Spain
Gothic Quarter

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    • Day 33

      Picasso, Gaudi et plus!

      October 12, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      Quelques jours plus relaxes à Barcelone. Nicolas a commencé à travailler, mais avec le décalage horaire, ça nous laisse quand même l'avant-midi pour trotter et explorer la ville. On profite donc du mardi matin pour aller au musée Picasso qui se trouve à moins de 10 minutes à pied de notre appartement! Quand même pas pire! La visite nous prend moins d'une heure, juste parfait pendant que Félix dort! Sam lui est quand même intéressé par tout ça, mais il n'est pas fâché que ça se termine. La collection ne contient bien sûr pas tous les tableaux de l'artiste, mais elle commence dans sa jeunesse et se rend jusqu'à la fin de sa vie essentiellement. C'était vraiment intéressant de voir l'évolution de son style, au début plus réaliste et plus tard vraiment impressionniste.

      Donc la suite de la journée est plus relaxe et travail pour Nic. Le lendemain matin, on se lance dans la visite d'un incontournable: la Casa Batlló. Cet immeuble très particulier dessiné par Antoni Gaudi. Pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas (comme nous avant de décider de visiter l'Espagne!), c'est un architecte qui a créé plusieurs bâtiments incroyables à Barcelone dont 7 ont été inscrites par l'UNESCO au patrimoine mondial de l'Humanité, dont la Casa Batlló. C'est aussi lui qui a dessiné la Sagrada Familia, entre autres. Bref, on arrive sur place après une belle marche pour admirer la devanture du bâtiment. Déjà là on voit que c'est un bâtiment hors du commun. Les formes, les couleurs, les matériaux, rien ne semble ordinaire. À l'intérieur, on trouve des boiseries sculptées de façon arrondie à profusion, de vitraux un peu partout. Tout dans le bâtiment est pensé pour être confortable, agréable et uniforme. L'éclairage et l'air sont contrôlés pour être répartis également dans l'ensemble de la maison à plusieurs étages. En son centre, on trouve deux puits de lumière qui sont recouverts de céramique sur laquelle la coloration change au fil des étages. On se croirait en dessous de la mer, c'était d'ailleurs la thématique imaginée par Gaudi. Vraiment, il n'y a rien d'ordinaire dans cette demeure!

      Au retour on s'arrête pour manger quelques fruits de mer et à la fin du repas, des milliers de personnes envahissent le boulevard devant nous: c'est le jour de la fête nationale de l'Espagne! C'est en effet le 12 octobre qu'ils commémorent entre autres la découverte de l'Amérique par Christophe Colomb. Jessie et les enfants profitent donc de l'après-midi pour profiter des amusements et festivités. Plus tard, ils vont aussi à l'aquarium dans le port de Barcelone. Ce n'est pas particulièrement impressionnant, mais ça reste une belle activité à faire avec Sam qui veut toujours plus de découvertes! Au final il a retenu les squelettes de thématique d'Halloween qui décoraient l'aquarium à un certain endroit !!

      Demain, c'est déjà le départ du quartier Gothique pour notre autre appartement dans le quartier Gràcia. Ça promet!
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    • Day 4

      Barcelona Cathedral

      July 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

      We left Monistrol in the morning and headed to Barcelona. We were able to get the apartment a bit early, and after returning our rental, we took the subway towards the Gothic Quarter.

      Our first stop in Barcelona was the Cathedral, considered one of the most beautiful from medieval Europe. It has the remains of Saint Eulalia and consists of a main body with many small chapels around it that were created by the different artisan associations of Barcelona that competed to have the most beautiful and adorned one.

      The catedral has an atrium with geese and a fountain, and where several famous Spaniards are entombed. Without doubt, the best part of the tour was to go up to the cathedral terrace to see the Gothic Quarter from a high point.
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    • Day 41

      Barcelona

      May 1, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      01.05.2022 Fahrt von Siurana nach Castelldefels
      02.05.2022 Fahrt von Castelldefels zum Campingplatz "Estrella de Mar".
      Busfahrt nach Barcelona
      03.05.2022 Batterie kaufen, Wäsche waschen etc. in Sant Boi
      Fahrt von Sant Boi nach Montblanc
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    • Day 48

      Barcelona

      March 29, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

      48 Stunden in Barcelona! Ich muss sagen, dass ich etwas mehr von unserem "großen Ziel" erwartet hab. Ich denke aber für Großstadtfans genau das Richtige... Wir hatten, wie die letzten Wochen auch, perfektes Wetter und haben uns alle wichtigen Sehenswürdigkeiten angesehen. Als großes Highlight natürlich die Sagrada Familia, die Marc schon sehen will seitdem wir uns kennen. Mit einer Kirche hat das ganze nicht mehr viel zu tun aber Sehenswert ist es auf jeden Fall...Read more

    • Day 4

      Barcelona Day 3

      April 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Let me start this one off by saying neither Kyle nor I are big into art, history, or group tours. Guess what we had planned today - four of Antoni Gaudi’s biggest Barcelona tours. The first house I personally opted out of, it took one blog that I read to convince me that $50 euros a person was too much to spend to visit this place, so we admired it from the outside (for maybe three minutes). I realized the outfit I chose, leggings, a workout tank, and a Jean jacket were just not going to make me feel like I was standing out like a sore thumb. Kyle graciously offered to walk us back to the hotel to put on a more ~European Outfit~ consisting of jeans and a blouse. Fast forward this wasn’t a good choice for the 12 plus miles we ended up doing.

      We went to the next masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí, La Pedrera, known as Casa Milá. We did opt for the ultra touristy audio guide tour. I found it so interesting and extremely relaxing having headphones guide you through this home/apartment that he inspired. The explanation was interesting but the views even better, he was an extremely faithful man (hence his final work) and made his inspiration around the two biggest churches in Barcelona.

      Next we went to Parc Guell. The walk was literally two and a half miles….uphill. The jeans and blouse become more of a bad idea, we found a smoothie joint and I’ve never need energy more. We get to the park, unsure of what we’re experiencing but the three crosses and more of Gaudi’s work make it a site to see. At one moment Kyle looked at me and said “I don’t get it, if you wanted to see some art in the park bullshit I’ll take you to Plymouth in July” we had a lot of laughs here. Mostly interested in the obsessions of random things. We overheard an approximately 6 year old English boy go “what’s the point of all this” Kyle agreed. A cool park nonetheless.

      Walking home all two and a half miles (downhill thank goodness) we spotted a sandwich shop. Foccaia of the day, pistachio mortadella with burrata and pesto. YUM I mean hand cut meat in front of you, we are in heaven. If you don’t know Kyle buys pistachio mortadella at least twice a week from cantoro. Best sandwich of our lives.

      Spent a few hours at the pool reading and then…Last tour of the day La Sagrada Familia. To say this was breath taking is an understatement. We didn’t know what to expect but the magnitude was incredible. We reflected through an audio tour that quite literally pointed out every detail and explanation of the work Gaudí spent his life until death working on. Not only the religious aspect but the artwork was just astounding. There wasn’t a detail left behind.

      Walking home we were exhausted and decided we both do not like being tourists. We grabbed some dinner at our hotel, where Molly opted for a dry day and treated herself to some gelato, of course kyle joined but this was the first day his stomach actually was upset….dairy ugh. Overall an amazing day and learning a lot while falling in love with this city. One patatas bravas at a time.
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    • Day 36

      Barcelona Tag 2

      April 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      --- Die Verlängerung ---

      Nachdem ich nach dem ersten Tag (06.04.) in Barcelona nur sehr schlecht aus dem Bett gekommen bin und noch duschen wollte und am Vorabend auch nicht wirklich zum Planen gekommen bin, wollte ich beim wach werden im Bett anfangen weiter zu planen und schaute mir die Seite vom Park Güell an, den ich am heutigen Tag (07.04.) besichtigen wollte, musste ich erschreckt feststellen, dass alle Tickets vom 07.04. und 08.04. bis auf eine Stunde vor Schließung (18:30) des Parks ausverkauft waren. Lediglich für den 09.04. waren noch Tickets ab 17 Uhr verfügbar. Jetzt hellwach und panisch versuchte ich mir für 17 Uhr ein Ticket zu reservieren. Nur eine Bezahlung mit Kreditkarte war möglich und so holte ich meine aus meinem kleinen Safe im Auto und versuchte eines der letzten Tickets für 17 Uhr zu reservieren, dessen Anzahl sich scheinbar auch langsam dem Ende neigten... Doch aus irgendeinem Grund schien meine Karte nicht zu funktionieren. sie wurde akzeptiert und über die Legitimations-App konnte ich die Transaktion bestätigen, doch dann wurde der Auftrag vom System abgebrochen -.- das Gleiche versuchte ich einige Male, bis ich mir eingestehen musste, dass die Karte hier aus irgendeinem Grund nicht funktionierte.

      Schnell schrieb ich den Host der Unterkunft an, ob er mir helfen könne. Als er mir endlich antwortete waren nur noch Tickets ab 17:30 vorhanden. Fest entschlossen diesen Park sehen zu wollen fragte ich ihn, ob ich um eine Nacht verlängern könne und ob er die Transaktion mit seiner Kreditkarte durchführen wurde. Das Geld hatte ich schon Bar bereitgelegt, um ihm zu garantieren, dass er es bekommen würde. Er willigte ein und mit seinen Daten funktionierte es einwandfrei... etwas verärgert, dass die Karte zum ersten Mal ihren Dienst verweigerte, aber dann froh, dass es dann doch geklappt hatte und ich die Bestätigung mit dem Ticket per Mail bekommen hatte.
      Da es schon nach 12 Uhr war entschloss ich, dass es sich - auch durch die lange Fahrt -nicht mehr lohnen würde noch in die Stadt zu fahren, also blieb ich den Tag zu Hause, setzte mich auf die Terrasse in die Sonne, plante die Tage danach, schrieb am Blog weiter und gönnte mir ein Glas von dem Met, den ich von zu Hause mitgenommen hatte (und wie mir in dem Moment auffiel auch vergessen hatte an der Grenze zu zeigen).

      Am nächsten Tag brach ich dafür umso früher auf und machte mich auf den Weg. Da Park Güell ja nun nicht mehr für heute auf dem Plan stand, habe ich ein bisschen umdisponiert und wollte ein paar andere bekannte Orte besuchen.
      Zuerst stand ich vor der "Casa Batlló" von Antoni Gaudí aber ich vermute aufgrund der Tatsache, dass Ostersamstag war, waren auch die Preise entsprechend angepasst worden und ich fand den ursprünglichen Preis von 35€ schon heftig, hätte mich aber aufgrund meiner Neugierde vielleicht überreden lassen, aber über 40€ (ich glaub es waren 44€) war es mir dann doch nicht wert, also bin ich weiter zur Sagrada Família wo zwar die selben Preise wie im Internet waren, aber auch da fand ich 26€ auch hier zu viel.
      Danach bin ich erst zum "Arc de Triomf" und dem langen Weg dahinter entlang Richtung Wasser gelaufen und habe mich dort auf einer Bank hingesetzt und wieder ein paar Straßenmusikern zugehört.
      Als dann die Polizei kam mussten die Musiker leider den Platz verlassen. :(

      In einem der Parks bei dem Bild mit dem Gebäude mit dem Wasser davor war auf einer der größeren geraden Flächen eine Box aufgebaut aus der relativ laut Musik über den Platz schallen ließ und davor etwa 40 Pärchen, die miteinander Tanzten oder sich am Rand ausruhten. Wenn mich meine Kenntnisse von meinem Tanzkurs nicht im Stich gelassen haben, wurde Salsa getanzt.
      Die Menschen, die dort tanzten schienen größtenteils spontan dazu gestoßen zu sein und tanzten in gewöhnlicher Kleidung und Straßen-Schuhen. Von Jung bis Alt war alles vertreten und es war egal wie gut man tanzen konnte - sie tanzten einfach und haben eine ansteckende Freude verstrahlt, die auch mich ergriffen hat. (aber getanzt hab ich nicht^^)

      Zum Schluss bin ich noch viel an der Strandpromenade entlang gelaufen und habe immer mal wieder angehalten, mich umgesehen und eine Pause eingelegt bis es langsam dunkel wurde und ich den Heimweg angetreten bin.

      Davor habe ich allerdings noch am Hafen mit einem Bier den Sonnenuntergang angesehen.
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    • Day 4

      Barcelona day 4

      April 5 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      🇬🇧: Chill day for me :)
      I woke up and ended up in another walking tour, this time about the street art in Barcelona, was cool as fuck. After that I had some lunch, all you can eat sushi for 14 euros!!! After that met my friend and we went shopping and had some ice cream, ended the day having some tapas and sangria at the bar, also had to pack to leave :/

      🇧🇷: Dia de comprinhas :))
      Fui em um último walking tour pra ver arte de rua em Barcelona. Depois fui comer japaaaaa, tava ansiosa pra isso! Encontrei uma amiga depois e fomos comprar umas bijus, achamos a lojinha mais fofa do mundo! Acabei comprando algumas coisas na zara e na primark tmb, opsss… Fomos depois em um restaurante perto do hostel, melhor sangria da viagem!!! E depois fui despedir do pessoal no bar do hostel :/
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    • Day 13

      We do Barcelona Part 1

      September 23, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      Having got the basics out of the way we decided we'd devote the next two days to visiting Barcelona itself. Brian carefully mapped out a plan whereby we'd drive into the city, park at the Estacio de Nord (the northern bus station) then do the tourist thing by buying tickets on one of the hop-on, hop-off double decker buses.
      Talking first about the drive, it can best be described as hair-raising, even if Brian doesn't have a great deal of hair to raise.

      Our hotel was about 75km out of town, and given that about half the trip is on motorways with speed limits between 90 and 120 kph, it's clear that the bits at each end were dead slow. That's something we didn't realise when choosing where to stay. At one end are the narrow country roads and hairpin bends while the Barcelona end is jammed with traffic. Making things scarier, the speed limits are all about 20kph above what we Australians would regard as sensible, and the Spanish view anyway is that the posted speed limit is the absolute minimum at which one should drive. In our 1000km or so of driving we never once saw a police presence on the roads. There are many places where the traffic lanes are way too narrow which adds further to the challenge of driving a left-hand drive car.

      The first part of the trip took us through the centre of Manresa, a place made famous by its laundrette and its misguided saint Ignatius who lived in a cave. We were to follow the road through Manresa a few times on this trip.

      Anyway, back to the more interesting aspects of our holiday. Everything went to plan and we then caught the very efficient Metro from Arc de Triomf to Place de Catalayuns. We bought two-day passes and jumped on the first of our buses. The city is spectacularly beautiful, with so much interesting architecture, statues and promenades to see. So many of the old Spanish buildings have been beautifully restored, then there are the fascinating early 20th century buildings of Gaudi and his contemporaries. Finally, there are many modern buildings which are stunning in their unusual features.

      One of the stops was the famous Sagrada Familia, the famous cathedral designed by Gaudi. The crowds milling round it were HUGE with hundreds of selfies per minute being snapped away. It was hard to get any sort of shot which wasn't like everyone else's and which didn't have lots of vehicles and fellow tourists dominating the foreground. Brian took what shots he could with the mobile phone.. Tickets to the cathedral were well and truly sold out so we never did get to see the interior.

      Speaking of Gaudi, we'd been highly recommended to visit Parc Guell, a futuristic precinct initiated by Gaudi. It was one of the listed stops on the bus route, so we hopped off at the so-named stop. From there, it turned out that we had a 15 minute climb through narrow streets to reach the park entrance. That was fine and we handled it easily. What we weren't expecting when we got there were the very large crowds. Furthermore, as with the cathedral, tickets had sold out for the day. The very helpful information lady at the entrance told us how to get tickets online, warning us that there were plenty of dodgy websites claiming to sell tickets. Unfortunately by the time we got back to base, tickets for the following day were sold out too. Barcelona certainly beckons us to make a return visit, one which is better planned and more leisurely.

      Having done a lot of walking and having seen a great deal we navigated our way back to the car followed by the long drive back. We must have hit the evening rush hour because the traffic in the city was exceptionally slow and challenging.

      Rather than head straight to hotel we diverted into Cardona village where we enjoyed a cheap and cheerful meal. The place didn't have an English language version of the menu, but fortunately our waiter was able to drag the cook out of the kitchen and her English was good enough for us to be able to know what to order. After that it was back to the hotel to draw breath for Day 2.
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    • Day 14

      We do Barcelona Part 2

      September 24, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      By this time we knew what to do, so once again we hopped into the rental car with all its high-tech features and headed to the parking building we'd used the previous day. This time we were catching buses on the so-called red route which was going on an entirely different circuit of Barcelona.

      Again, it was great to view the beautiful architectural styles, admire the parks and squares as well as view some quite spectacular boulevards.

      The bus route then took us outside the built up areas and into the hills overlooking the city. The public gardens there are really impressive as too are the views over the city. It was hot and we stopped for a cold drink at an outdoor bar which seemed to offer the best views of all. It had been part of the Olympics swimming centre, and what is now a public pool is still there.

      A few hundred metres further on and we came across a museum dedicated to the works of the innovative artist Joan Miro. We were all set to buy entry tickets only to be told that they were free because the day was a public holiday. Not sure of the logic there but we were happy to accept their generosity.

      The building itself is in a beautiful modern style and we thoroughly enjoyed the hour or so that we spent there. We then jumped back on one of the buses and completed the circuit back to the Arc de Triomf where we'd first got on.

      Fortunately, due to the public holiday there was no rush hour traffic to contend with on the way home.

      What about Barcelona? We have mixed feelings. Firstly we realise that it was a tactical error to stay in a hotel so far out of town. It would have been far cheaper, more efficient and less stressful to have stayed at a hotel in the city. We hadn't realised what a long hard drive it was between our magnificent hotel and the main attraction, which was Barcelona itself. Barcelona is a fascinating place and we barely got to scratch the surface. We'd love to have visited Park Guell and Sagrida Familia, not to mention some of the city's famous art galleries and museums.

      There are some negatives. The level of petty crime is out of control, and we were among the many victims of it. It certainly put a dampener on our holiday. The other major negative is that the city is totally overrun with tourists, many of whom are young people who are out to party and have a good time. In some respects the place has turned itself into some kind of a giant theme park. That said, we are keen to return to both Madrid and Barcelona for more leisurely visits when we can get to know both places a lot better.
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    • Day 51

      Els Quatre Gats and Barri Gotic

      July 1, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      My sister Ro is a great fan of Rick Steves self guided tours, so I downloaded his Barcelona book and headed off on the Barri Gotic walk and it was great. Steves takes you off the beaten track and gives you a bit of history of each place you visit-places only a guided tour will take you!
      The Barri Gotic is a world of shops, bars, and winding streets. It’s where the Roman’s founded the city, where the Jews were forced into ghettos and where protesters seek justice. The highlights for me were finding Els Quatre Gats a cafe where Picasso hung out, chatting with an art shop owner about Joan Miro, and simply wandering down the narrow laneways, turning a corner to find yet another tiny plaza or square where you can have a rest, buy a coffee and collect your thoughts.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Barri Gòtic, Barri Gotic, gothische Viertel, Gothic Quarter, Gòtic, Gótico, El Gòtic, گوتیک کوآرتر بارسلون, quartier gothique, הרובע הגותי, ゴシック, Готический квартал, Готичний квартал, 哥特区

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