Gaudi Gaudi Gaudi
Trip Start
Oct 18, 2007
1
11
24
Trip End
Nov 20, 2007
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Barcelona,
Spain
Monday, October 29, 2007
Beautiful day. We get off a little later than expected - ship not cleared. Everyone is VERY excited and we almost run off the ship when allowed. We take the shuttle into Las Ramblas and wander along it although nothing much is open. We try to buy metro tickets, but we can't because we don't know how many zones and there is no ticket office. We walk more and finally find a metro station with someone to ask how to get on the thing. Al tries "numero zonas" and points to the map - and the lady cheerily tells us that everything is 1 zone. Easy. EUR2.5 for the two of us. We jump on and head to Park Guell.
It's quite a steep walk up the hill and the start of the track seems a little boring until we turn the corner and there is the monument park! Plenty of people there already but still easy access to the mosaic benches that look out over the city. Al has to hurry Pete along a little because if he hadn't this would have been all we'd see all day. We go to the Gaudi Museum - this was his house. We walk to La Padrera but the line is very long, so we walk to La Sagrada Familia instead. It really is a tail of two buildings. The style of one side completely different to the style of the other. I could have sat here for hours and just stared and it and would have seen something new every time I blinked. We take pictures inside and out, decide the 1.5hr wait to go up the lift is too long, so try to find lunch.
We're looking for a tapas bar. We end up at an all you can eat place with all the locals - it's a bit confusing, but we manage to work it out. We pile our plates and get wine. We get seconds, then dessert, then coffee - NOW we're ready for some more sightseeing. We go to Casa Batllo - a Gaudi apartment block that really works your mind. We both loved it. I think we could have spent twice as much time here, but time was pressing, so we head off to wander the Barri Gotic - the gothic quarter. It gets cold (19 degrees C) for about 30 mins so Pete buys a jumper - it gets warm again (21 degrees C). Pete decides he doesn't want to do the cable car because it looks bloody scary so we wander along the beach then head back on board.
