Christopher and Gabriel have already done the obvious sights, which I will see today, so we agree to meet at the Olympic village later.

I head out. I pass the Barcelona Cathedral, the Barcelona Arc de Triomphe and catch the Metro to La Sagrada Familia. It is quite a sight. I decide to go in. It is not so impressive inside. I climb the towers, which is slow going. The climb reminds me of the Duomo in Florence. I walk back through the city, stopping at other Galdi buildings. I don’t go inside these houses though. I grab a snack.

I meet up with Christopher and Gabriel at the gates near the Olympic village. We walk around the various buildings. The Olympic village is a bit of a disappointment. The stadium is smaller than I expected and starting to crumble a bit.

We walk a long way through the gardens and up to the castle. The views are excellent from the castle. One is able to see the entire city. We are all exhausted and we are happy when we find a metro stop that gets us back to the Rambla with minimal walking.

We have a few beers in the evening.

Jess drops me at Newquay airport and I catch the 10am flight to Stanstead. I wait a few hours and then catch the Ryanair flight to Barcelona. Well the plane actually goes to Girona airport, and I catch a bus into Barcelona. The bus takes 1.5 hours and costs €7. I leave the bus station and find the Metro. I get off at the stop right by the Rambla. My map doesn’t have the street I am after, so I buy a big map of Barcelona. I find the street and walk down until I find the hostel.

The hostel is a flat in a beautiful gothic building. The building is in the Latin Quarter, which takes a minute to get used to. It is old and dirty, which is a surprise at first. I soon warm to the area though, preferring it over most parts of Barcelona. The hostel is basic but well run. My rooms mates are Christopher from Brazil, Gabriel from Singapore (via Blackpool), Mat from Australia and a girl from Canada who can’t understand me!

I wander around the Latin Quarter and the Rambla. The weather is hot, 30 degrees, but not very humid.

I have a few beers with Gabriel and sleep. I will see the sights tomorrow.