Barcelona 2012

24 June Barcelona

Barcelona Airport is enormous. We seemed to walk for ages before we found our baggage carousel, then waited another age before finding our luggage on the “special equipment” carousel. This happened because we left our trolleys attached.

We found the taxi rank without trouble and got bundled into a black and yellow machine. Christine had written down our address on a pad. The driver puzzled over it for a while so I showed him an email on the Android tablet. This made a little more sense and he said “OK,OK” then shot off down the road. Our address was in the Gran Via des les Corts Catalanes, one of the main arterial roads into the city, it should have been easy but he was obviously wanting to know where on this long avenue our apartment was located. To do this, he consulted a tiny map book, first looking up the index at the back. This required reading glasses for the finer detail and we zoomed along, with cars passing us on both sides, towards a large freeway. Fortunately, he seemed to find the answer to his question as we entered the freeway and he put both the book and glasses away and actually held the wheel with both hands. Accelerating to 80km/hr he settled down to have a rest, doing a lot of yawning and head rubbing, as well as a regular shoulder wriggle. I just watched things go by and tried to think about survival.

Once at the apartment, Christine took the lift up to the 3rd floor while I used the stairs. I had to because both of us with luggage couldn’t fit in the lift. We were met by the owner, Zorayda, who showed us around and gave us basic directions to the supermarket and Metro. Both were virtually right outside. She took our payment and deposit and arranged to return on Friday to return the deposit.

After settling in, we visited the local supermarket. This is really just a corner store, with the larger shops all closed on Sundays by law. It is interesting with the Sunday trading debate raging at home that we hear that Perth needs to catch up with the rest of the World. Our experience is that stores close on a Sunday in many parts of the World and people seem to manage. The corner store had enough to satisfy our basic needs of bread, milk and a beer.

Then it was on to the Place Espanya and the amazing Magic Fountain of Montjuic. This is a musical fountain and attracts huge crowds to its night time performances. Overlooking this is the incredible National Art Museum of Catalonia, which now topples Notre Dame as the leader of the most awesome buildings I have ever seen. It is huge, gracious and stately. We will need to go back and explore it.

 

Then we crossed the road to the Metropolitan Las Arenas, a former bull fighting ring converted into a huge shopping centre. Here we chose a restaurant for dinner, being attracted by the sight of big piles of steaming mussels. We had a big tureen of mussels, a Tower of Cannelloni, Cream Cheese Custard and Chocolate Bombs, all washed down with a pitcher of excellent Sangria for less than 30€. The presentation and service was exceptional and we were very pleased to see that quality dining is far more affordable here than in France.

25 June Barcelona

As crazy as it would sound to some, we spent our first full day in Barcelona in the apartment, just lazing around, using the Internet and just regrouping. We haven’t had many such days so this one was greatly valued. The one outing we did make was to find a larger supermarket to buy a more comprehensive stock of supplies. The prices were very good, even meat which was certainly no dearer than Perth. Some things were difficult to find, notably healthy cereals with most being the sugar filled variety. Savoury biscuits were also scarce, with only about four varieties being in evidence. Seafood is very big in Spain, and much of the supermarket was given over to fish, both whole and processed. There were some very strange looking species, almost certainly imported as most fish life is extinct in this part of the Mediterranean.

The fruit and vegetables were cheap and of excellent quality. This is probably quite a seasonal thing with the current conditions being ideal for vegetables of many kinds. We were very surprised at the checkout, having loaded up and getting a bill of only 24€.

26 June Barcelona

It was back on to the tourist trail again today, walking all the way along the Gran Via des les Corts Catalanes into the City proper. The walk was so easy and enjoyable, because of the broad pathways and numerous lines of shady trees along most roads. The city is the first we’ve seen that has made a proper effort to cater for cyclists. There are excellent cycle-ways on every major road and these seem to receive priority over cars. There is a huge network of public bicycles dotted all over the city, but these are only available to residents. However, there are a lot of tourist bike hire firms in operation.

We walked down the long Passeig do St Joan and past the Arc de Triomf. It seems many European have an Arc of Triumph, most celebrating a victory somewhere. Barcelona’s was built as an entrance to the Grand Expo of 1893. It seems they turned down Eiffel’s idea as too audacious and Paris had to pick it up at the next expo. A case of one city’s loss is another’s gain.

 

Then it was along the Passeig de Picasso, another identity that seems to be mentioned at every turn, until we finally reached the waterfront. The Olympic Harbour was relatively new, having built built to handle the yachts in 1992. Prior to that, the waterfront was a shabby mixture of small commercial wharves and fisherman’s jetties. Now it is an ultra modern marina bristling with super yachts and dream cruisers.

A series of boardwalks and broad avenues, filled with a flow of partially clad people, led to the beach itself. Again, this beach did not exist prior to the Olympics. It was constructed following the demolition of the low cost fishermen’s housing in the area. Some older housing remains, creating a unique quarter of the city, but much of it, and the nearby industrial area, was levelled. The crushed rubble was ground into a sand, not white but a sort of orange-cream colour. There must have been a lot of rubble because the beach is quite extensive. It was rather crowded, filled with the usual beach umbrellas and sun-worshipers. This was not a beach to draw us back again for a swim. While it might be attractive to a European, we get so spoilt for good beaches ones, like this are easily missed.

 

We stopped at a side-walk restaurant for a meal, choosing a set meal of the day. The trick seems to be to have a meal of the day displayed on a sign on the side-walk, then present you with an a la carte menu in Catalan when you sit down. You have to actually ask for the meal of the day, which then comes on a separate menu but still in Catalan. Never the less, this is the way to go for a day-time meal, with some amazing bargains to be had. A set meal of 9.90€ got us a choice of entree, mains and desserts and a generous glass of wine or sangria. We shared grilled prawns and a wonderful green salad, followed by a seafood paella each, then finished with a mandarin sorbet and chocolate topped cream. In the past, we have not been impressed by paella, but being in Spain, we figured it was a must. I have to confess it was lovely, with just the right amount of moisture. All the food was so well presented and cooked to perfection. It’s hard to believe you can sit at a beach-side restaurant and have a meal of this quality at the price of a hamburger and chips in Dunsborough.

The sun had a real bite to it by this stage so we sought shade where ever possible and wandered around to Las Ramblas, the famed broad walk up through the centre of the city. Its name sounds like it was named as a walk, but in truth, the word “ramble” comes from this avenue, which was named after the dry river bed that it follows. Here, we were particularly on guard for pick-pockets. Barcelona is known to be one of the most crime-ridden cities in Europe. Fortunately, most crime is property crime, with actual assaults rare. One local told us that in 30 years, he had never seen any actual violence, although he had seen plenty of things disappear off restaurant tables. He was once walking on Las Ramblas when he felt someone at his back pocket. He turned to see a man with his wallet and yelled at him. “Oh sorry!” said the thief, “I thought you were a tourist,” and promptly returned the wallet.

We needed an internet cafe to print out some tour vouchers. These have become hard to find, with many people carrying their own Internet facilities on their phones but we find printing can be a problem. Eventually, we located one, watched the guy fight with the printer the way we do at home, and got a copy of our documents before catching a Metro home for a much needed rest.

27 June Barcelona

Today we booked a cycling tour of the city, concentrating mainly on the Gothic Quarter. Our guide, Marc, was a young Catalan man who both attracted the eyes of the ladies and provided an entertaining and informative commentary. Our group consisted of a Dutch couple, another Aussie couple and a Frenchman. The Frenchman spoke little to no English so probably didn’t get all that much out of the tour, it being totally English based.

 

Marc proved to be very passionate about his city, particularly its rich culture of music and art. He also gave us some good insight into the Catalan separatist feeling. All shop signage is in Catalan or both Catalan and Spanish. To not have signage in Catalan attracts an extra tax, and the wrath of locals. To hear him speak, one gets the feeling that a separation from Spain will probably come at some point in the future, although the current difficulties with the European Union will not help any immediate move.

Cycling is the ideal way to tour here. At no point did we have to worry about traffic, and the bikes give good access to the tiny narrow alleyways of the Gothic Quarter. We saw some people getting ready for a Segway Tour, which would also be good but not so well adapted to some of the cobbled streets.

Marc did an excellent job of showing us how the Gothic Quarter, which is the old medieval town, was within the walls of the ancient Roman city of Barcino, established by Augustus in 15BC. Remnants of the Roman walls and city exist dotted all over Barcelona, some underneath current buildings and some incorporated in later constructions. Some of the old walls formed part of later fortifications, which were ocean defences up until the mid 19th Century.

The narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter are a sheer delight, whether on bike or on foot. There are so many small plazas, cathedrals, Government buildings and museums to explore. One plaza was particularly poignant, with the walls on two sides pitted with countless bullet holes. The square was a favoured place of execution for both sides in the Spanish Civil War. The peppering of holes on the walls higher up came from the shrapnel after Franco let Mussolini use the area to test a new type of bomb. It all seems so pointless now.

Later, we followed a similar path to yesterday, going down to the beach area. Marc filled us in on much of the information we lacked, and answered all our questions. We stopped at a beach-side restaurant and had a refreshing glass of Sangria before pushing on through some beautiful parks and gardens. Then it was back into the Gothic Quarter for a few more sites before finishing up. As always, a guided tour of the city was well worth the money and effort. It is the only way to quickly put a city in context. We have found that it is good both at the beginning of a visit and at the end. If taken at the end, it still serves to put a lot of the sites you have already seen into a context.

By the time we were finished, we were famished, so we back-tracked to another restaurant in the Gothic Quarter that had a set menu for the same 9.90€ as yesterday. It proved to be the same company, so we knew the drill and managed to order some alternatives from the excellent menu that we had pondered over previously. This time, however, we failed to resist the temptation of a second wine so we had to find a Metro and head for home to have a snooze.

 

After a much needed nap, we walked to the supermarket. We felt like some lamb for dinner, but couldn’t see any and didn’t know the words for lamb. However, the mosaics on the wall behind the butcher section was patterned with a cow, pig, sheep and chook so we were able to point out what we wanted and find some tiny little things we think are chops. We bought some wine, pondering for some time over whether to spend 1.50€ a bottle or 0.99€ . We had had good wine at 2.50€ from the local but surely there is a limit. In the end we lashed out and paid 1.75€. The wine was fine.

28 June Barcelona

Today’s first target was the famous La Sagrada Famillia, a huge basilica commenced in 1882, originally designed by Francisco de Paula del Villar as a Neo-Gothic building and later adapted by Antoni Gaudi in his Modernist style. It is scheduled for completion somewhere between 2026 and 2060, depending on the source quoted. While the structure is still very much an active building site, the essential structure is complete. Eight of the planned eighteen towers are finished and the basilica itself is a functioning church.

 

It is possible to find the building ugly. I know because I do. However, one can’t but admire the structure’s grand scheme and amazing workmanship. It is not as big overall as I imagined from the photos, although later in the day we viewed it from a mountain lookout and it certainly dominates part of Barcelona. The interior is truly spectacular, with a forest of branching columns, actually designed to be trees, supporting an unbelievable vaulted roof. Another legacy of Gaudi’s is the use of glass mosaics on many of the exterior surfaces. As the building proceeds, debate continues surrounding the use of modern materials and techniques and although the newer sections of the building stand out clearly, the basic integrity of the original concept is being maintained. It is possibly the only great stone building currently under construction anywhere.

 

We took a trip up one of the towers by means of an elevator, enjoying the commanding views of Barcelona from the top. From this vantage, we were also able to get a good view of the current construction works, which seem to be centring around tower building at present. Unfortunately, we elected to go down via the steps, a decision we came to regret. Christine is never good on spiral staircases and these ones went on for ever. Being trapped in an endless loop is part of everyone’s nightmare at some point and coming down from around 100m using steps that are 40cm wide on one side and 10cm wide on the inside is simply horrible. Worse still, there was a stream of people in front and a gaggle of cackling children behind. The ones in front loved to stop for ages to take arty photos while the children yelled and made other stupid noises. They should have been at school.

 

Eventually we emerged and left Sagrada Famillia behind us, taking the Metro through several stops to the tram line and on to the beach. Our next target was the Port Cable Car, “Transbordador Aeri del Port”. This crosses from the port area near the beach to Montjuic, an impressive mountain edifice that overlooks the city. When I first saw this bastion, I thought it would have made a wonderful defence for the city and indeed, there is an extensive fortress at the summit. However, the guns were pointed not to the sea but towards the city itself, the fortress being used to keep the Catalans under control.

We have been on many cable car rides, all good, but this one brilliant. The views of the city are absolutely breath-taking. They would need to be because taking a ride on the system is an exercise in extreme patience. First you queue for 20 minutes or so to get into the elevator which goes to the top of the tower at the Port. This gets you into another 20 minute queue to board the car itself. Rather than running many cable cars as other systems do, this one has only two cars, one up and one down. Each car is rated to carry 20 passengers but we counted 16 passengers being squeezed in. It is standing room only. Thank goodness the view is worth it. As the car took left the safety of the tower, I was worried that Christine was going to say “Shit!” as she usually does when something jolts or bumps near a precipice. However, on this occasion she was very restrained and simply squeezed my hand a little harder than usual.

 

Once back on land at the Montjuic end, we made many more “Ohh” and “Ahh” noises at the mind-blowing views available. The whole mountain was the site for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, with most venues being located somewhere on the huge bastion. The thought of finishing the marathon up the hill is too much to think about. We used 6 sets of escalators and many steps to reach the bottom so I’d hate to run up. Later, we watched a video of the event on the Internet and sure enough, runners were dropping like flies.

We did check out the Olympic Stadium. It was quite an awesome sight, being still set up as an athletics stadium. We were surprised to learn that the stadium was actually built in 1929 in the hope of securing the Olympics but the Spanish Civil War got in the way of those plans. Today, it serves a number of sports plus the usual rock concerts etc.

As we came down the hill, we marvelled at the splendour of the Palau Nacional, built as a part of the 1929 Exposition and now the National Museum of Art. This was the incredible building we had seen on our first night in Barcelona and definitely gets my vote as the most inspiring building I have ever seen. We found the view all the more enjoyable because most of the trip down was by way of escalator. Our legs were no longer capable of functioning properly.

We barely made it back to our apartment and collapsed on the bed for a much needed siesta.

We leave Barcelona tomorrow with mixed feelings. While there are so many wonderful sights and so much history in Barcelona, the city itself did not capture us as some have. Perhaps it is because it has too many personalities and seems comfortable with none of them. I certainly would not visit if I was after a Mediterranean beach holiday and I wouldn’t bother if I wanted a laid-back relaxing holiday. The wonderful dining and climate would attract and I certainly would visit if I was a fan of Modernist Art and architecture. For us? I think we have ticked it off the list but happy to have done so.