Day 5 - Barcelona, Spain

We awoke at 5 am to be picked up at 5:30 am sharp by a taxi ordered by our hotelier. We wanted to take a shuttle or RER train to the airport but it was so early that we had no choice but to take an expensive taxi. The ride from Paris to CDG airport is about 45 minutes and since it was so early we really didn't have bad traffic to contend with-thankfully. The taxi ride still cost a whopping 70 Euros but we made it safe and sound to the airport. Our flight to Barcelona was leaving at 8:20 am which gave us plenty of time to get checked in and through security. (Airport security in Europe is much stricter than in the US). We flew with a small Spanish airline called Vueling Airlines. It was a good, uneventful experience and as expected we arrived in Barcelona around 10:15am. It was a beautiful view as we flew in- Barcelona is surrounded by a gorgeous mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea.
Just as the guidebook stated, the Aerobus was right outside the terminal by the baggage claim and we were able to take this directly to the Universitat stop (near Plaça Catalunya). The cost was 4.05 Euros and it took about 20 minutes. After getting off our stop, we bought a map at a little stand and navigated to our hostel, which wasn't too far. It was an easy check-in and we were quite pleased with our hostel- Hostal Centric. It had high ratings and seemed like it was in a good, safe location. We got an extra large room with a private bath. The hostel had free wifi which was great to finally get in the internet.
After getting settled, we hit the streets in search of Plaça Catalunya (Barcelona's main square) and Las Ramblas- the famous boulevard which connects the square and leads you to the harbor. It was just a short walk before we found our destination and we were excited to take in the sights and sounds of this exciting place. The area is a shopper's dream- tons of shoe and clothing stores. We finally made it to the top of the Ramblas. The Ramblas is divided in to sections as you stroll to the harbor. The first section is filled with birds and small pets market. Here is where locals go to by pets for their families. We saw all kinds of birds, turtles, rabbits, insects, etc. We stopped to eat lunch at a place called, La Poma. I wasn't sure if it was going to be good as it looked very "Americanized," but we had a great lunch here and got rejuvenated for the day. As we walked a little further down, we took a right to check out La Boqueria market. This is a vivid and vibrant produce market bustling with activity and creative displays of every kind of meat, produce, olive, nut, candy you can think of. I was a bit overwhelmed by this market because there was some of the most appealing produce I have ever seen and some of the most disgusting meats I have ever seen. This included skinned pigs, tongue, bull testicles, eyes, stomachs, and god knows what else. There is also a large fish market here too so you can imagine the smells going on between the meats and fish all around. It was pretty intense but an awesome experience (see pictures). We got back on the Ramblas again and this time we started seeing the street performers. Again, some of the most bizarre sights and costumes I have ever seen. The street performers were basically human statues that are elaborately dressed. When you throw money in to their cups they will often do something, they are pretty entertaining. The line the Ramblas for a good while, each act seeming more eccentric (again, see my pics). The next section of the Ramblas consisted of artists- here we saw some unique artwork and we ended up buying some as it was pretty inexpensive. I bought one of a bullfighter and bull- interesting medium- the guy said it was a type of glass- not really sure.
We finally made it to the Harbor. It was a beautiful day and what a treat to able to see the beautiful Mediterranean! The water was so clean that we could see tons of huge fish swimming around right at the harbor. We just sat on a bench and enjoyed the warm breeze- it was a nice change to the cold and rainy France. We were so refreshed!
After a nice rest, we started walking down the boardwalk which lined the harbor. I would like to mention that Barcelona is a very pedestrian and bicycle-friendly city. Along the harbor was the boardwalk for pedestrians and then it had a separate lane for bicyclist. There are these large bicycle racks all over the city owned by a company called, "Icing" that you can rent from- (have to pay in advance and get a card). It it a great idea- pick up a bike in one location and drop it off in another, no need to store your bicycle. The locals use this, but tourists can rent bicycles for a day or week as well- we didn't get a chance to but will next time :-)
We used our map and navigated our way to Barcelona's cathedral. The cathedral was under construction but the area surrounding it was awesome. It felt very medieval and it was very enjoyable walking through the narrow alleys and exploring the area. We found this musician who was playing the violin in a courtyard by the cathedral and his music was unforgettable. Philip and I just sat there for a while with our mouths wide open. We stopped to buy some scarves from a street vendor for gifts and then headed back to the Ramblas for ice cream. Philip and I enjoyed an ice cream at a place called, Gelateria Patagonia. We then caught the metro from the Universitat stop to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral (just 2-3 stops away). This is the unfinished cathedral started by Antonio Gaudi back in the 1800's. For some reason the building had stopped or at least slowed down for a period of time, but has restarted and it is said that it could take 50 years to complete. They were working on it when we were there- cranes and all. It is quite a sight- Gothic meets modernism. The church has two facades- one side showing the nativity seen in a very gothic style, the other side shows "the passion" in a modernist style. There is a fee to enter but we did not go in, just admired the architecture from outside.
We then took the Metro to Montjuïc-a large hilltop which overlooks the harbor. Because it is such a large hilltop, we decided to take the most scenic route by boarding the cable car for 5.75 euros. This cable car, which can fit about 6-8 people, gives you an aerial view of the city and can be quite frightening if you are afraid of heights. We decided to take the roundtrip up to the hilltop and back and just enjoy the beautiful views of the city, harbor and the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. Montjuïc, among other things, contains a castle and an Olympic stadium, and this is where the the Summer Olympics were hosted in 1992.
After our relaxing ride, we jumped back on the funicular to the Metro and headed back to the Plaça Catalunya. From here, we walked down Portal de L'Angel (near Ramblas), a pedestrian-only street which has an outdoor market and other shops. It was evening time now, and there was a lot of action on the street. For one things, we seen a couple of protests going on, couldn't quite figure out over what, but it was interesting. Off Portal de L'Angel is a small street named Carrer de Montsío, which has a pretty awesome restaurant, El Quatre Gats, or "4 Gats" or "4 Cats." I have seen all three written in their restaurant. Anyways, this restaurant was Picasso's hangout where he first showed off his paintings. The sign itself is a replica of his painting. We thoroughly enjoyed our food here (Philip had Sea Bass, I had Cod) and the ambience of this very artsy, bohemian restaurant. It was a little pricey, but worth it considering that we hadn't splurged too much on good food thus far. The restaurant has a bar/café area in the front and restaurant area in the back- I would probably dress up a little more for dinner next time :-)
After dinner, we happily headed to our hostel for a hot shower and good night's sleep.