Barcelona

Trip Start Sep 13, 2005
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Trip End Sep 26, 2005


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Monday, September 19, 2005

Barcelona? Not so much. Throughout history, Barcelona has been occupied by pretty much everyone. As a result, whatever beauty exists in the city is due to fairly recent private investment and not inherent public wealth. Because of this, the architecture is beautiful in an old-world sort of way, but it is not particularly notable. This explains why Barcelonans love Gaudi so much - his architecture is the only truly unique influence in the city. Barcelona largely feels like a city created for the Olympics.

Nonetheless, we had a great time. The people were very friendly. The old town is very cool, with its meandering narrow streets open only to foot traffic. You can feel the ghosts lingering.

Overall, it is worth going, particularly as part of a larger visit.

One thing to note: The Ritz hotel (now the Palace) is neither Ritzy nor Palatial. Despite its claim of being a 5-star Grande Luxe hotel, it is not. The service was bad and unfriendly, and the room was far below average. Also, they have no irons. Sounds like a small issue, but what hotel doesn't have irons? After traveling from anywhere, your clothes are wrinkled. You need to iron. We spend $100 on their (overpriced even for luxury hotel standards) pressing service. This hotel is bad. Avoid.
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