Barcelona

Dawn broke sometime during my flight from Amsterdam to Barcelona. It was a welcome sight because it meant my 15-hour flight was drawing to a close. I landed in Barcelona at 9am, bleary eyed even though I had the luxury of stretching out across two seats on the 12-hour flight from KL to Amsterdam. A few quick questions later, I found myself waiting in line for the bus to the city. The bus was comfortable enough, even though the driver short changed me by €2, something I didn't notice until several hours later.

The bus dropped me off at Plaza Catalunya, a huge plaza in the center of the city. From there, it was a 2-minute walk to my hotel. I'd booked a room in Hotel Lloret, right on La Rambla, the main tourist street in Barcelona. At €40, it was more expensive than a backpackers, but with my business clothes and laptop in tow, I didn't want to risk it. In any case, I was very happy with my room, which was clean, had an en suite bathroom and a comfortable bed, and came with breakfast and wifi too - what more could a traveller ask for?

After a quick breakfast, I set off to explore La Rambla and as much of Barcelona as I could before the jet lag kicked in. La Rambla is a hip and happening pedestrian thoroughfare flanked by two roads for cars. The nice thing about this system is that if you're walking in the middle, you don't have to stop at every junction for the cars to pass. It's filled with stalls on either side of the wide thoroughfare selling everything from iguanas to flowers and paintings. Those human statues also seem to be really popular there. It's not a very long street - it took me maybe 20 minutes tops to reach the end of the street, where it joins the coast.

My first stop of the day was La Boqueria, a market filled with local produce and eateries. I love going to grocery stores in new cities, so I had a really pleasant time strolling through the market. I came across some really bizarre sights like a goat head and something full of holes hanging from the ceiling of one of the shops. Any idea what that is?

I'd just had breakfast so I wasn't very hungry, but I did come back here the next day to El Quim, a tiny restaurant where you can only eat at the bar. Apparently the tapas here is really good, but I was distracted by the plate of octopus the couple next to me had ordered, so I got that too.

The Galician style octopus turned out to be fantastic - octopus sauteed in olive oil on top of two soft fried eggs and served with a basket of bread. Heart attack on a plate! :D

Further down La Rambla, I came across this shop
Seems like I can't get away from KL even after a 15 hour flight!

After that, map in hand, I started wandering down the streets and alleyways of Barcelona. I love how tiny alleyways open up into a large, gorgeous plazas.

I came across this restaurant in one of the plazas. Eating until you're stuffed takes on a whole new meaning at this place.

I also found this little shop that was selling "Happy Pills." Care for some, anyone?

The next day was Gaudi day. My first stop was Casa Battlo, which was only a short walk from my hotel. Also known as the House of Bones, the building was awe inspiring. All the details were so thoughtfully planned and the best part was that there were no straight lines. Everything was fluid and flowing. Gaudi used an undersea theme which meant blue tiles and blue stained glass in the windows. The effect was beautiful.

I passed by the other famous Gaudi building, La Pedrera on my way to the Sagrada Familia but decided not to go in. The Sagrada, however, is a must see. They've been working on this building for more than 200 years now and it's still not complete but it's easy to see why when you're there. It's definitely not just another cathedral. Here, again, Gaudi was inspired by nature, creating spiral staircases like those seen on a sea shell and using columns that look like trees to support the vaulted roof. One of my favourite things about the cathedral is how the light dances on the walls as it shines through the stained galss windows. If you take the lift up one of the towers, you get an amazing view of the city. Here's a tip: There are two lifts, one in front with an incredibly long line, an another, lesser known one, at the back. There's also a museum at the back, explaining Gaudi's methods and inspirations. You could probably skip that part, but I thought it made the visit more meaningful.
That night, I made my way to the Plaza Espana to see the famed magic fountains, only to discover that they were closed for maintenance. Big disappointment. I did, however, come across this little chocolate shop/patisserie that had this yummilicious flower pot on display. I thought it would make an excellent Valentines day gift.
I had tapas for dinner again that night. In fact, I had nothing but tapas my whole time in Barcelona. To be honest, I didn't find the food particularly fantastic, except for the octopus. One thing I really enjoyed, though, was the churros. One can't leave Spain without trying the churros or Spanish doughnuts.


All in all, I had a great time in Barcelona, although I wish I had someone there to share it with me. It's no fun travelling alone :(