FUN-travel: Barcelona, Spain – Day 2

September 19, 2012 by  

Trip Day 52 – Friday, August 31 – Barcelona, Spain

Cathedral of Barcelona

What I LIKE

Sagrada Familia

  •  Wake up to sunshine!
  • breezy & very cool
  • breakfast not included (save $36 Euro)
  • Starbuck’s around the corner
  • 9:00 – head out on walk
  • 1st stop – Casa de les Punxes
  • 2nd stop – Segrada Familia – Gaudi’s cathedral started in 1883 – line wraps halfway around entire block – glad I saw it in 2000! (need to buy tickets ahead of time)
  • 3rd stop – Placa de Catalunya – filled with fountains, statues & pigeons
  • continue walk to Arc de Triomf
  • 4th stop – Cathedral of Barcelona – 14th century colossal Gothic church ringed by distinctive chapels
  • continue walk through La Ribera – streets where wealthy shippers  & merchants lived are lined with grand mansions
  • 5th stop – 1:00 – Picasso museum (good time to go as line is quite short) – best collection in the country & best of his early works anywhere
  • 6th stop – Las Ramblas stroll – colorful, gritty tourist-filled pedestrian thoroughfare
  • 3:30 – lunch @ Sagarra – tapas of Greek salad, fried calamari, bowl of lentils with vegetables & beer of course!
  • nice afternoon breeze – high of maybe 80

Arc de Triomf

  • 4:45 – head back up to hotel
  • big day of waking so need siesta
  • 8:15 – dinner Brown restaurant on Passeig de Gràcia (we couldn’t get in last night – rain caused everyone to stop & eat) – quarto formaggio pizza, caprese salad, nice red wine – pizza so-so

What I DIDN”T LIKE

  • worst coffee ever at Starbuck’s on Passeig de Gràcia
  • try to get return flight home on 1st with no luck

FF (FUN-fact) – Placa de Catalunya is the center of the world for 7 million Catalan people. It is the hub for transportation and where they demonstrate, celebrate, and enjoy outdoor concerts and festivals.

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