Besties in Barcelona: Day 5

Onto our final day! We didn't have to check out of the hotel until 12, so after another late night we got ready and made sure we had everything before checking out, leaving our bags at the hotel and heading out for the day.

We headed to the Museum of Catalonian Art for the day, partly because it had lots to explore, and partly because of the air conditioning! We first explored the Romanesque works, most of which were originally on the walls of churches, and had been painstakingly removed and pasted into the museum. I was fascinated by the process and the conservation work which went into this process!

We had lunch in the museum cafe (sandwiches and French pastries, of all things), and we attempted to go in the art exhibit, which was a giant white bouncy castle! Unfortunately, they had closed it for cleaning so we missed out and we were very disappointed about that!

After eating, we went to check out the modern art. It was more my style, with bits of Gaudi and Picasso thrown in amongst the other names we didn't recognise. We didn't have as much time as we would have liked, because we had to leave to get back to the hotel.

We made it safely to the airport with plenty of time, but unfortunately the flight was delayed and we took off about 40 minutes later than we were supposed to. Once we were in the air we were glad to get home - and now Australians can use the e gates so it was very quick through to the arrivals gate and the train station!

In the end, I got home around 9pm, just in time for dinner and a cuddle before bed. I was hoping for cooler weather in London, but it's having none of it with 39 tomorrow!

Besties in Barcelona: Day 4

For day 4, we had a rather long sleep in, getting up around 10 and getting ready in a leisurely manner. While our aircon had apparently been fixed, I'm not sure it was much better and we haven't been sleeping well in the heat. And with another hot day ahead, we headed up to Park Guell to explore the outdoors.

It was great! We explored more than last time, although slowly, and we still weren't able to see the dragon. It turns out that the main part of the park (that you see in pictures and is actually the main entrance) is ticketed, and not only did we not want to line up to get one they were sold out! So I guess that's still on the list of things to do...

We did, however, go to the Gaudi House Museum, which I didn't do last time. It was really interesting to see the actual house he lived in and how austere his life was, especially compared to the sometimes ostentatious nature of his architecture. They had some of his furniture, and presentations which elaborated on his later life, which I didn't know a huge amount about so far.

By the time we were done, we headed away from the park and back to Las Ramblas. It was time for food! It was approaching 2:30 by this point and we were hungry, so we stopped in a restaurant for a late lunch, where I had a salad because it was so hot. I just couldn't bring myself to eat some hot food...

After lunch we headed over to the Picasso Museum, a totally new Barcelona experience to me. I didn't even know Picasso had lived in Barcelona! It was really interesting, given that what myself (like most people) know about Picasso is about his later more modern art. However, the museum covered his whole life and tracked the evolution of his works through his life, which I found interesting. I also hadn't realised that Picasso had used so many mediums - there were sculptures, photography and film, both by him and of him working, which was so interesting. I guess I hadn't realised quite how recent his life was, and the technologies he had at his disposal.

By the time we had finished there and returned to the hotel, it was 6pm and we were pretty shattered, so after a rest (trying not to melt under the terrible aircon), we decided to head back to Asian Ways for dinner given how yummy it was and how convenient the location was (less than 5 minutes down the road!). This time I had rice paper rolls and tempura prawns, and they were also excellent!

Before bed, we packed a little and I checked to find out that check out was 12pm! So not the rush I thought it would be in the morning.

Besties in Barcelona Day 3

For day 3 of our adventures, we had to get up earlier - well, a bit earlier. We both slept terribly though after a sweltering night in air conditioning that basically didn't work, but we were up and out by just after 9 to make our timed ticket for Sagrada Familia.

Like most of these places, I have been here before, but it never ceases to amaze. I noticed new details and of course, there had been some more work done since I was there just over a year ago. Still, estimated completion for the main building work is 2026 (also the 100th anniversary of the death of Gaudi), and decorative work finishing in 2032. So I'll have to come back again!

The stained glass is what gets me every time. Is so nice and beautifully planned, not to mentioned making the most of the space which they have on the block. And we spent a good several hours here, admiring the architecture and having a lovely time.

We then stopped on the way back to the hotel in order to do my favorite pastime- fabric shopping! I picked up a 3m piece of one lovely viscose for a dress, and another 1m piece for a top for only 3,95 a metre! Very pleased with that and thinking about what I'm going to make already!

We decided we needed a quick lunch, as we had a 3pm tour booked and it was 1:30pm, so we stopped in at a Subway. I even ordered my salad in Spanish and I'm feeling very proud about that indeed.

Then we headed up to Castell Montjuic. We are staying near Paral.lel station which is super convenient, so we got the Funicular up to the park, then the cable car to the top. We had enough time for a quick browse before our tour at 3pm. We saw the prison cells where they had graffiti on the walls, the main features that are open to the public, and even got to climb the watchtower and see the fantastic view!

After the tour, we went to the visitor centre briefly before heading back to the hotel for a rest. For dinner this evening we headed to Barceloneta near the beach. In fact, we found the great tapas place we went to with my family last year, and had dinner there! It was just as awesome as I remembered and I ate all my squids with gusto (and potatas bravas and a Gin Mare g&t!).

We are now enjoying our late evening with snacks from the Supermercat and Mentes Criminales on tv. That would be Criminal Minds in Spanish!

Besties in Barcelona: Day 2

We were able to have a bit of a sleep in this morning, which was much appreciated after the long day yesterday! We got up around 9 and our first stop for the day was Casa Batllo, which is my favourite of the Gaudi houses. It is absolutely gorgeous, inspired by the ocean and filled with warm woods, beautiful stained glass, and a gorgeous internal light well. As always, it's beautifully designed and so clever. I love it!

By the time we finished, it was time for lunch. We found a place along the way which served single sized tapas on slices of bread. I had 2 with calamari, one with salmon tataki, and one with Iberico ham. Delicious, and it was highly air conditioned which also was good. Every day here is around 32 Celsius and very sunny!

We were then on our way to the nearby La Pedrera (or Casa Mila, which is it's real name). It's interesting because it's still got working apartments in it - you can only access a few floors because the rest are actual apartments. It's a little more traditional than Casa Batllo, but still lovely and also has a cool rooftop terrace. Plus, La Pedrera has the best attic!

On our way back to the hotel (we walked both ways), we stopped on La Rambla for icecream to take on the walk home with us. I got delicious passionfruit and blackberry which was great!

We had another siesta in the hotel (very quickly adapting to Spanish customs) for a few hours before deciding that we were too tired to venture far, but that we wanted something other than tapas for dinner. So we went to a nearby noodle bar called Asian Ways. It was amazing! Great gyoza, and chicken teriyaki udon which was lovely as well. A very pleasant surprise and a delicious close by dinner.

Besties in Barcelona: Day 1

To celebrate finding the school year and the stay of the summer, my bestie Jess and I are headed to Barcelona for a few days!

Day 1 started off obscenely early. We were due to fly out of Luton on a 7am flight, so I was up at 2:30am making sure everything was packed and ready to go. Or of the house at 3:15 and onto a night bus to Westminster Tube station... Or not as it turned out. There were 5 of us on the bus when there was a crunching sound, and the bus lurched to a stop. Turns out, our driver had gone up the kerb, hit a bollard, and almost taken out a traffic light! 

Luckily for us, we were only 5 minutes short of Vauxhall station, so I jumped quickly onto the tube and it didn't delay me at all. I caught the tube to Finchley Road then got onto a National Express bus, where Jess was waiting for me (she had gotten on at an earlier stop)! We got to Luton on time, and had no trouble getting onto our flight (of which I have no memory because I was asleep!).

We arrived in Barcelona around 10:30 and headed straight to our hotel to change and drop our bags before heading out to lunch. We stopped on la Rambla (which is very close to our hotel) for rolls and the largest strawberry mojito cocktail, which we split!

After lunch, we headed to our closest Gaudi spot, Palau Guell. Having been before, I really felt like I noticed some different things and learned new details about the house. I have come to the decision, though, that I don't think I'd live in it. It's very dark and medieval and not my style overall.

By the time we finished Palau Guell we could barely keep going, so we went back to the hotel for a nap before dinner. We had talked about something super local, and there was a McDonald's across the road which we thought we might go to, but then we realised how much of a waste that would be and found a good local tapas place instead. I wasn't feeling that well, so just had squid and potatas bravas, but it was delicious!

And then a nice big sleep...