Barcelona - Day Two

Day Two

Date:     31 March 2013

Place:    Barcelona

Weather:  Sunny and High teens

Accommodation:             Hostal Benidorm

The day started off very fresh as we set off looking for our recommended breakfast stop.   It was hard to resist the crisp crusted breads with ham and assorted fillings accompanied with coffees and hot chocolate. 

Our decision was to join the city tour bus today so we bravely sat on the chilly top deck to take in the sights.  It has given us a good idea of what the east side of Barcelona is like.   We travelled down to the old port (Port Vell) through Barcelonetta and alongside the 5 kms of lovely beaches restored for the Olympics in 1992.  The Olympic village was converted into apartments and it is a very lovely part of Barcelona.

The old Olympic village.

Our plan was to visit Antonio Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Cathedral early however every other tourist in Barcelona had the same idea.  We were given a ticket with a number to allow us in the queue in one hour’s time…….hence after circumnavigating the cathedral we moved on to Gaudi’s Parc Guell.  As David and I have seen the cathedral before Desley and Cameron plan to go early via taxi and beat the crowds tomorrow morning.

La Sagrada Familia.....the front with its unusual exterior.  The cathedral is still unfinished.

 

By the time we climbed the hill to Parc Guell the day had warmed up considerably and the sun had a real bite.  The tourists were like ants all over the park however despite the huge numbers of people everyone was very polite.  I enjoyed seeing it again and took many photos of the tiles on the park benches.  The dragon attracted a lot of attention and it was impossible to get a photo without a lot of people in it.

The entrance to Parc Guell.....the three tourists about to enter.

A close up of the tiles which features on the public seating overlooking the park.

The dragon is very popular!

 

As we were wandering back down the hill we decided to have a break and get some lunch.  It was pretty ordinary and we missed the lovely crusty bread from breakfast.

Easter Monday is tomorrow so I decided to not miss out on the Picasso Museum – it was high on my agenda for my second visit to Barcelona.  I continued on the bus whilst the others went on to explore more of Gaudi’s work.

After a little time finding my bearings I finally found the Museu Picasso where I joined a queue that took an hour to reach the ticket sales area.  It was there I found out the museum was free from three o’clock however I’m sure it was congested because it is a holiday weekend.   The exhibition takes in the entirety of Pablo Picasso’s artistic career in his painting with some ceramic pieces in a temporary exhibition.  There were literally thousands (4249) of his works to view and fortunately in chronological order showcasing his progress from realism to cubism and his interaction with the French impressionist painters.  As a fourteen year old his work was impressive and by the time he was eighteen he was producing exquisite canvases.

Realising the time was running away from me I headed back to La Rumbla to find my way to Sant Pau del Camp Church (St Paul in the Field).  This was another of my ‘must do’s’ upon my return to Barcelona.  Sant Pau is the only remaining Romanesque church in Barcelona.  The date carved on the headstone reads AD912.  It is a simple church with a small square-shaped cloister.

The lovely exterior of Sant Pau.

I enjoyed the walk back to the hotel as there were a few large plaças with people enjoying the sunshine – generally they were relaxing, eating and drinking.

The fellow travellers had had an interesting afternoon exploring Gaudi’s La Pedera.  They too had an exhausting queue however they felt the wait was worth it and once they were admitted they took their time with an audio guide.  Following this the trio caught a taxi to Tibidabo which is the highest point in Barcelona.  A neo-gothic church sits overlooking expansive views of this wonderful city.  Having completed their visit they took a funicular to the bottom and made their way back to the hotel.

Desley and Cameron had arranged to meet up with friends of theirs from Brisbane so we all met up for dinner.  Upon the recommendation of our hotel manager we joined a queue (yes, another) to dine at Le 15 Nits.  It was an excellent recommendation as the food was delicious and very well-priced.

It’s always lovely to meet up with fellow travellers and share stories.