Since I never made it to Barcelona, Spain in October because of a cancelled flight, I had to make it over while in Portugal. I arrived Friday night and left Sunday morning solo. Although the language of Barcelona is Catalan and not Spanish, people were pretty nice when I used English, French or Portuguese or a mixture of the three.
I booked a nice hostel near Las Ramblas and so was pretty close to the main tourist attractions. I started with Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia. Although still in construction, the cathedral of the Sagrada Familia was amazing to observe. I was most impressed with the interior and the reflection of colors present throughout the cathedral because of the light shining in.
Las Ramblas was packed with tourists, and despite the fact that I hate being a tourist, I definitely was one. I had my taste of tapas and sangria in a restaurant on Las Ramblas and visited the famous St Josep Boqueria. Filled with all kinds of fruits, vegetables, candy and foods, yes I did grab a mini pizza and some more sangria…
In the afternoon I visited the oceanfront and Barceloneta, as well as the corner where the Picasso Museum is. I took some photos and visited before enjoying a café leche near the port. Before returning to my hostel I went grocery shopping for breakfast the next morning and to find some dinner. Since my hostel was cheap and centrally located, there had to be some problem. While well located, it was on a small road unknown to most taxi drivers. It took my about an hour and a half to find it Saturday late afternoon, since obviously my map was no help from the beginning. When I finally found it, I was ready to take a shower and sleep. I had walked all day in my Coimbra sandals, but my feet were still sore. However, the view and the sites were well worth it. I was inspired to pick up Catalan because of this trip, and who knows, maybe one day I will.
i love sagrada familia :)
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