To follow up our relaxing time in Tamariu we jam packed our adventure in Barcelona. To be quite honest though, we really did not start off on the right foot. The two of us took a taxi from our seaside oasis to the train station in Girona (super clean) and headed down to the big city. We had a bit of time to kill so we wandered around with our huge backpacks on. Ended up taking a seat in España Industrial Park. It had the sweetest metal dragon slide! It was massive! I truly regret not giving it a try.
So while were just chilling this odd guy comes up to us… he seemed friendly at first but got increasingly upset as he tried to communicate with us and I had no idea what he was saying. I could not tell weather he wanted my shoes or backpack, but he was pointing at them both? A few other people watching this go down. He sat across from us in a huff muttering to himself. It was quite uncomfortable and not a very good first impression. We just went back to the station to find out what train we needed to take. Trying to get to Terrassa, we ended up at the beach in Badalona. In case you might not be familiar with the area… this is in the complete opposite direction! Our mistake corrected, (even though I really was tempted to just stroll the sandy shoreline) we arrived on time to meet our neighbour’s cousin. She was graciously hosting us for two nights. In the hustle, I ended up losing my ticket to swipe out of the underground. While frantically searching my Fit Bit came off. Matt and I had both gone through the gates on his ticket before I realized. I looked back and could see it on the seat. I made eye contact with the only person seated there and started pointing like a crazy person. Thankfully the young guy noticed and brought it to me. My faith was restored!
So, enough of my whining! After a late evening of sight seeing suggestions, Matt and I got an early start the following day. My ever precious fitness tracker tells me we had over 30,000 steps by the end of it. We started of with Park Güell. It is one of the major displays of Antoni Gaudí’s work in Barcelona, boasting over 100 years of history. Although the architecture is very over the top, it was definitely something to see. The colourful mosaic work was stunning.
A funny little story about the park… and I apologize if it is one of those “had to be there” kind of things. There were a few musical groups and individuals selling souvenirs along the many pathways. The rows of salesmen had all of their trinkets placed out on blankets. A few on the ends had earrings on umbrellas. After walking a good deal of the park, we took a quick rest in a picnic area with a great view of the different tiers. Some upbeat tunes in the distance. It became apparent that the merchants were not supposed to be there. About twenty of them had snatched up their sheets by the four corners, tied them up and tossed them over their shoulder in a hurry. The whole scene resembled a fast paced Charlie Chaplin style film as they quickly scattered throughout the area in different directions. Two community police officers in quick pursuit, never quite catching any of them. Music still playing in the background! It was just one of those fantastic stand out moments. I don’t even know which side I was rooting for!?
From there we walked, what felt like, the entire city! We checked out the infamous construction zone that is the Sagrada Familia, cruised by the Cathedral of Barcelona, strolled the streets of Old Town and perused the Picasso Museum. Though I can’t say I was a huge fan of the mythological print collection, I really enjoyed some of the paintings from the Blue Period and a lot of his earlier work. At some point we ate lunch, made our way to the harbour front and back up La Rambla. We viewed the city from the top of the Arenas shopping centre. It was converted from an old bull fighting ring. So cool! We ended our day watching the sunset from the Catalan National Art Museum with hopes to catch the beginning of the Magic Fountain of Montjuic. So did everyone else! Needless to say, were we happy to take our shoes off at the end of the day. A good nights sleep and off to the airport (it could honestly put all of our shopping malls to shame) in the morning.
BONUS! Can you spot the owl?
The Adventures of HAM 