It was being termed as the coldest Swedish winters in last 40 years.. Warmest of days had thermometer showing –15 degrees (Celsius of course) …. We were in dire need of some sunshine…. and then one of us (Aviral) mentioned… what better place than Spain… And soon our planning expert Amit Ghai came up with the cheapest available air tickets to Barcelona, Spain… Trip was planned .. 29th to 31st of January 2010 .. Amit, Aviral, Vineet, Akhil, Shipra, Eva and myself…
All of us were looking forward to sunshine, beaches. vibrant night life and last and “the least” awesome city architecture by Gaudi…
We left Stockholm Skavasta airport by Ryan Air at 8:25PM and reached the Girona airport at 23:35. Girona is situated approx 100Kms away from Barcelona. The easiest and cheapest option to reach the city was Barcelona Bus, whose timings coincide with Ryan Air flight arrival, and it took us around 1.5 hours to reach the city..
We couldn’t believe ourselves, but all of us were ready and left the hotel by around 8:00 AM. Our first stop was “Plaza De Catalunya” (Catalunya Metro Station) considered to be center of the city. It is one end of the famous “Las Ramblas” street. After grabbing some breakfast, we continued on the Ramblas street, which was just starting to come to life… Innumerable street side vendors were setting up their stalls selling various kinds of souvenirs … Half way through the street, we saw the famously colorful La Boqueria market known for its variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and poultry. We grabbed some fresh fruits and moved further to reach the southern most end of Rambla street wherein is located the tall and beautiful Columbus Monument, which symbolizes the place where Columbus returned after his first voyage to the Americas
Gothic quarter and the Barcelona Cathedral
After capturing each angle of Columbus Monument into our cameras, we turned back on Rambla and took one of the small streets on the right hand side to enter the Gothic Quarter, the old city of Barcelona. The narrow streets had an old Delhi kind of feel, sans the thousands of people. Streets opened up into squares with fountains and architectures. The buildings around were old but beautiful dating back to Medieval times. Within the Gothic quarter lies the Barcelona Cathedral or the “Cathedral of Santa Eulalia”, a 14th century creation, which was our next destination. The central courtyard inside the church had beautiful tableaus and some half a dozen Geese birds roaming around, not something we had seen in any other Church before.
Our next stop was the Palau Guell, a house architected by the architect Gaudi for an industrial tycoon Guell. This was first of the many Gaudi creations that we were to see in the next 24 hours. The home was beautiful, but looked more like a museum and we could not imagine how could one actually live there… :) .. By the time we came out, it was already around noon and we were already an hour behind our planned itinerary. We headed back to the Catalunya station and this time the Ramblas was much more busy with hoards of tourists pouring in. At every few steps were persons standing posing as some characters expecting to get some money from tourists. The one shown in the photograph above was particularly amazing and we still don’t know how the hell was he sitting without a chair.. :
We took the metro from Catalunya and got down at Espanya to reach our next destination La Font Magica (Magic Fountain), known for its light and sound effects. Unfortunately, it was closed for repairs during the time and we could not see it in action and could just admired its outer construction. From there we continued our march towards the top of Montjuich Mountain.
Poble Espanyol or the Spanish Village
After about 10 to 15 minutes of walking, we reached the Spanish Village, an outdoor open-air architectural museum showcasing the most typical architectural styles in Spain. It consists of scaled models of around 117 famous buildings, streets and squares from across Spain along with a Picasso Art Museum. It was an amazing experience and the sculpture garden at the end was truly magnificent.
We continued our march towards the top taking a look at the Olympic stadium on the way. When we reached as far as the walking trail could take us, we had to take a cable car to reach the peak of the mountain. Then followed a series of confusions resulting in us taking a special“Funnicular Train” a couple of times thinking it could take us to the top, which it could not. But the Funnicular ride was an experience in itself.. :)
By the time we realized our mistake, it was already too late, so we had to rush back. We took the Funnicular (again!) but this time correctly and then the metro to take us back to Catalunya. The place looked absolutely different from when we had seen it in the morning with much more life and activity. All of us were tired, and decided to take some rest at a cafe.
Gaudi’s Evening
The rest of the evening was devoted to Gaudi’s architectural master pieces. We started with La Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) church. Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece which is Barcelona's most famous landmark. Just a glance at the exterior, and you know why is it one of the most famous architectural pieces in the world, and why it hasn’t been completed yet, though it started construction in 1882!!. Jaw dropping is how I would describe it.
Our interest in Gaudi’s work had risen and we headed towards Paseo de Gracia, house to Gaudi’s two more famous works: Casa Batllo and La Pedrera. Paseo Gracia itself is one of the most important shopping and business areas in Barcelona and a host to worlds most famous fashion brands. The two Gaudi’s buildings were true to their reputation, each one a living tale of Gaudi’s craftsmanship.
An unfortunate incident happened then. Vineet got pick pocketed while boarding the metro and the next couple of hours we spent trying to block all the bank cards that he had lost. We had read that about Barcelona metros, but hoped it doesn’t happen to us…
All of us were hungry by now and we looked for an Indian restaurant. Eva found one by the name Mayura, and till date, it is the best Indian restaurant in Europe that we have been to.
The next morning, our first destination was Arc De Triomf, an archway structure somewhat similar to Gateway of India in Mumbai. After clicking a few photographs, we headed towards yet another of Gaudi’s creations, Park Guell. It is a garden with complex artistic and beautiful architectural elements (its Gaudi’s after all) at its entrance. We were short of time, so had to rush through, but a visit to Barcelona is definitely incomplete without being here.
How could we have come back without having seen a beach in Spain. So we culminated our trip by a visit to the closest beach, Barceloneta. The weather was still cold and definitely not suitable for swimming trunks.. but we still rolled up our trousers and soaked our feet in the water…
Finally (and unfortunately) it was time to head to the Girona Airport to catch the 5:00 PM flight back to Stockholm. Obviously, we needed a little more drama before finishing up…. Had it not been for a 10 minute running sprint and then a taxi ride, half of us would have missed the bus and therefore the flight as well…. But then, all was well as it ended well.. :)
After having visited a lot more European cities since then, Barcelona to me, still remains architecturally the second most beautiful city.. after Rome of course.. :)
All of us were looking forward to sunshine, beaches. vibrant night life and last and “the least” awesome city architecture by Gaudi…
We left Stockholm Skavasta airport by Ryan Air at 8:25PM and reached the Girona airport at 23:35. Girona is situated approx 100Kms away from Barcelona. The easiest and cheapest option to reach the city was Barcelona Bus, whose timings coincide with Ryan Air flight arrival, and it took us around 1.5 hours to reach the city..
The Hotel
As we were to reach city well past midnight, our top priority while searching the hotel was proximity to where the bus would drop us. We booked “Residencia Melon District Marina” hotel, which was a 5 minute walk from the bus station. After struggling a little with the Google map printouts that I had and asking a couple of fellow travelers, we finally reached our hotel at around 2:00 AM. The hotel was big and nice from outside, but the rooms were very (very) small. The good part was a shared kitchen where we could warm our food… Yes, we did eat at 3:00 AM.. Some Paranthe (Indian bread) and Sandwiches..Early Morning: Las Ramblas, La Boqueria and Columbus Monument
Left to right: Our gang on Las Ramblas, La Boqueria entrance, Inside Boqueria, Columbus Monument, Columbus Monument base, One of the many sculptures on Ramblas
We couldn’t believe ourselves, but all of us were ready and left the hotel by around 8:00 AM. Our first stop was “Plaza De Catalunya” (Catalunya Metro Station) considered to be center of the city. It is one end of the famous “Las Ramblas” street. After grabbing some breakfast, we continued on the Ramblas street, which was just starting to come to life… Innumerable street side vendors were setting up their stalls selling various kinds of souvenirs … Half way through the street, we saw the famously colorful La Boqueria market known for its variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and poultry. We grabbed some fresh fruits and moved further to reach the southern most end of Rambla street wherein is located the tall and beautiful Columbus Monument, which symbolizes the place where Columbus returned after his first voyage to the Americas
Gothic quarter and the Barcelona Cathedral
Left to right: One square in Gothic Quarter, Sculpted building walls, Geese inside Barcelona Cathedral, Tableaus inside church, Church hall, exterior of the church.
After capturing each angle of Columbus Monument into our cameras, we turned back on Rambla and took one of the small streets on the right hand side to enter the Gothic Quarter, the old city of Barcelona. The narrow streets had an old Delhi kind of feel, sans the thousands of people. Streets opened up into squares with fountains and architectures. The buildings around were old but beautiful dating back to Medieval times. Within the Gothic quarter lies the Barcelona Cathedral or the “Cathedral of Santa Eulalia”, a 14th century creation, which was our next destination. The central courtyard inside the church had beautiful tableaus and some half a dozen Geese birds roaming around, not something we had seen in any other Church before.
Palau Guell
Top row: Outside Palau Guell, Interiors of Palau, Another view of interiors.
Bottom row: People posing as different characters, I still don’t know how the first one is sitting.
Our next stop was the Palau Guell, a house architected by the architect Gaudi for an industrial tycoon Guell. This was first of the many Gaudi creations that we were to see in the next 24 hours. The home was beautiful, but looked more like a museum and we could not imagine how could one actually live there… :) .. By the time we came out, it was already around noon and we were already an hour behind our planned itinerary. We headed back to the Catalunya station and this time the Ramblas was much more busy with hoards of tourists pouring in. At every few steps were persons standing posing as some characters expecting to get some money from tourists. The one shown in the photograph above was particularly amazing and we still don’t know how the hell was he sitting without a chair.. :
Magic Fountain
Left to right: Catalunya square, Magic fountain, View from the fountain
We took the metro from Catalunya and got down at Espanya to reach our next destination La Font Magica (Magic Fountain), known for its light and sound effects. Unfortunately, it was closed for repairs during the time and we could not see it in action and could just admired its outer construction. From there we continued our march towards the top of Montjuich Mountain. 
Poble Espanyol or the Spanish Village
Different buildings inside Spanish village, Picasso museum and sculpture garden
After about 10 to 15 minutes of walking, we reached the Spanish Village, an outdoor open-air architectural museum showcasing the most typical architectural styles in Spain. It consists of scaled models of around 117 famous buildings, streets and squares from across Spain along with a Picasso Art Museum. It was an amazing experience and the sculpture garden at the end was truly magnificent.
We continued our march towards the top taking a look at the Olympic stadium on the way. When we reached as far as the walking trail could take us, we had to take a cable car to reach the peak of the mountain. Then followed a series of confusions resulting in us taking a special“Funnicular Train” a couple of times thinking it could take us to the top, which it could not. But the Funnicular ride was an experience in itself.. :)
By the time we realized our mistake, it was already too late, so we had to rush back. We took the Funnicular (again!) but this time correctly and then the metro to take us back to Catalunya. The place looked absolutely different from when we had seen it in the morning with much more life and activity. All of us were tired, and decided to take some rest at a cafe.
Gaudi’s Evening
Left to right: La Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, La Pedrera
The rest of the evening was devoted to Gaudi’s architectural master pieces. We started with La Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) church. Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece which is Barcelona's most famous landmark. Just a glance at the exterior, and you know why is it one of the most famous architectural pieces in the world, and why it hasn’t been completed yet, though it started construction in 1882!!. Jaw dropping is how I would describe it. 
Our interest in Gaudi’s work had risen and we headed towards Paseo de Gracia, house to Gaudi’s two more famous works: Casa Batllo and La Pedrera. Paseo Gracia itself is one of the most important shopping and business areas in Barcelona and a host to worlds most famous fashion brands. The two Gaudi’s buildings were true to their reputation, each one a living tale of Gaudi’s craftsmanship.
An unfortunate incident happened then. Vineet got pick pocketed while boarding the metro and the next couple of hours we spent trying to block all the bank cards that he had lost. We had read that about Barcelona metros, but hoped it doesn’t happen to us…
All of us were hungry by now and we looked for an Indian restaurant. Eva found one by the name Mayura, and till date, it is the best Indian restaurant in Europe that we have been to.
Arc De Triumph and Park Guell
Left to right: Arc de Triomf, Inside Park Guell1, Inside Park Guell 2
The next morning, our first destination was Arc De Triomf, an archway structure somewhat similar to Gateway of India in Mumbai. After clicking a few photographs, we headed towards yet another of Gaudi’s creations, Park Guell. It is a garden with complex artistic and beautiful architectural elements (its Gaudi’s after all) at its entrance. We were short of time, so had to rush through, but a visit to Barcelona is definitely incomplete without being here. 
Barceloneta Beach
Barceloneta beach, sand artists at work on beach, back to the airport
How could we have come back without having seen a beach in Spain. So we culminated our trip by a visit to the closest beach, Barceloneta. The weather was still cold and definitely not suitable for swimming trunks.. but we still rolled up our trousers and soaked our feet in the water… 
Finally (and unfortunately) it was time to head to the Girona Airport to catch the 5:00 PM flight back to Stockholm. Obviously, we needed a little more drama before finishing up…. Had it not been for a 10 minute running sprint and then a taxi ride, half of us would have missed the bus and therefore the flight as well…. But then, all was well as it ended well.. :)
After having visited a lot more European cities since then, Barcelona to me, still remains architecturally the second most beautiful city.. after Rome of course.. :)
I wonder how you manage to remember so many details.!
ReplyDeleteWow!!! same question - how do you manage to remember everything???
ReplyDeleteIncredible! it refreshed all memories :) Thanks to your wonderful writing.
ReplyDelete