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'The great book, always open and which we should make an effort to read, is that of Nature.' -Antoni Gaudí
As some of you will know from reading a few blog posts ago, was that I spent a great week in Barcelona! It was my second time going there and my fifth time going to Spain overall. My first time was on a school trip, and at first I was a little reluctant about having to go to almost all the places I had visited before and pay for them again, but I actually really, really recommend it! The trip passed in a mainly dreamy haze, filled with memories of having fun with my friends but since they were faint, it was still all seemed quite new to me.
If you're planning a trip to Barcelona, here are just a few places you should definitely go and see:
1. La Sagrada Familia
This is probably the most obvious of all venues; first thing most people think about it when going to Barcelona, is the Sagrada Familia. But why have I pointed out such a painfully obvious tourist attraction? It's because most people only go in there, look around the main cathedral, and then leave. No. Don't do this. For any venue of that matter. At the back of the Cathedral is a side door which leads to a small Gaudi exhibition which shows what inspired everything. Those columns? They're tree trunks leading up to a glorious canopy of flower and leaf inspired tops. It's really a lot more interesting than I ever expected and is perfect for budding architects or even the experienced veteran!
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| Canopy of wow. |
If you go down towards the direction of the toilets, there's a door which leads to yet another one of their exhibitions regarding the restoration of Sagrada Familia. There are lots of cool displays with real models which Gaudi used, a room full of paintings of the Sagrada Familia (without all the cranes of course) and an observatory where you can have a look at Gaudi's tomb. The exhibition also contains a lot on Gaudi's life and there is a small cinema where you can watch a 20 minute film about the construction and design of the great church.
2. Parc Guell
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| The small pathways are often the most scenic and beautiful |
There are lots of vendors. A tip to go by, don't buy sunglasses for any more than €4 and always haggle for everything else! The street sellers near the entrance usually have particularly higher rates so wait a bit til you've wandered through. And have no fear about getting lost because when you get there, you'll see that it has been arranged in a way so that all the main paths lead to or surround the main plaza which leads to the main entrance/exit. I loved going through this wonderful park with it's open air tunnels but definitely remember to bring sunscreen and lots of water as there is a lot of climbing to do especially when you're trying to reach the park itself!
Gaudi's house is also available to look at as a museum, however it seemed silly to pay almost €10 to be cooped indoors.
3. The beaches of Barcelona
Are all nude-friendly. I'm not kidding. The beaches are very much a concentration gradient of nudity. The beaches closer to the main stations such as Barceloneta are mainly tourists and so most people are clothed. However when I first visited, a couple beside us decided to give us a show even though we were right at the 'clothed' end and no one seemed to think this was out of the ordinary. However, if you walk along the beach towards the World Trade Center, you just see people wearing less...and less...clothing.
Restaurants are very much a big feature of the beaches. However they're very expensive and very exploitative of tourists. I've heard a few nightmares regarding hidden surcharges and food that isn't really Spanish. And so I highly recommend Restuaurant Carballeira. It's only a 2-3 minute walk from Barceloneta however it's tucked in between houses and so very few tourists go there. You will recognise it as a brown shop front on your left side.
Both times we went to the beach, we went to Restaurant Carballeira. It's a very cool, relaxed atmosphere with a great fish display inside. There is no phoney Spanish music and the waiters are very welcoming and polite, although they were quite surprised to find tourists at their hotel! They do however speak fluent English much to our surprise and delight. I recommend their grilled line-caught hake. The fish is cooked in such a soft and simple way! Plus their sorbets are amazing. The only downfall however was their Crema Catalana dessert which is basically crème brûlée, it was served cold and was of a lot larger size than any two people could take. The crème part of the Crema Catalana really was a bit too thick, however since all their other food tasted sublime, I'll put this down as a fluke.
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| (A) shows the location of Restaurant Carballeira |
WARNING. Do not get henna done for you at the beach. It is overly expensive even if you haggle and they use cheap black henna hair dye to draw on your hand. Most of the salesman are unskilled and use a template to draw on your hand which is ridiculous as the asking price is around €15 for a small part of your hand. Thankfully I did not have an allergic reaction to this procedure. However if you google black henna, you can see all of the nightmarish blisters and reactions people have had and I am so relieved that it did not happen to me otherwise it would have turned a brilliant holiday horrific. Allergic reactions can be anything from blisters that last for weeks to ones that leave permanent scarring and actual organ damage. It is very toxic and not very well managed in coastal areas such as Barcelona. Please research this for yourself and be careful!
4. La Rambla Del Mar
Is this brilliant sprawling port. It's a perfect place to cool down in the early even when it's still warm and there's a slight sea breeze. You can sit on the wooden floor of the port and dangle your feet off the edge. There are lots of bobbing statues as well which seem to change every year. The shopping and food centre at the end of it however is ridiculously expensive, you're much better off going to the main shopping street of Las Ramblas which is directly in front of the port and grabbing a fruity snack from La Boqueria.
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| La Rambla del Mar |
Obviously I haven't even gotten near to talking about all the wonderful sights of Barcelona, however the most important thing is to take your time through each venue. Only then can you actually enjoy them. Go early to the Sagrada Familia (best time is to arrive at about 9.45am or before) and then walk to La Pedrera. By then it will be lunchtime and so the line isn't as long as it usually is (perhaps an hour instead of two). But the best thing to do is before you go, buy the tickets beforehand online at home, and then you can print them out. We didn't mind waiting in line, however. If you buy tickets online you have to book a time and it seemed a little stressful for us to be rushing from place to place to make appointments.
Hope that your trip to Barcelona is sunny and brilliant!
If you'd like for me to do a post on my timetable in Barcelona I'd be more than happy to, leave a comment down below telling me about what you've done in Barcelona! I'd love to hear about all your memories and experiences!
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| Entrance to La Boqueria |
Song of the Day:
La Camisa Negra by Juanes
One of my favourite Spanish songs! It's a bitter song about love, but it's just so dang catchy! The video although a little strange, is quite cool as well. I adore the acoustic guitar; I can't really think of another instrument that sounds so beautifully Spanish. A nice line is 'Hoy me sabe a pura mier-'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRt2sRyup6A
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| Inside La Boqueria |
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| One of the many street artists you can find on the street of Las Ramblas |
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