Barcelona 2007 - A delightful trip to Catalonia
Barcelona 2007
I arrived late Friday night and settled myself into the hotel, getting ready for my long stay in Barcelona. The next morning, we set out on a bike tour of the city, hitting the important sites, such as Gaudí’s La Sagrada Família, his famous, work-in-progress church that may or may not be finished in my lifetime. Begun in 1882, it definitely was not finished in his.
We stopped for some tapas and then continued on to Port Vell, a scenic marina that houses many restaurants and the aquarium. We rode back to the bike shop and strolled around the city some more, seeing the main street, La Rambla, and walking back along Barceloneta, to our hotel next to Port Olímpic.
The next day, we took a cable car up to the top of Montjuïc, a large hill with a castle on top that overlooks the city. Also on the hill are several museums and the site of the Olympic Stadium that housed the 1992 Olympic Ceremonies. We walked almost the entire hill, from south to north and sat on the steps of the Palau Nacional, and watched the hustle and bustle of Plaça España before returning to La Rambla for a snack before dinner.
I had Monday all to myself, so I spent it walking throughout the city, visiting some of the sites that I saw from the bike. This time, I was able to study them in depth, such as the interior of La Sagrada Família and the façade of La Pedrera, which is another of Gaudí’s works. I also had dinner to myself, so I strolled the short distance to Port Olímpic and enjoyed a nice meal overlooking the marina.
On Tuesday, we decided to take the open air bus tour throughout the city, hitting some of the sites on the outer edges of the city accompanied by an audio description of what we were looking at. We spent some time at Park Güell, another of Gaudí’s design, which is at the northern end of town and overlooks the city of Barcelona. We had a nice lunch in the shopping district near Plaça Francesc Macià before hopping on the bus again through Montjuïc and heading back to the hotel, calling it a day, and rested for dinner.
On Wednesday, we decided to get out of town and see the countryside. We took the Metro and a train out to Montserrat, which is a monastery built into a mountainside with striking rock formations. We took another cable car to the top and strolled around the square and admired the views. We went into the basilica and lit a candle for our loved ones. We law La Moreneta, or The Black Madonna, a statue of the Virgin Mary from the 12th century that, as legends say it, has miraculous powers. We touched it, just in case. We enjoyed our mountain top perch for a while and then headed back down the cable car and to the train. Exhausted, we headed back to our hotel and crashed.
On Thursday, we spent some time shopping on La Rambla and walked around the quaint alleyways snaking from the main street. We had some food and watched as the area began filling up with Scotsmen for the soccer match that night. We heard later that there was a ruckus in the La Rambla area due to drunk and disorderly Scotsmen and we were not surprised, as they were already a little rowdy when we were there midday. We walked back along the boardwalk and had some gelato.
On Friday, I had another free day to myself, so I got up at 6:00 AM and took the metro to the train station and then took a 1 hour and 15 minute train to Girona. I then hopped on the bus to Besalú, a medieval town with an amazing entrance over a bridge that spans the Riu Fluvià. Since it was the off-season, I practically had the village to myself. I wandered the quiet streets, resisting the urge to tiptoe, as to not disturb the silence. I soon found a couple of tour groups, one French and one German. But, if I timed it right, I encountered no one during my exploration.
I visited a little coffee shop that had a window looking out to the river and enjoyed a cup with a pastry while I planned my visit. Memorizing the map, I strolled around, snapping photos and enjoying the peaceful little town with its cobblestone streets and massive fortifications. Just outside the walls was a flowing river with what looked like trophy-sized trout, swimming with the current. Along the river were small gardens that were the source of the village’s produce. I had a pleasant lunch in the main square until I looked at my watch and realized that I had to leave this place of serenity and catch the bus and the train back to the hustle and bustle of Barcelona. It was truly a fitting way to end the week. On Saturday, we woke up at 5:30 and flew home.
It was a wonderful trip and Spain is high on my list of places to return to.
