So it was a nice little breaky in the hostel with the teeny boppers. We have since seen some other middle agers like us! Then the map came out to route the day's direction.
First stop: Montjuïc Park. This is a monstrous park located in Barcelona to the west of Las Ramblas. This park was changed significantly for the 1992 Olympic games, but has clearly been an important part of the city for a few centuries.
The views from the highest point was amazing. We decided after only 15 minutes of walking it was time to pull in at the wicked view point for a cheeky beer! The bar seems to be open at all times of the day on holidays. Well we did have a late start and it was after 12, so that was ok!
We went in search of the old Olympic area and meandered through some beautiful gardens along the way. The diving pools looked very rundown but they may have been because the season hadn't started. It did look quite dilapidated, so it was probably closed permanently. The actual stadium was obviously still in use for various athletic and music events. It was interesting to see.
Leaving the park we left in the direction that took us near the Palau Nacional de Montjuïc (whatever that was - we appreciated the buildings but didn't go in), then down to the Magic Fountain. It was a shame that it was only on in the evening. We didn't have time to come back to it later in the day.
Next stop, lunch! Delicioso!!!! We stopped at one of the restaurants near the massive arena. We were loving the amazing weather and sat outside, enjoyed some calamari, chicken curry and some liquid refreshments.
Then the Howdy Gaudì tour began! First Gaudí stop was Casa Batlló. Gaudí was definitely an unbelievable artist, master sculptor, mosaic creator and architect. This place really drew a crowd. The building was a fantastic site to see and was organic and colourful. Gaudí was always looking for ways to incorporate nature into his designs. Internet pics don't do the work justice.
Next up the same street to see another famous Gaudí site called la Pedrera. This was an apartment building we think. Someone seemed to be moving out on the day and it was cool seeing the massive hydraulic lift in action. Myles, you would have been impressed!
Next, off to get familiar with la Sagrada Familia! Is it ok to say OMG at a church, or is that blasphemy? Anyhow, it was awe inspiring inside. The colours that shone through from the stained glass windows were totally unexpected. This is a work in progress, over 130 years of construction so far and is envisaged to be completed by 2020. Oh well, another trip to Spain in our future!! Yay!
By this stage we had been walking around and sight-seeing for about 7 hours or so. Whilst we wanted to go to Gaudí's Park Güell, it was back to the hostel to freshen up for dinner. Our feet had had enough!
Our dinner was nearby to the hostel in a busy and bustling area. We were sucked in so easily by the spruiker dude, but we loved our meal. The waiter was a cross between Spanish Ben Stiller and Hotch from Criminal Minds!! Too funny!
Rich: There was miscommunication between us, I wanted to keep walking down the street to check out some other options but next thing I know, we were being seated at a table! Anyway, the restaurant was great and so was the service.
We couldn't help ourselves, seafood paella was calling our name, as was the bottle of cava! Yum!! The soccer was firing up towards the end of our meal. It was the Spanish Cup final between FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao.
We thought last week when we were in Bilbao that there was a lot of football stuff around. We thought they were a little obsessed, but it made more sense when we realised that it was the final! To finish off the night, we stopped for a drink at a nearby bar to watch more of the soccer. 2.40€ for two stubbies! Love it! It was 3-0 Barcelona's way at half time, so we called it a night not too long after. It was already 11:30 and we had smashed it out all day!
Geoff said Gaudi's buildings were melting wedding cakes.
ReplyDelete