Well we finally arrived in Barcelona after seemingly hours of inactivity, too many movies , minimal sleep and too much food on the plane!
We managed to get on the right Aerobus and found the Airbnb accommodation without any trouble. A very compact room on the first floor of an old apartment building a block away from Las Ramblas and one minutes walk from the nearest Metro station. The owner had warned us that it was noisy as it is on a main road but the traffic is easily blocked out when we shut the heavy wooden shutters. Perfect location.
After catching up on some much-needed sleep we spent the first day wandering along las Ramblas, admiring the buskers and getting our bearings. Ewan 'climbed' the Columbus tower at the sea end of the street (ie he went up in a lift!) to admire the view whilst I relaxed and enjoyed the balmy temperature (26 degrees) and the warm sea breezes.
A trip to the famous market for empanadas, fruit salad and fresh juice refreshed us for some more exploring in the Gothic district. In our usual style we managed to get to the Barcelona Cathedrale 10 minutes before it closed - not bad - but the Museum we had wanted to see was ,of course, closed on Mondays!! We had to go to a church because Ewan was suffering withdrawal: after visiting Italy where we seemed to see a few every day he really needed a church 'fix' early on this trip.
After a siesta - its important to get into the swing of things without delay! - we headed off to join the many spaniards out for a drink and some tapas. I ordered a Gin and tonic from the special G&T menu (10 choices!) and it was literally the largest G&T I have ever had: served in an enormous wine glass. The waiter arrived with the glass containing ice and lemon, opened the bottle of gin ( Bombay sapphire for me!) and proceeded to fill up half the glass with gin as he chatted. Needless to say I was slightly unsteady on my feet on the way home.
Today we decided we would 'do' Gaudi as all good Barcelona tourists should. We negotiated the wonders of buying a ticket for the metro despite not having any idea about the language. Being able to say hello and goodbye in spanish are not much help when negotiating with a ticket machine.
We headed off to he famous Sagrida Familia cathedral ony to be told that we needed to buy a ticket and that we could buy a ticket that would get us in at 4.30pm. Fortunately I had done some research and so we headed off to try something new to fill in time.
Within a short walking distance we found a relatively new attraction - the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista. Now it might not be evryone's idea of a good time but this old hospital was absolutely beautiful. Built in the early 1900's in the art nouveau style it was a combination of great architecture, art and what must have been a 'modern' hospital. It was a far cry from any hospital I had ever seen: no slab built concrete with dreary colours and boring architecture ( for example the RMH!).
This consisted of a number of pavilions ( or wards) with ornate decorations, lots of light, superb intricate tilework and lovely gardens. We had a great time wandering around looking at the arches in the emergency department and admiring the beautifully designed buildings. Very unexpected and well worth a visit. It's only been open to visitors since 2012 and was closed as a functioning hospital in 2009. I'm sure recovery would have been improved in these surroundings.
To get back on the Gaudi track we went to see the building he designed in the most expensive shopping street in Barcelona. I managed to persuade Ewan that he didn't need a Zegna suit and we stayed well away from Escada , Gucci etc etc. In the midst of these shops were two buildings designed by Gaudi, but quite different. Casa Battilo had the usual curves and turrets, whilst the Hotel Pedrera had less ornate walls but lots of interesting black ironwork. All very interesting.
Then it was back to the Sagrada Familia to have paella sitting not far away so we could admire the spires and external walls. Finally it was time and we grabbed our audio guides and off we went.
Let me say that I am seriously considering writing a guide to audio guides around the world - I'm sure I'd make a fortune! We headed for the main entrance and listened attentively to the first couple of descriptions on the audio guide but slowly becoming more and more confused as we couldn't identify any of the figures that were being decsribed at all! There appeared to be a large number of other tourists with similarly puzzled expressions on their faces wandering around looking just as mystified as we were.
Finally Ewan asked a helpful staff member who rolled his eyes about the lack of information provided to us and informed us that we were on the wrong side of the buiding and we needed to go through the Museum to emerge on the other side and then follow the guide. Finally we found the right side of the building and the appropriate figures and we were away....
Since I last visited in 2007, when part of it was a building site, there has been an amazing transformation on the inside of the bulding. The impact of walking through the doors and experiencing the amazing colours of the stained glass windows, the huge 'tree' columns and the many facsinating angles and sweeping design features of the interior is breathtaking. No photos do justice to the dimensions of the place and it is truly amazing now.
By the time we left we were rather exhausted so we felt we deserved an ice cream. Unfortunately somewhere between the ice cream shop and home I managed to lose my wallet: not sure that it was a pickpocket as my bag is quite secure but may have dropped it in the metro station. Anyway it disappeared so then we had to cancel the cards and organise replacements etc etc. Such a pain!
Good excuse to buy a nice spanish leather wallet though!!
Finally made our way home after buying some jamon (ham)and cheese to have for nibbles. Then set off for yet more tapas - and another HUGE G&T! - before collapsing in bed. As I write this Ewan has gone to sleep fully clothed - it's been a big day!
For those aware of the problems with my back and hip and all of the treatment I've had, including cortisone injected into my spine...well none of it worked. So now I have resorted to the heavy duty painkillers which take the edge off the pain but make me a bit spaced out and vague ( well...more than usual!) It's not great I can tell you but with Ewan's sore knees and my sore back and leg we arent exactly going at a rocketing pace. Still determination will not allow me to miss anything so onwards we will go , popping pills and hoping for miracles!!
your exhausted but happy correspondent ,
Dianne
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