mark his words: Barcelona

An indirect train route from Perigiueux via Irun had us arriving in Barcelona quite late at night, before being greeted by a friend of mine I met during my last time in Spain, Ainara, who had kindly offered to let us stay with her during our time in Barcelona.

The weather was great, perhaps too great, as a decision to wear jeans backfired, especially during the not so casual amble up to and through Parc Guell the following day, the Mediterranean sun beaming down upon us. A surprisingly cheap purchase of some FC Barcelona shorts brought a wave of relief as I ventured to the other main touristic landmark, the Sagrada Familia, a church designed by famed Catalan architect Anton Gaudi which, more than 130 years since construction started, is due for completion in 2026. Given the level of detail and intricate design, though, it is no surprise it's taken this long.

Parc Guell

Sagrada Familia

After meeting upwith Ainara in Parc Ciutadella , we wandered through the alleyways of Born, the old Jewish quarter, and then Barra Gotic, the Latin quarter, before heading up Las Ramblas via Placa Catalunya and Placa Reial to Gracia, where we picked up some amazing tapas and pizza for dinner. The whole city was ridiculously busy, even for a Tuesday night, reminding me of the good old days of late night shopping.

Church of Santa Maria del Pi, Gothic Quarter

Placa Reial

Las Ramblas

Learning from my mistake the previous day, in suitably more comfortable attire, we ventured to Placa Catalunya again, before heading up Passage de Gracias by foot, passing by some more renowned Gaudi works, notably Casa Milà and Casa Batlló. A sample of the local snack food and confectionery cuisine (seriously, one of the most enjoyable aspects of heading to a country is trying all their junk food), and we were ready to head up to Montjuic.

Whilst the funicular to the lower half, including the Olympic Stadium was all well and good, the carbs I'd filled up on earlier were definitely burnt off on the ascent towards Castel Montjuic, right at the top of the mountain overlooking the city and the sea. Throughout the trip I've seen a lot of amazing scenic views from high up on mountains and whatnot so to still be awestruck by the scenery gives an idea of how amazing the 360 degree panoramic views of the sea, port, mountains and city were. They were just as wonderful on the way down, as we caught the Telerific (cable car) down to the lower parts of Montjuic, which had the added bonus of resting our now rock-hard calves and thighs.

Estadi Olympic

Montjuic

Telerific

View from the Telerific

With Ainara, we headed out to a Catalan restaurant (regional Spanish cuisine - though the Catalan's will viciously oppose being called Spanish) and more tapas (Russian salad is an interesting one, whilst Patatas Bravas is my new favourite international food of the week) and drinks. An off the beaten track restaurant down a variety of side streets and alleys, it was good to eat at a place not targeted toward a 'guiris' (tourists), with Catalan people in a Catalan timeslot (we didn't arrive at the restaurant, which was packed, until about 10:45pm).

In booking a night bus to Lyon the following night, we allowed ourselves an extra day to explore the La Boquiera markets, just off the Ramblas, a market teeming with a vast array of sights, smells and the usual market happenings. After consuming a mouth watering selection of fruit, we had a casual stroll along the vibrant Barceloneta beach. With palm trees, rollerbladers, volleyball players and music it was reminiscent of a cleaner Venice Beach, really highlighting that Barcelona is the city that has it all. Architecture, culture, mountains, beaches, history, parks, food... it's hard not to fall in love with the city, and I can't wait to go back again, and again.