Bliss in Barcelona

This morning we had a sleep-in and then I sat up in bed and surfed the net - checked email, banking and other blogs with out even thinking about how many minutes were ticking by. I treated myself to another blissful bubble bath - complete with a book - delighting in the pure indulgence - some time later - my euphoria was disturbed by a distant voice in the background - “do you want to go out and get some breakfast?”

We decided to pass up on the 20 euro continental breakfast at the hotel - not a difficult decision - and strolled along to a local cafe where we sat and enjoyed a coffee and spanish omelette - watched the world go by - and pretended to read the newspapers - well, looked at the pictures cause neither of us can understand Spanish and the waiter joked that “The Australian” hadn’t been delivered yet.... all for 7 euros. 

We loved the light fittings which are made from recycled magazines.

 Arnold ordered fresh smoked ham with his breakfast - they have a smoked leg of a pig on the counter (complete with the foot) and they slice the ham as it is ordered - fresh and fascinating if not very apettising.

Barcelona has an amazing mix of architectural styles - the most pronounced being the style of Gaudi - still can’t make up my mind if I like it or not - the city has everything from Gothic and medieval buildings to futuristic modern styles - I love the fact that in Australia, we consider any building more than about 150 years old to be heritage - and indeed many have been replaced - while here any building of less that 200 years is considered to be modern. To get the full effect you must look up, the rooftops are adorned with the most amazing decorations.

The 1992 Olympics had a great influence in the development of modern Barcelona - old areas were revitalised - and this is very evident along the seaside - at one time, the beaches were home to the poorest people and were squats - and commercial factory areas - no one went to the beach to enjoy the seaside lifestyle. Now there are seven kilometres of beautiful clean beaches - and along the waterfront are beautiful parks and promenades - where playgrounds, skaters, cyclists, segways, beach volleyball, watersports and cafes all co-exist - and they are well used by the local residents.

Gaudi style - love it or hate it - you can't ignore it!!

Yesterday the city was crazy and busy - being a Sunday with more than 10,000 cruise ship passengers and crew from four ships as well as a convention of 20,000 Harley Davidson aficionados, today, although all the businesses were open - it seemed a lot quieter in the tourist hotspots. We took the hop-on hop-off bus around the city, hoping off at the Sadrada Famille, Parc Guell and the Peublo Espagnol.

Built for the 1929 World Fair, Peublo Espagnol (Spanish Hamlet) is a show case of architectural styles of all the regions of Spain. Before the fair, 1600 towns and villages were visited by the officials to collect a cross section of building styles which were then reproduced in the area around a number of central squares. According to the brochure - “they visited in a car and so were not able to get to any villages which were over water”?? Although the village was meant to be temporary, it was so popular that it is still used, and now is home to a number of bars, restaurants, artisans and workshops.We went into the workshops of a number of the artisan - glass blowers, leather workers, weavers, Spanish fan makers, and a crystal jewellery designer. Demonstrations of Flamenco dancing take place in the square - a great atmosphere as we sat to enjoy cold drinks. 

The most famous street in Barcelona - La Rambla

Bulls are an integral part of Spanish history

Th original bull fighting ring of Barcelona - look carefully into the windows to see a modern shopping centre.
Did you know that the most expensive seats at the bull fights are in the shade - obvious really!!

We returned to our room about 4.00pm cause it was  still very hot and humid at 35 degrees. They say that ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do” - so we took the hint from these clever Spanish and settled in for an afternoon siesta before venturing out again in the cool evening for dinner - love that custom  - most restaurants are closed until 8.30pm. anyway. 

The rooftops of Barcelona are so interesting - look up or you will miss them

For our last night in Spain, we enjoyed a fabulous selection of tapas, a great way to enjoy lots of traditional foods, and watch the parade of street performers who move around the square, performing in front of each restaurant - then waiting for a small donation. Every so often, they suddenly stop, pick up and run off - the police then do a lap around the square - leave  - and the performances commence again. We shared travel stories with a couple of women from Sweden at the next table, every year they take out a map of Europe and use a dart to pick the city they will spend a long weekend in  - this year the dart stuck into Barcelona.....they are so lucky to have all these beautiful cities to choose from - and just a short, cheap flight from home.....

The gorgeous bar in our hotel - Silken Ramblas

Tomorrow, we are off the Paris - I can hardly wait.....