Beautiful Barcelona

Barcelona was a place for beauty – wherever possible, the landscape was full of pretty little details – paving stones, lamps all had beauty as well as practicality. It was very much the old world – beautiful, sophisticated, yet somehow rustic and earthy.

We travelled about Barcelona as a four – Julia, Henry, Ellie and myself. Departing from Julia’s London house at 5am, we were wandering Las Ramblas by noon, able to then return to our apartment which directly overlooked the main street. it was very cute and just the right size, though the bedrooms were one huge and one teensy. We solved this the easy way of swapping round halfway through, so everyone got time in the room and in the cupboard. Having a working kitchen allowed for actual cooking which was great, especially as Eleanor insisted on being head chef, and Julia became the sandwich queen. HAIL THE SANDWICH QUEEN! Henry and I were helpful when allowed to be. The phrase ‘working kitchen’ held up fine until we tried to roast a chicken. After about 4 rounds of “it’s totally cooked....wait no that’s barbie pink there” we ended up hacking it to pieces and nuking it. Tasty but not tender! Due to limited ingredients, the gravy was also an interesting colour although just as tasty. Never trust an unknown oven!

We divided our time between different kinds of relaxing – seeing sights (most Gaudi’s extraordinary work), eating, cooking and playing GLOOOOM, as Julia pronounced it (be sure to loom and widen your eyes for proper effect). A rather cutthroat game, it served to test the boundaries of our friendships! Alliances were formed and broken all too quickly. Henry and EP were quick to turn on each other

Sigrata familia, Gaudi’s ultimate masterpiece, is not yet finished (of course), but it’s getting there! The interior is done, and was a moving space to be in. He really knew what he was doing, and standing in the centre of the church surrounded by soft light, i don’t think anyone could want to change a thing. I (Eleanor ) had been around 6 years previously and was surprised as to how much they had completed in that time.

We lived on Las Ramblas. There were so many street performers and vendors, standing around or hawking various annoying toys. A particularly annoying one was a whistle held between your teeth that makes squeaking noises – people would just stand on the path squeaking at you as you walked by. The street was also full of waffle stalls (yum) and craft markets, which we browsed frequently. The whole impression was always one of colour and crowds.

Eleanor had an interesting incident on the tourist bus: first, losing her boarding ticket, and then in Park Guell, another Gaudi masterpiece, losing her glasses. After much searching and distress, we all gave up and sat down for a picnic lunch. Eleanor calmed herself, going for one last look. She returned victorious, glasses slightely askew upon her face. When asked, she explained they had been thrown into a bush 3 metres off the path, necessitating climbing under the fence to reach them. Our guess is someone stole them, then tossed them after seeing the prescription. Hurrah for fickle thieves!

Park Guell was spectacular, mosaic ceilings and learning columns matching well with nature. We walked up the hill for a beautiful view of Barcelona.

Henry saw most of Barcelona through a viewfinder, and we have many photos of him taking photos of the scenery.

Food was good – expensive but tasty, and a source of some conflict with the locals. On one evening, we rejected several venues due to our aversion to photos of food on menus – in one case, we left after eating one anchovy and one asparagus stem each. We may have gained a reputation.... if you see photos of us in Barcelona eateries, you’ll know why! Travelling with Henry and Julia was great fun, especially as we became hated by waiters everywhere. This was the most notable instance of the difficult decision making in a large group – we were usually able to act a bit more decisively, thank goodness.

Eleanor and Julia disappeared for a shopping session one evening, returning happy and with heavier bags than before.

After one evening of GLOOOM and a casual drink, we ventured out to see Barcelona’s night life. Being unwilling to pay cover for noisy clubs meant we saw more of the outdoor life, and many a drunk Spaniard (and Australian, no doubt).

Being prepared for the chilly version of Spain, we were happily surprised with 18C days full of sunshine. We all revelled in being able to carry only one jacket, taking a great break from the chill of England.

Writing this very late update from Greece makes us miss our dear friends, camera boy and sandwich queen (MITTONS!) though we are having a great time here, meeting Ellie’s family and eating much food. More on that later, when we finally catch up on our blogging!