Chapter IV- Barcelona

Barcelona was initially not included in our traveling plans simply because it is to big of a city to squeeze it in a one week plan. Considering what destinations we included in our itinerary, our fear was somewhat justified. Nevertheless, we thought that it is an opportunity that we might not want to miss, who knows when we will feel in the mood to visit a big city. We decided therefore to allocate 2 days to the capital of Catalunia and this is because we heard wonderful things about it from friends.

We were coming from Andorra la Vella and the expectations were quite high. One should imagine that these two cities are completely different and, naturally, what you like in one place might be disappointing in the other and viceversa.

Well, the first impression was not that good. A sea of people swarming the wide streets, noise coming from construction sites, traffic, congestion...and this was not even in the central part. Unfortunately the way to the hostel meant that we were supposed to go through the most famous pedestrian street in Barcelona, La Rambla. We say unfortunately because it was a complete chaos. Every big or touristic city has a street like this, it is not an exception, it is not more beautiful, more extraordinary nor more crowded than let's say Via Garibaldi in Turin, Karl Johan's Gate in Oslo or Repulicii Street in Brasov.

Of course, because it is famous everybody wants to go there, and as more people go there, you have less chances of enjoying a walk without being addressed by strange folk, trying to sell you balloons, stuff that you put in your mouth and imitate birds, "gold" chains and earrings and many other kitsch. Above all, you have to pay extra attention not be "properly" welcomed in Barcelona, meaning that you are relieved of any cash you might have on you. 

We moved swiftly through the crowd and after about 1 hour we reached our hostel. We were now slowly recovering from all the fretfulness and began mapping the battle plan.

5 minutes walk from the hostel was the Montjuic Park, a beautiful natural area where you get a really nice view of the vastness of Barcelona and its surroundings.

From the Montuic Park we descended towards the 1992 Olympic stadium and park, dominated in the dusk light by the Montjuic Communications Tower.

Montjuic Communication Tower

Palau Nacional

Placa d'Espanya

The second day didn't start as we hoped. We got up very early with the intention of photographing the sunrise from the harbor. We were very disappointed to find that the skyline was covered with a thick smog and there was no visibility whatsoever. The first part of the day turned out to be like this.

We turned our attention towards the symbol of Barcelona and a landmark of universal architecture- La Sagrada Familia. Designed by the renowned Antoni Gaudi, the church stands out from all that was architectural norm back in the late 19th century and still remains a work of beautiful genius and inspiration. The level of details in the sculptures is beyond comprehension and the unique mixture of gothic style and his belief that buildings should not have sharp corners and straight lines thus resembling nature in a more realistic way, makes the Sagrada Familia and all of his work unique.

If la Rambla seemed over-crowded the previous day, Sagrada Familia difinitely won the grand prize. There was absolutely no chance for us to get inside, unless we enjoyed wasting a good 6 hours in the queue. We were content of admiring the construction from the outside and moved on.

Park Guell is home to even more of Gaudi's artwork. The naturalistic buildings and the specific trencadis (ceramic mosaic) that cover many of his artwork are truly a delight.

 Trencadis

 El drac

Pavilion

Sala Hipostila

Casa Batllo

Inside Barcelona Cathedral

Arc de Triomf

Entrance to Barcelona Cathedral

Barcelona will undoubtedly satisfy almost everyone who come visit. Whether you like to visit museums, parks, castles or you enjoy simply starring through windows or you are fond of wild architecture, Barcelona will have something installed for you. Even if you don't like urban environments, not far away from Barcelona you can find trekking routes, mountains and wildlife and if you think it's not enough, well... you can always hop-on a bus and go to Andorra.

All the best!