| Barcelona September 04 |
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Sunday 19 September fine (Edinburgh) fine / hazy (Barcelona), 25°C
· Up @ 5:30, packed bags and left @ 6:15
· Taxi to airport
· Checked in etc then had breakfast @ Wetherspoons
· Boarded plane @ 7:45, took off @ 8:00 (Jet2.com plane from Flyglobespan)
· Ok flight, bumpy in places, landed @ 11:30
· Through immigration etc then walked to train station, caught 12:45 train to Sants Estacio, then metro to Hospital Clinic (2 stops) and walked to hotel (2 blocks) (Hotel Nunez d’Urgell £237 for 4 nights)
· Checked in then to room on 8th floor
· Relaxed then out for lunch across the road @ café (€8)
· Walked through the streets then walked to Placa Espana then up towards Montjuic
· Had icecream next to Fountain Magico
· Walked to Poble Sec metro station @ 3:30, metro to Sants then to Hospital Clinic
· Relaxed in room (slept)
· Out for tea @ 7:30, walked up to Av Diagonal and walked along then to café / restaurant on Comte d’Urgell for tea (€28) then back to hotel @ 9:30 (still 23 degrees)
· Drew €110 from ATM
Monday 20 September cloudy / showers / fine, 25°C
· Up @ 8:00, down for breakfast in hotel @ 8:30 (€12 ea!)
· Left @ 9:00, walked up to Placa Francesc Macia then up the Av Diagonal
· Back to bus stop @ Pl Francesc Macia
· Got on to Bus Turistic hop on-hop off bus on Red Route (€20 ea for 2 days) @ 10:15
· Stayed on bus through Pl de Catalunya and got off @ La Sagrada Familia by Gaudi
· Went into church (€6 ea + €2 ea for lift up), walked around the building site, very spectacular even so
· Got lift up to towers on east of church (Nativity façade) then climbed the steps inside the narrow tower up to the top bridge (over 100m up) then walked across to another tower then down the narrow stairs to the bottom
· Back through the church then out again
· Walked around to Av de Gaudi sat outside and had coffee (spits of rain)
· Back to bus @ 12:30 then on with bus route to Park Guell (rained heavily on way up to park in the bus then stopped)
· Got off bus on Travessera de Dalt then walked up the hill to the park (Gaudi)
· Walked up through park, had lunch (2 baguettes €4 ea!)
· Walked back down to bus @ 2:00 and back onto bus
· Stayed on past Palau Reial to Camp Nuo (FC Barcelona stadium)
· Got off and went on tour (€9.40) and walked around stadium
· Walked through changing rooms, onto pitch level then up through stand to Commentary box
· Back down through museum and shop and back to street
· Caught tram @ Barcelona University (€1.10 ea, paid by visa) back to L’illa shopping centre
· Had icecream and coffee in the sun
· Walked through shops
· Walked back to Av de Josep Tarradellas then walked down to Estacio Sants
· Drew €110 @ ATM
· Looked around, bought plug adapter (UK to Euro) (€5), left ours at home
· Caught metro back to Hospital Clinic and back to hotel @ 5:00
· Relaxed
· Out for tea @ 8:00, walked along Carrer de Paris to Av Diagonal then north west
· Went to buffet restaurant (€9.40 ea)
· Back to hotel @ 9:30
Tuesday 21 September mainly fine, 25°C
· Up @ 8:00, down for breakfast then out @ 9:15
· Walked to Pl Francesc Macia and caught Bus Turistic bus (blue route) @ 9:25
· Stayed on past Sants Estascio and Pl Espanya
· Got off @ Olympic Stadium on Montjuic, walked into stadium then around Olympic area
· Back on the bus and down to Telerefic station
· Bought ticket (return €9 ea) and got on @ 11:00, across on telerefic (cablecar) to Torre San Sabastia then across the road to the beach (Platya de la Barceloneta
· Paddled in the Med. Then back up tower and cable car back again to Montjuic
· Back on the bus @ 12:00 and stayed on past harbour, aquarium and Olympic Village
· Got off @ zoo @ 1:00
· Had lunch (pasta dishes €10)
· Walked around zoo, all the normal animals
· Back to bus @ 2:45, through Barri Gotic and Pl de Catalonya
· Got off on Passaig de Gracia @ 3:30
· Went to Casa Batllo (€16 for 2) went up to the attic and roof area, very beautiful Gaudi building
· Drew €140 @ ATM
· Back down (as it was closing) then walked up the street to Casa Mila (la Pedrera) by Gaudi
· Bought tickets (€14 for 2) and went up into the apartment (1900’s style) then the lofts and onto the roof (nutty all round, and a bit crowded)
· Back down @ 5:00
· Walked to Starbucks for a rest and a coffee
· Metro back to Hospital Clinic @ 5:30 then back to hotel
· Relaxed then out for tea @ 8:00
· Caught bus to Pl de Catalunya (€1.10 ea) and went into le Corte Ingles department store and up to top floor restaurant (self service) (€24)
· Sat by the window looking out over Pl de Catalunya on 9th floor
· Back down @ 9:30, walked around top La Rambla and walked down a bit then back to metro and back to hotel @ 10:00
Wednesday 22 September fine, 26°C
· Up @ 8:00, down for breakfast
· Out @ 9:15, metro to Pl de Catalunya, then walked down La Rambla
· Walked through to Av del Portal d’Angels, Liz bought handbag (€22)
· Back to La Rambla via Decathlon sports shop
· Looked around food market on the way down
· Got to bottom of La Rambla and walked east into Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter, the old town)
· Walked north to Pl de George Orwell and sat outside for coffee @ 11:30
· Walked through to Pl de Sant Juame then through to the Cathedral
· Went inside (free) and looked around
· Back out and walked up to Av del Portal d’Angels and walked up to Pl de Catalunya
· AC bought new walking shoes (€36)
· Drew €160 @ ATM
· Walked to Arc de Triumf then caught metro to Paral.lel station and caught funicular railway up to Estacio Parc Montjuic (included in metro ticket) then telerefic (aerial cablecar) up to Montjuic Castle
· Had lunch @ top (hotdogs and cashew nuts, €12) @ 2:00
· Wandered around outside of castle, sat in the sun / shade / breeze
· Back down @ 4:00, cablecar then funicular, then metro back to hotel
· Relaxed and cooled down
· Out @ 8:00, bus to Pl de Catalunya (20 minutes) then walked to Las Ramblas
· Tea @ La Poma (the apple) restaurant (paella, calamari, €40)
· Walked back to metro @ 10:30 then back to hotel
Thursday 23 September fine, 25°C (Barcelona)/ 13°C (Edinburgh)
· Up @ 9:00, down for breakfast then packed bags etc
· Checked out @ 9:45, caught metro to Estacio Sants then 10:45 train to airport, arr 11:05
· Waited for checking to open then checked in @ 12:10
· Went through sercurity and had lunch @ café
· Liz bought Gaudi calendar (€4.50)
· Got on plane @ 1:40, took off @ 2:00
· OK flight, flew over Barcelona then Monserrat then over Andorra, Toulouse etc
· Landed @ 4:00 (UK time), through immigration got bags and caught taxi
· Home @ 5:00
· Out for tea @ 6:00, bus to town, went to Wetherspoons (curry night, £10)
· Bus home @ 8:00