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Well it was supposed to be a winter weekend in Madrid until EasyJet decided to cancel our flights. Hasty replanning saw us head back to Barcelona. A fantastic city so hardly a chore.

A photo heavy single post to cover 3 days (or I’ll never catch up the blog). We did much of the same stuff as before so you can read through my posts from 2017 if you want some more details.

An early morning flight from Bristol on a very chilly day

Superb views of a snow covered Pyrenees.

And over Barcelona itself.

We found a really rather nice hotel, the H10 Metropolitan just off Placa Catalunya. Right in the heart of the city, near some of the week known Gaudi buildings and an area packed with Tapas bars – more later.

View from our balcony.

After checking in (and a welcome glass of Cava) we hit the Bouqueria Market for lunch. An amazing Fish Platter, that we tried very hard to finish and just failed.

An afternoon walk along the seafront. By the time we got there it had clouded over and was really rather chilly. Only a couple of weeks later in the year than last time but several degrees cooler

A few of the city’s well known buildings. La Pedrera (night and day shots)

Casa Batllo – night and day.

Fundació Antoni Tapies.

Casa Thomas.

Casa de les Punxes (my favourite from last time)

And of course the stunning and still unfinished Sagrada Familia.

When we woke on the second morning it was grey and the pavements were wet with rain. By the time we reached the Sagrada the skies had cleared to a wonderful blue and there was some warmth in the air.

A walk in the Parc de la Ciutadella and its stunning statue before lunch.

You are never more than a few steps away from a Tapas Bar in Barcelona and this one, Bastaix was small, friendly and superb. Tapas is great for any meal lots of plates for feast, a small number for a light lunch. This is Black Pudding and Goats Cheese drizzled with honey.

Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar.

To close out our second day we headed to another of my favourite spots from last time, the Carmel Bunkers.

We caught the bus that takes you to the top but after two stops we had to get off due to a closed road. We had to walk all the way up but it was a fine walk that took in some other great viewpoints.

Everyone knows I love views down over cities and this is one of the very best.

We were lucky the skies had cleared to give such a stunning evening. As it was a weekend the place was packed with locals enjoying a good natured sunset party.

Some homes sit on top of the hill – what a fabulous place to live.

The crowds waiting for sunset – it was turning chilly and we weren’t really dressed for winter so we headed down. More tapas to eat and all that.

Even though just a plain block of flats this building was catching both the sun and my eye.

Our last day before a late flight home and time for another long walk. We really covered some miles over the three days.

The twin Venetian style towers at Place Espanya.

The view from the Palau Nacional.

A wander around the Olympic Park.

We found a way up to the ridge above the coast with some unusual views across the docks and the harbour before we walked back to Montjuc castle.

The ludicrously expensive gondola with views across the city.

The lovely fountains and water features in the Jardins del Mirador and views across the harbour and Barceloneta

We hopped on a bus down to the seafront for a snack and a drink on the beach.

The waves were huge and the water busy with surfers and SUPs. I was envious of the conditions and ached to get in the water for a play.

We settled for a beachfront seat and beer.

Another long walk along the beach and water-front.

And back through the town past the Cathedral

And one final Tapas feast before we headed to the airport for our flight home.

Wonderful sunny break in a vibrant city full of interesting stuff and great food. No better way to escape from a dreary British November.

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Our last day before flying home in the evening was a glorious one, clear, sunny and pretty hot. We decided to take a metro out to the far end of the beaches and walk back along the seafront. We’d been to the beach a few times before, notably on our first day and in the middle of the week for a swim

The first day was a chance to have a sandwich on the rocks

And a stroll down to this all-glass hotel affair at the far end. Probably an ugly monstrosity to some but I quite liked it

A couple of photos from our second visit

We went for a swim this time. Colder than I thought but great to swim in the sea on a warm day at the end of October

The beach front is a good few miles long and really well done. By that I mean it’s not a natural beach. This whole area was derelict and run down before the Olympics came along. In order to make the city presentable everything was renovated and sand imported to make this splendid beach frontage

As it was Sunday it was packed with locals all enjoying some warm autumn sunshine. It was a cracking walk just watching the people and soaking up the rays. Winter is long and cold in the UK so we wanted to make the most of this! 🙂

The beaches are all spotlessly clean and the water crystal clear. Fabulous for a swim but as we were traveling at the end of day it wasn’t really on for us even though it was a perfect day. The whole walk is pedestrianized so no cars to trouble us. There is a bike path as well and it would be a very pleasant leisurely ride

These two skyscrapers and strange sculpture dominate the southern end of the beach. Again I really liked them and I didn’t feel they were out-of-place

After lunch we sat on the beach for an hour or so and paddled in the cool water

A very relaxing way to spend our last afternoon

We took another wander down to the big glass hotel

And its cracking views through the palms back along the sea front

Nothing finer than a stroll in the warm sunshine along a Mediterranean beach.

We took our leave of the beach, walked back to town through the marina, ate some takeaway churros, picked up our bags and caught a train to airport for our flight home. Not back till after 1am but that’s what holidays should be about making the most of every minute

What a fantastic city. Architecture, history, mountains and a long beach. Brilliant way to spend the last week of October

 

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Just when you thought I was back in the hills and outdoor life and I’m back on the city trail again. We don’t normally holiday at October Half Term as we’ve always preferred an early summer break. Last few years (and the next few), exams have got in the way at that time of year so we’ve looked at alternatives. Fuelled by the joy of winter sun in December I originally looked at Sicily but TJS didn’t seem all that keen. It was his 18th birthday just before the half term week so I gave him the choice (within reason) and he chose Barcelona. No arguments from me. We know several people who have been and they all raved about it.

A real weather contrast for this trip. We staggered up the steps of the plane at Bristol in the howling gale that was Brian. We sauntered down the steps in Barcelona on a warm, sultry evening as the sun went down. A couple of days earlier they’d had heavy rain floods but the long range forecast was looking set fair. We were very excited. We took a train from the airport into the city and emerged into a hot evening on one the city’s best known streets, Passeig de Gracia. A few minutes walk and were outside one of the more famous Moderniste Buildings, La Pedrera, looking stunning lit up.

Another few minutes walk and were in our apartment for the week. A stylish, spacious and comfortable pad, up on the 4th floor (quaint old lift to reach it) and two sun terraces on the roof front and back

We had views over the northern part of the city on one side

And a view of the roof of La Pedrera with its weird chimney pots from other terrace

We spent many an hour up here resting our weary feet, drinking beer and listening to the sounds of the city below

A view of our apartment building from the street below

We were in the heart of the L’Eixample district, home to a whole host of the city’s more famous buildings and architectural gems. To be honest almost everywhere was stunning architecture all influenced by one of the city’s most famous sons, Antoni Gaudi. More on this in later posts. I assumed most of these buildings were simply apartment blocks often with many decorative features like this one. We soon learned that you need to keep looking up in Barcelona (the ground floor tends to be taken over by plate glass of shop displays and restaurants).

This is the famous Passeig de Gracia, one of the city’s most expensive shopping streets, all Gucci and Prada. No prices on the goods here, if you need to ask you can’t afford it! We did find one shop with prices. It had a dress for just shy of twenty thousand Euros!

Our street was reputed the one of the most expensive streets not only in Barcelona but in Europe. I haven’t seen the credit card bill for the apartment yet. It was a fabulous spot though. Within a few blocks (Barcelona looks not unlike a US city from above, all grid squares of streets albeit at a jaunty angle) we had shops, supermarkets, architectural wonders and countless restaurants and Tapas bars. The old centre was twenty minutes walk away and everywhere else an easy bus or metro ride. A great location.

The sunsets from the terrace weren’t bad either

As you can see we settled into Barcelona life rather well. I don’t think I’m giving too much away before the barrage of posts to say I absolutely loved Barcelona.

An apartment view across the rooftops to a lively and vibrant city with one of its architectural treasures in the foreground felt rather special

Our first day at large we took a stroll down Passeig de Gracia to La Rambla and the old part of town. Our first glimpse of the strange and bizarre Casa Batllo and Casa Amatller

This building didn’t seem to be noted anywhere and isn’t really in the Moderniste style but I liked it anyway

The hub of activity in the city, Placa Catalunya, respectfully quiet on a Sunday morning

La Rambla is renowned as the street in Barcelona. Its a bit tacky and rammed with tourists to be honest, but still has a strangely likeable atmosphere

And its fair share of intriguing buildings and styles. This one used fans and umbrellas by way of decoration

We carried on walking through the town down to the harbour past some fun scuptures and more stylish architectural gems

I’m always fond of an image that compares old and new styles

We eventually ended up on the beach at Barceloneta where we sat on the rocks in the sun and ate a sandwich. It had been quite a walk after all and I thought the family looked hungry! More on the splendid city beaches in a later post

We caught a metro back to the apartment for some R&R and then headed out again to try and catch the sunset from the castle at Montjuic. We used the staggeringly expensive gondola to reach the top with some great views through the window.

By the time we reached the top though the sun had already set

We caught some final glimpses of the city with a plan to return and explore the castle on another day

A bus back to the beach for a friendly meal and then back to the apartment. We already felt completely at home and at ease in the city. Its an easy city to walk in and travel through. Its an easy city to like. Lots more to come