Barcelona

Barcelona- Sunday 28^th and Monday 29^th August.

We arrived in Barcelona early Sunday morning having driven down the coast a few kilometres from Mataro. We had deliberately left early, and on a Sunday so as to avoid large amounts of traffic as we weren’t exactly sure how to get to the Park and Ride we were going to stop at for a few nights. It was just as well, as we had great difficulty finding the right spot, and in fact getting off the motorway in the correct place to start looking.

We actually ended up in the middle of Barcelona before we realised it, we circled the Sagrada Familia and headed back out of town as best we could. After a bit of driving around (headed in the right direction but struggling to find the exact spot, more by accident than good management we stumbled across the Forum Park and Ride. It was 30 euro a night, wedged between a motorway on one side and a main road and tramline on the other. It did have electricity and free wifi, but that was tempered against the disgusting smells that emanated from the toilet emptying area, and general street smells, and the tiny spaces of a very expensive parking lot. It was handy to the metro though, so it wasn’t all bad.

Once we had settled in we embarked on a trip into town to see some sights. We bought a two day train/tram ticket each for me and Di, and assumed Hilary was free (as there wasn’t an obvious ticket we could purchase for her). The metro system is very easy to negotiate, and soon we were hurling our way towards La Passeig de Gracia, which is a lovely wide street with lots of people and Moderniste buildings including a few by Gaudi. We wandered along here looking upward and remembering our visit here nearly 6 years ago, when mum was with us. She has been in our thoughts a lot on this trip (as have the living), especially when we have revisited places that she came with us to last time we were over in Europe, and often when we are doing something new, that we know she would have enjoyed. I think she and dad would have enjoyed the freedom of campervanning life and the ability it gives you to explore an area quite intensely and at your own pace. I’m not sure how well everyone would have managed with the closeness of the small space for a prolonged period however, but it’s nice to think positively and imagine.

We were very wary on our walk as this was the area that a couple of gypsies had fleeced us of 600 euro on our last visit, so we were on the lookout for anything which may have been out of place, not that we would have necessarily noticed, they are incredibly skilled at what they do. We survived our two days in Barcelona unbreached , and any money we parted with, was done so knowingly and willingly (apart from the 60 euro for two noisy and smell night’s stay).

On the Metro

La Pederra

We didn’t go in to any of Gaudi’s buildings, though the temptation was high, so was the cost. I can’t remember exactly now, but one of them would have been about 50 euro for the three of us, and though Hilary was very keen, and said she remembered bits of it from when she was three and a half, we decided against it. Instead we headed up to Park Guell and spent a very enjoyable few hours up there in the sun, wandering, admiring the sculptures, buildings and formations. Our other favourite sport of the afternoon was watching the hawkers and the police playing cat and mouse amongst the trees and tourists. The hawkers would set up their wares on shawls or blankets and in a flash would have disappeared into the trees or crowds of tourists, and then the police would arrive. It is probably a game they play most days, and a risk the hawkers take. Many got arrested and carted off in police cars, others I imagine got away with it that day, it must pay for them to continue though, because the police seemed quite determined to stop them. I’m not sure what the issue is, whether it is stolen property, not paying tax, illegal immigrants, or hassling tourists (not that they did), but they obviously aren’t supposed to do it.

Sagrada Familia as seen from Parc Guell

More Parc Guell scenes

Hilary with Salamander at Parc Guell

The beginning of the light and fountain show

Natural Sciences building

Cool modern building down near The Forum, near to our smelly campsite

After a leisurely explore around the park we headed off to the metro again to catch a train to the Magic Fountain. This is a fountain and cascade system in front of the (now Catalanyan Art Gallery) but was I think a Royal Palace in many years gone by. We had gone here last time we were in Barcelona, with mum, late at night, hoping to catch the show. Last time nothing was happening, whether it was the wrong time of the year, or wrong day of the week I'm not sure, but this time it was all action. At about 9 o'clock various torrents of water started up flowing, some shooting up others cascading down, dozens in all, spaced out over hundreds of metres. We had a prime spot overlooking it all (or a lot of it) from a pedestrian bridge, and watched the water and lights and throngs of people. I think we are a bit spoiled with shows and events like this because after about half an hour we got bored and decided to head for the cool of the underground and head back to the truck and smelly camp-site. We got back well after 11, pretty hot and tired.

The next day we headed into town again in the train. This time we went to the Ramblas area and wandered along looking at pet stalls (Hilary fell in love with the hamster chinos (tiny little hamsters) and would have bought one (or two) had we let her), but we mostly just looked and kept our bags and each other under strict surveillance. We had a look at the markets, brightly coloured and very busy, bought a little bit of this and that, including freshly squeezed icy juice which seems to be all the rage here.

Market stall



Choosing juice at the market



The geese at the Catedral

Once we had looked we headed to the Catedral, again a place where we had been last time with mum. I remember that visit very clearly, especially a photo I have of little Hilary and mum looking through the iron bars at the white geese who live in the cathedral.

There are 13 geese there, one story is that they represent a young woman (whose name escapes me (Saint someone)) who was persecuted and eventually killed for refusing to deny her belief/religion. She was 13 years old, and they say these geese stay at the cathedral to keep all the locals and visitors to Barcelona safe. 

We didn't stay a long time, just enough to reacquaint ourselves and for Hilary to remember. She does have recollections of our last trip, even though it was now 6 years ago and she was only 3 1/2 last time, maybe sometimes it is photos she remembers, but she comes up with things every now and then which are surprising.

View over the harbour

Relaxing in the sun

From the cathedral we headed to the metro again and caught a train to Montjuic, we hadn't seen much of this area previously and were quite keen to investigate the "gardens" and other spots.

It was incredibly hot though and quite a grunt getting up the hill, we drank an awful lot of fluid, and sweated profusely, and tired quickly. We ended up looking for a cool patch of grass where we could rest in the shade and read our books for a while.

Someone else resting in the shade with his possessions including dog and cat on lead

While we were sitting minding our own business a man walked up to a car and smashed the window before beginning to saunter off. No one took any notice (except us of course), Di went over to the cable car station to tell the man there and ask him to call the police (which I doubt he did), while I tried to get a photo of the bad guy with my zoom lens. He realised what I was up to, and tried to keep a tree between us, but I kept up my surveillance (probably stupidly in hindsight) and pursued him with my camera. He turned towards me and started to advance at which point I thought, "this is stupid" and shouted something in false bravado at him. Thankfully he turned away and ran down to a car which he got into. Meanwhile another man who had been standing quite close to me and Hilary, and doing nothing about anything, then went over to the car which had a smashed window and started trying to wrench things out of it. (They must have been working together). Di came back from the cable car station at that point, and seeing the second bad guy lunging in the car window, started shrieking at him. He cut his hand on the broken window, and hearing a crazed woman shouting at him about "what are you doing, that's not your car" was enough for him to high tail it out of the area too. As I said, in hindsight we were dumb to get involved, which is why the rest of the population didn't, but at least the people from Hungary were grateful for our intervention when they returned to their car and there was nothing missing.

Bad man in the act

 We had had enough excitement for one day, so headed back down the mountain to the metro and caught the train back to the truck. It was still hot, and still very smelly. We didn't see a lot of Barcelona, but it felt enough, and the big cities are not as appealing as the quiet more relaxed areas for us, and boy can they chew up the euro.