Before setting off to Barcelona, I had serious reservations about its safety. Have heard one too many stories of friends/friends of friends getting pickpocketed/robbed there. So what <3 and I did was to strap valuables underneath our clothings and not carry any bags at all. I guess that worked pretty well cos we didnt meet any crooks like in Paris :/
Day 1:
Here's a look at our gorgeous duplex apartment during our stay in Barcelona. It's located along a bustling alley so it can be noisy. The upside is that there are plenty of cafes, restaurants and bakeries nearby (Y). My airbnb host was a super friendly man whose love for his city is apparent. He not only showed us around the apartment but also recommended places to have authentic Spanish cuisine and his favourite places to visit. It's always great to get insider/local tips to maximise the experience.
We didnt do much cos it was close to 10pm by the time we reached the apartment. Though the streets were still buzzing with activities (Spaniards live on their own timezone where dinner starts around 8pm ^^), we were too tired to venture out. Settled for some instant noodles and then it was time for bed.
First level: Love the collage and spiral staircase!
Second level: Bed's on top of the wardrobe and toilet. It's quite a hassle, actually.
Day 2:
Explored La Rambla, which was just a stone throw away from our apartment.
First up, breakfast! Based on reviews, this is one of the best bakeries in town and also one of the oldest.
This was the first church we passed by but I cant recall the name :/
At the foot of the church, there was a vintage fair going on
Chanced upon a wet market of some sort and look at the fresh produce! We also saw what looked like a skinned cat *gags* Four months on, the image is still fresh in my mind
Barcelona's very own Arc de Triomf. I always thought there was only one (in Paris)
After a late lunch at 3pm (living like the locals much?), we queued to visit Casa Batllo. It was designed by Antoni Gaudi, the figurehead of Catalan Modernism (he was also behind the world renowned La Sagrada Familia).
I am no art guru so I will try to describe the building as accurately and elegantly as possible. As seen from the picture below, the exterior itself is already very eye-catching, with its use of pastel colours and mosaic tiles. The interior was just as impressive but I didnt manage to take any good shots.
Casa Batllo from the outside
I believe this is another work by Gaudi.The distinctive feature about his work is the facade. They're always so three-dimensional due to his use of colours and shapes
First attempt at visiting La Sagrada Familia. I said first attempt as we went there at 5.30pm (closing time was 6pm) in the hopes of avoiding the crowd. But, they cut the line off saying we wouldnt be able to make it in time :( So, we went to have ice cream to cheer us up. Heh
To sidetrack a little, I miss the ones in Italy. They were the BEST :p
So after a day of Gaudi, we decided to check out one of the many dinner recommendations our host had for us - Can Majo. It is located towards the end of La Barceloneta. La Barceloneta reminded me of Clarke Quay where rows after rows of restaurants and bars reside.
Anyhow, we reached the restaurant at around 7.15pm and it was dark and empty. Feeling cold and hungry, that was not a good sign. It turned out that the restaurant opened at 8pm so we walked around for a bit before heading back at 8pm sharp (hungryyy).
A picture of the table set-up and menu (plus my panda coin pouch, lol).
Vegetarian paella (it had some fancy name but I cant remember). A worthy thing to note is that the paella at Can Majo is served in two servings. Meaning, it only prepares paella for two pax. Interesting but this can be discouraging for people who dine alone or try multiple dishes. Oh and a special note of thanks to <3 cos he wanted to try the seafood paella so badly but we cant possibly finish two portion on our own so he had the vegetarian one instead.
Here's him with his Mediterranean seafood soup ^^
Servings were generous so we were stuffed after the meal. The food were a tad too salty though. Overall, it was a good dining experience (ambiance, food and service wise).
Streets of La Rambla at night
Day 3:
Woke up bright and (not so) early for La Sagrada Familia. I think we reached there around 10am but the queue was horrid. And once again, the staff cut the line off saying that we could no longer get tickets at the physical booth. Instead, we had to purchase the tickets online via this app. I dont know what the rationale is since we can gain access to the church either way.
Anyhow, we spent some time downloading the app using the free wifi and spent some more time trying to purchase the tickets. We tried multiple times but was unsuccessful. It was quite frustrating so we approached the staff for help. Turned out that the viewing towers werent accessible that day and hence, we couldnt proceed with our reservation.
After almost an hour of trying, we finally booked our tickets for the 11.20am slot. We were then faced with another issue as the confirmation email said we had to produce the credit card which was used for reservation but it was left at home. We almost wanted to rush home and back but decided against it. Checked with the staff at the information booth and she said it was ok (whew!).
So we queued to collect our tickets and I remembered holding my breath just in case the lady asked for the credit card. Thankfully she didnt and we were in!
Here's the interior of the church:
I thought I took photos of the altar but apparently not. So, can I visit again? ^^v
Here's the workshop where the craftsmen do up prototypes before constructing the real exterior (i.e. trial and error)
Poster detailing the stages of construction. They are aiming to complete it by 2030. Construction started in 1882 so that's a whopping 148 years.
One last photo before we head for lunch
The Tripadvisor app is a real handy when insider/local insights arent available. Through the app, we decided on having Indian cuisine at Mayuna for lunch.
The food tasted as good as they looked. They had lunch set menu (drinks + mains + dessert) so it was really value for money. Each set cost slightly less than SGD20. Gosh, I wish they have a branch here.
Me and my chocolate mousse
After lunch, we headed over to Park Guell which was designed by surprise surprise, Gaudi. Some parts of the park require tickets to enter but my suggestion is to skip those. In my opinion, there werent much differences between the paid and unpaid portions of the park.
Ending this post with one of my favourite photos taken during the trip <3
Next up, Nice and Monaco!
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