Pensio 2000 Barcelona

... Euros for 4 courses, with wine; it’s their big meal of the day)…..then back on the bus to take a 2nd route and stop at one of the key sights to see here. They had a famous architect named Gaudi (1852-1926….killed by a tram for not looking left-centre-right) whose passion from 1883 to his death was the design and construction of a Church. It is a radical design with 8 huge spires now, 10 more to come in the next 15-20 years ...

... we are not used to this stuff and no matter how hard we try to avoid it, our selective attention captures us males and renders us helpless against the nude female form. Averting my attention to some more juvenile pleasures, I retasted youth by beating all the young'ns to the top of the jungle gym right on the sand. <br><br>We continued biking throughout the city in search of La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's famous unfinished architectural ...

... such brilliance! <br> We learned from Jake later that Gaudi lived in the Sagradia Familia<br>cathedral(under construction) his last 4 years, came out one day and was struck by a Tram(public transit). He'd been such a recluse for so long that his body wasn't even recognized for a few days. But, he left such a rich legacy that will enrich and inspire lives for as long as the earth ...

... sun was setting and no one was there but we found a huge beautiful waterfall so i felt like it made up a bit for the magic fountain not being open. back home (well hostel) i made boiled vegies of zucchini and broccoli ... so needed. read and slept, new people in our room and we all formed a book club. i went downstairs to make some noodles for a midnight snack and ended up talking till one am then read in the hallway outside our room till 2am ...

... off. Of course, the unexpected goes both ways...both bad and good things I never dreamed I'd encounter or experience. The fact that it has only just begun excites and terrifies me in the same breath. It has not been an easy 5 weeks. I have been challenged in more ways in 5 weeks in France than perhaps during months of travel in Africa or South America. I also know that in a wink this journey will be over and I must relish and appreciate it while it lasts...the bad ...

... the next night and were taken upstairs to an elegantly appointed dining room The food was excellent, the wine divine. Four days in any city is an insult to the city. The think that one can truly experience a place as wealthy in culture and history as Barcelona is to sell the city and yourself short. Take what you can, it is a city worth spending any amount of time in, but give as much time as you can to Barcelona.

... to our room for a bit we found a highly recommended cerveseria (brewery) in our book to have some tapas. When we arrived at the Cerveseria Catalunya it was absolutely mobbed with people spilling out onto the streets waiting for tables. We were told it would be an hour but it turned out we only waited 30 minutes to be seated out on the sidewalk where we had incredible tapas from pork and cheese baguettes to roasted peppers with eggplant and goat cheese along with native Spanish beer! Yum!

... decided, my return to Spain, whenever that would be, would be back to Barcelona, and so here I am. Spending roughly 5 months on the road bouncing from city to city, hostel to hostel, bed to bed, I was so sick of sharing space with people, not having any privacy and always having to be aware of my belongings that I couldn´t possibly imagine spending any more time than absolutely necessary in yet another hostel once I arrived to Barcelona. Therefore, upon my return, my primary ...

... still froze. Can we have cabins back? Also at about 10pm last night the manager of the campsite came over and told us all to be quiet. This was a family campsite and no noise after 10pm. Fair enough, but could you please be more polite about it and while you are at it, please tell the Polish hooligans drinking and yelling until 5am to shut the hell up! Today on our free day the bus dropped us off at the Colombus Monument and we dispersed throughout the city. Barcelona is ...

... is all about timing though. Going up to the lookout is not the best on a hazy day. Going to see the 'wonderful music, light and water show' is no good when it is walled off for the motorshow and when going to the Olympic area now you are unlikely to find any international athletes. Getting up hills is much easier with the outdoor escalators! Sitting in the airport surrounded by Brummie accents and a 3 hr delay to my flight, no mistaking where I am heading now!