Four Days in Barcelona: Basking in the Eternal Summer of Spain's Second Largest City
The mountaintop town of Montserrat in Barcelona, Spain.
It can be said that here in the United Kingdom, where I currently reside, the weather is almost always unpredictable and the temperature is fickle. It can be summer here, but the sun will be hiding behind a thick fluff of cloud. Or it can be spring, but the temperature is close to 5 degrees. Judging by the color of the skies, you can either bring an umbrella and find out that you won't be needing it, or you could forgo bringing your umbrella but later on regret it when that 24-degree warm weather decides to be a total a-hole and gives way to a surprise shower.
So when my friends and I started to plan for summer, we didn't really put the UK into consideration. It's hard not to be sore when even the weather forecasts are traitorous. No, we all instead chose to request five days off from our respective jobs to fly to a new country where there is the promise of eternal summer, seafood, and sunshine-- the Catalunyan capital of Barcelona, Spain.
(Related post: Relive the Filipino-Spanish Colonial Era in this themed resort in the Philippines!)
Top tip: Be sure to book plane tickets and hotels at least 6 months in advance. Because Barcelona is one of Spain's leading tourist capitals, the prices go up as summer progresses. We each had to pay 179 GBP (Easy Jet) for a round-trip airfare two solid months before our August 2019 trip!
Top tip: From Barcelona's El Prat Airport, you can catch the train in front of Terminal C to take you to the city center for only 4.50 Euros.
1. LA BOQUERIA MERCATO
After checking into our Airbnb, we all made our first stop in the famous Las Ramblas, a touristy paved pathway lined with trees from both sides so that it's cool, clean, and heavily-shaded. It's dotted with kiosks selling locally-made crafts, souvenir shops, bars, and restaurants. Street performers and caricature artists shift visitors' attention to their unique offerings while living statues provide perfect photo opportunities-- for a few euros, that is. To get to Las Ramblas, take the metro and stop at Catalunya or Passeig de Gracia.
Top tip: Barcelona offers two kinds of Tourist Travel schemes to enable visitors to do more while spending less: the Barcelona Tourist Travel Pass and the Barcelona Card. To help you choose which scheme better suits your travel plans, you can visit this link, this link, and this link. Personally, we got the Tourist Travel Pass which entailed unlimited transportation within Barcelona from 5:00 AM to 23:00 PM only, because we didn't plan to enter a lot of attractions anyway.
(Related post: Explore this beautiful vineyard in the countryside of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.)
At one end of Las Ramblas, close to the ocean, is La Boqueria Mercato, an open-air wet market that showcases every pride and quirk that Barcelona has to offer. From fresh seafood, fruits, and sweets to the city's infamous smoked meat products, this market is the place to be to get a bang for a hungry tourist's buck.
Top tip: There's one stall at the back of the market (with a friendly Filipina attendant) that sells the best chocolate-coated almonds (a local delicacy) for 6 Euros per 100 grams. Make sure to eat it before it melts from the extreme heat of the Spanish sun!
After checking into our Airbnb, we all made our first stop in the famous Las Ramblas, a touristy paved pathway lined with trees from both sides so that it's cool, clean, and heavily-shaded. It's dotted with kiosks selling locally-made crafts, souvenir shops, bars, and restaurants. Street performers and caricature artists shift visitors' attention to their unique offerings while living statues provide perfect photo opportunities-- for a few euros, that is. To get to Las Ramblas, take the metro and stop at Catalunya or Passeig de Gracia.
Top tip: Barcelona offers two kinds of Tourist Travel schemes to enable visitors to do more while spending less: the Barcelona Tourist Travel Pass and the Barcelona Card. To help you choose which scheme better suits your travel plans, you can visit this link, this link, and this link. Personally, we got the Tourist Travel Pass which entailed unlimited transportation within Barcelona from 5:00 AM to 23:00 PM only, because we didn't plan to enter a lot of attractions anyway.
(Related post: Explore this beautiful vineyard in the countryside of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.)
Las Ramblas.
Colorful alcoholic drinks for the more adventurous tourist.
At one end of Las Ramblas, close to the ocean, is La Boqueria Mercato, an open-air wet market that showcases every pride and quirk that Barcelona has to offer. From fresh seafood, fruits, and sweets to the city's infamous smoked meat products, this market is the place to be to get a bang for a hungry tourist's buck.
Top tip: There's one stall at the back of the market (with a friendly Filipina attendant) that sells the best chocolate-coated almonds (a local delicacy) for 6 Euros per 100 grams. Make sure to eat it before it melts from the extreme heat of the Spanish sun!
La Boqueria Market.
Deep-fried seafood.
Savory seafood salad.
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A stall selling dried spices.
Dried fruits and nuts.
La Boqueria has all sorts of stalls selling a variety of sweets! The smell of chocolate was practically hanging in the air.
I bought a hundred grams of the chocolate roll with the cream in the center and loved every morsel of it.
Aww! They look like those squishy Japanese gachapon toys but they're really gummies!
(Related post: Take a peek inside Japan's kawaii food theme park!)
Everything looks so cute and colorful!
Fruit shakes for 2 Euros! There's actually another stall that sells them for just 1 Euro, and their coconut milk smoothie is to die for!
Tons upon tons of fruit!
The Mercato is a great place to buy the cured meats that the Spanish use for their version of the charcuterie. The peppered fuet, thinly-sliced chorizo and longganisa were the winners here!
Fresh seafood! They're really expensive, though.
Big and small octopi for grilling and frying.
2. THE OBSERVATORY AT ARENAS DE BARCELONA
For the next item in our itinerary, we took the Metro and stopped at Espanya, the setting for Fira Barcelona, Plaza de Espanya, Torres Venecianes, the Magical Fountain of Montjuic, and Arenas de Barcelona.
(Related post: See old-world Filipino-Spanish heritage houses along the banks of Umagol River in a themed resort in the Philippines.)
On the left stands the towering monument of Plaza de Espanya with the Arenas de Barcelona standing on its right.
Plaza de Espanya.
The Arenas de Barcelona is a commercial building and shopping complex, but its main tourist draw is its observatory, accessible via a lift from the ground level for 1 Euro per person.
Arenas de Barcelona.
The lift on the ground level going up to the observatory.
The vertigo-inducing scenery from atop the observatory.
You can see Fira Barcelona and parts of the Magical Fountain past the twin obelisk that make up the Torres Venecianes.
A lovely view, indeed!
(Related post: Dining on the foot of a waterfall? Yes, please!)
While the observatory is lined with shops, restaurants, and some attractions, we found one spot that serves authentic Spanish cuisine-- la Lola. We had two pitchers of Sangria de Tinto (red wine sangria, 16 Euros each), Chistorra a la Diabla (mini sausages in hot sauce, 6.50 Euros), Albondigas Caseras (homemade meatballs, 6.50 Euros), and nine servings of Mixed Paella (seafood and chicken, 16.75 Euros per serving).
The sangria was deliciously smooth and fruity, not dry at all. You could barely feel the alcohol in it. The meatballs and the sausage were also very satisfying. Disappointingly, it was the paella, the Spanish staple dish that everyone was looking forward to that did not deliver to our standards. While it is true that one kind of paella should be cooked in the same pan, the chef did the unsightly mistake of splitting our 9 servings 4:5 and arranging them in a pan that was so huge, the layer of rice looked really thin. It was also unnecessarily saucy and not very fulfilling.
(Related post: Fancy spending the summer in the quiet little British town of Onibury?)
Chistorra a la Diabla.
Albondigas Caseras.
Mixed Paella.
3. THE MAGICAL FOUNTAIN OF MONTJUIC LIGHT AND MUSIC SHOW
A few hundred meters from the Arenas de Barcelona, past the twin Torres Venecianes, a stagnant fountain lies in wait until 20:00H when it is brought to light by over 3620 jets and 4760 lights. The Magical Fountain of Montjuic then sprays water jets of up to 170 feet in the air along with the beat of classical, folk, or contemporary music and the changing colors of the lights to provide awestruck audiences with a most memorable show.
For showtimes and schedule, check out this link.
Top tip: Come to the venue early, as space fills up even two hours before the show. Try to secure the best seats in the house where the speakers are very near and the fountain is central, which are the steps in front of the Palau Nacional.
For showtimes and schedule, check out this link.
Top tip: Come to the venue early, as space fills up even two hours before the show. Try to secure the best seats in the house where the speakers are very near and the fountain is central, which are the steps in front of the Palau Nacional.
4. BASILICA DE LA SAGRADA FAMILIA
One of Barcelona's most famous infrastructures is the imposing Basilica of the Sacred Family, a must-visit for tourists regardless of their religion. Designed and initiated by the late architect Antoni Gaudi, the Father of the Modernistic Art Revolution in Catalunya, the basilica remains under construction (but open to the public) until its expected completion in 2026-- 100 years after Gaudi's death.
There is a Metro station specifically for visitors to the basilica, aptly named Sagrada Familia. We bought the 25 Euro entrance ticket that comes with an audio guide and entrance to the museum, but my mom strongly recommends considering the 32 Euro ticket that comes with access to one of the basilica's towers through a lift. The bird's eye view of Barcelona up there, she postulates (she's visited previously, in 2018), is a must-see!
Basilica de la Sagrada Familia. Image from this link.
Aside from its towering height and its quirky appearance, the basilica is also famous for its stained glass windows.
The sunlight shining through the stained glass windows creates an array of colorful reflections in the basilica's stone ceiling.
The altar inside the basilica.
The Passion facade of the basilica displays very intricate sculptures of the Passion of the Christ.
Down on street level, in the Passion facade of the basilica, lie the old church school, museum, and gift shop. Thank goodness there was also a drink vending machine there, as Barcelona's raging summer heat is incredibly difficult to bear!
The old church school buildings.
I hate maths. Apparently, architects like old Gaudi don't.
A plaster model of the basilica behind a glass case in the museum.
A bust of Gaudi.
The Father of Modernistic Art deserves to be portrayed in an idiosyncratic manner.
Souvenir items in the gift shop.
A paperweight depicting the Sacred Family.
5. GAUDI'S DISTINCTIVE CASAS
Barcelona is known for its unique baroque-style architecture with a few modern touches, but in some parts of the city, you'll see a peculiar gathering of tourists on the side of the road happily snapping away at a building that is probably the only one of its kind in the world. Such is Gaudi's quirky and distinguishable style of architecture that, the Basilica notwithstanding, visitors to the city still manage to find pleasure in exploring and marveling at his other lesser-known creations.
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Casa Battlo is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts more than one million visitors per annum. The house was formerly the residence of Mr. Josep Battlo, a successful businessman during his time. Gaudi worked on the building in 1904-1906, giving it its prominent appearance that tourists admire today.
There is an option to enter and explore Casa Battlo, which is free when you bought the Barcelona Tourist Card; otherwise, you need to have prepaid tickets to do so. Tickets can also be available for walk-ins, but they tend to sell out quickly because of the massive influx of tourists. Trust me, we tried to buy some, and one of my greatest regrets is not being able to enter the infamous Casas Battlo and Mila. Top tip: It's always better to buy tickets online and skip the queue. Tickets can be bought from Casa Battlo's official website or, for enhanced tour experiences, via Klook.
By the way, I love buying tickets from Klook! This website offers tickets either at a lower price or as a combo-ticket with other attractions or perks, such as free transportation, audio guides, skip-the-line and the like! Sign up for Klook on this link!
Casa Battlo.
The interior of Casa Battlo. Image from Klook.
Some of the areas are still under restoration, but it's still fascinating! Image from Klook.
Tourists can get to see how the casa is being carefully restored. Image from Klook.
Casa Battlo is located along Passeig de Gracia, a shaded street that is famous for high-end shops and modernist buildings!
Passeig de Gracia.
A little further down the Passeig de Gracia, on the opposite side of the road, another eye-catching building that is undoubtedly designed by the same architect of Casa Battlo fame stands. This is Casa Mila, the last private residence to have ever been designed by Gaudi. Some call this Modernist building "La Pedrera" due to its interior that slightly resembles a stone quarry.
Again, same as Casa Battlo, tickets to enter Casa Mila are hard to come by unless you have the Barcelona Tourist Card, bought them online through the casa's official website, or through Klook.
Personally, though, I would much rather prefer getting the 34 Euro-ticket for the Casa Mila Night Experience and witness the Origins Light Show over the daytime ticket.
Casa Mila at night. Image from Klook.
Casa Mila's Origins Light Show. Image from Klook.
6. PARC GUELL
If there was ever one spot in Barcelona that best exemplifies Gaudi's work on Modernistic Architecture, it would have to be Parc Guell. Housing some of Gaudi's most iconic masterpieces like the lucky Gaudi's Salamander, the Serpentine Beach, and the Laundry Room Portico, Parc Guell remained Gaudí’s family home until his death in 1926.
Parc Guell is divided into two parts: the free entry zone where visitors can come and go as they please, and the Monumental Zone where most of Gaudi's masterpieces are kept. The Monumental Zone was deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 and so, to help preserve the area, only a certain number of visitors per day can enter at a specific time for 10 Euros (tickets can be pre-booked from Parc Guell's official website or through Klook). Top tip: It's absolutely necessary to book tickets online. Don't follow our example, where we failed to enter yet another must-do attraction due to lack of preparation.
Gaudi sitting in a mock Serpentine Beach at the Gaudi 4D Audiovisual Experience. The Gaudi 4D Audiovisual Experience is another attraction that I would have wanted to experience but couldn't due to-- sigh. I want to mentally kick myself in the shins.
Cute and colorful block houses near Parc Guell.
I love how the ivy just nonchalantly slinks across the houses.
Parc Guell.
The Laundry Room Portico, at the free side of the park.
Gaudi's Salamander in the Monumental Zone of Parc Guell. Image from Klook.
The real Serpentine Beach. Image from Klook.
Sala Hipostila's beautiful ceiling mosaics. Image from Klook.
7. THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINTOP TOWN OF MONTSERRAT
Our itinerary took a turn for the better on the third day of our stay in Barcelona. From our Airbnb close to the L1 Metro station of Torrassa, we took the train to Espanya station where we could catch the LR5 to Manresa. Since our Barcelona Tourist Travel Pass didn't cover travel to Montserrat, we each had to purchase return tickets for 22 Euros. Aside from the train ride, the tickets also include either a cable car ride or a funicular ride to and from Montserrat.
And if anyone's curious, of course we chose the cable car.
Riding the Manresa-bound train to Montserrat.
A very scenic train ride.
The cable car.
Going up, up, up.
Two small sudden drops from the lurching of the cable car and twenty minutes later, we arrived into the wonderful Montserrat where there are a handful of things to do. The town has several hiking paths, shops, restaurants, a farmers' market, and a centuries-old basilica which is Montserrat's most famed tourist draw.
From the moment we stepped off the train to when we first set foot into Montserrat, we were immobilised by wonder; awestruck with the vivacity and magnificence of God's hand in the world's biggest canvas.
From the moment we stepped off the train to when we first set foot into Montserrat, we were immobilised by wonder; awestruck with the vivacity and magnificence of God's hand in the world's biggest canvas.
First, my friends went on the lookout for a good place to grab some late lunch.
Montserrat's funicular station.
Almond cakes and cheeses from the local farmers' market.
Small pathway leading into a hiking path up into the mountains.
A stone stairway leading into the Monstserrat Museum and the basilica.
The huge main square in front of the basilica.
These towering heights are a thing of beauty!
The facade of the Montserrat Basilica, a church famous for hosting the statue of the Black Madonna. (By the way, please pardon the curvation in some parts of the picture as this was an upward sweep panoramic shot taken by a girl with short arms. This pre-thought also will apply to some of the other pictures that will follow.)
Statues in alcoves found in front of the basilica overlooking the gorgeous views of Montserrat.
The atrium of the basilica. Note the extravagant marble floor.
An upward sweep panoramic shot of the basilica's atrium.
There was a temporary 3D artwork on display in the atrium on the time we visited.
Prayer candles.
Inside the basilica.
Never, ever come to Barcelona without setting aside an entire afternoon just for Montserrat-- a reminder of how big our God truly is!
8. BARCELONETA BEACH
On our last day in Barcelona, we did what any other normal tourist would opt to do-- hit the beach. We slathered our sunscreens on and headed to Barceloneta Beach, a stone's throw away from Las Ramblas. There, we bitterly found out that the parasols and sundecks were not free to use and that the boys who seemingly wanted to flirt were actually after our stuff.
On one end of the sandy strip stood skyscrapers and a huge mall; on the other, a dock that was blocked off by a barricade that everyone just ignored and climbed over. Here's where we made our mandatory dance cover of Camila Cabello's "Senyorita" just because it felt appropriate. For a while, we welcomed the prospect of sunburn and sandy trousers until dehydration got the better of us. Off we went to one of the little bars along the beach where we had our dose of ice-cold mojitos and pina coladas.
Sun, surf, and sand.
Somehow, that tall oddly-shaped building in the distance reminds me of Dubai.
The beach has basic facilities like showers, toilets, and changing rooms beneath the boardwalk.
The dock where we shot our "Senyorita" dance cover which we would all like to pretend has reached a certain level of infamy on the internet.
Blue is not my favorite color, but it could grow on me.
I like my drinks cold and my men hot.
Oh, what am I saying?
Deep-fried breaded scampi with jalapenos.
This serving of vanilla ice cream with chocolate mousse is the perfect way to beat the heat while on the beach!
9. LIGHT AND FLAVOURFUL SPANISH TAPAS!
One aspect of Spain in general that I found unforgettable is its cuisine. Having been raised in a country with a proud history and culture that was mostly influenced by our Spanish colonists in the early 1500's, I found the familiarity of a lot of the flavors, aromas, and textures of the food in Barcelona to be a very welcoming delight.
Aside from the usual Spanish paella, seafood, and saucy meat dishes, we found ourselves extremely fascinated with the local Spanish gastronomical norm that is "tapas" which literally means "appetizers" in Spanish. Light and not at all expensive, tapas was our go-to selection for when we were too peckish to explore the city but not too hungry to have a full-sized meal.
The classic Spanish tapas: a selection of ham, sausage, and chorizo slices with some cuts of cheese good for sharing.
Chicken and chorizo burrito.
Deep-fried crunchy squid rings.
Chicken tenders.
Two kinds of huevos rotos: one topped with smoked ham and the other topped with chorizo slices.
Steak and fries.
Ice cream!
Chicken wings and potato wedges.
Summarily, we all will never forget our experience in Barcelona for the quirky and unique capital that it is. It is a city filled with ambivalence-- calm yet adventureful, vibrant yet monochromatic, and in the middle of it all, it is progressive yet indigenous. A wonderful city with so much to explore-- and I guarantee you, the sunburn is worth it!
TOP TIPS:
1. ALWAYS BOOK IN ADVANCE ONLINE. Like I've said beforehand, we were not able to gain entry into a lot of attractions in Barcelona because a lot of them did not accept walk-ins or they simply didn't have enough slots for walk-ins. A lot of famous attractions in Barcelona like Parc Guell and the Casas are UNESCO Heritage Sites, so the city needed to put a cap to the number of tourists who can come and go in a day to preserve them.
Klook.com is a great website to book attractions in multiple cities around the world at heavily-discounted prices (some attractions even have perks that are Klook-exclusive). The website is easy to use and the sign-up process is a breeze! It will not cost you anything extra if you sign up for Klook using my referral link, but I will get rewards from it just as you could if you also successfully refer a friend!
2. NEVER EVER LEAVE YOUR THINGS UNATTENDED. Not meaning to scare future visitors to Barcelona or talk trash about the beautiful Spanish people, but the city is literally crawling with pickpockets. These malicious people are either quick and quiet or loud and flamboyant. Those who are loud and flamboyant usually work in tandem/teams, are very good actors/actresses, and will employ all sorts of schemes to distract you and take your belongings, pass it amongst themselves, and afterwards act as if nothing happened.
Our group encountered a confrontation between a pickpocket and another group of tourists in the Sagrada Familia Metro station, wherein a large man squeezed himself into one of the women in the group and took her cellphone. The others in her group noticed that something was wrong when the large man appeared to knock off everyone in his way in a hurry to get off the station. he was eventually met by police waiting outside the station.
When in Barcelona-- or any other modern, touristy city in general, always be alert and never ever allow yourself to be distracted. Some con artists will try to glare at you as if picking a fight with you, try to get your clothes dirty with ice cream or water, or even offer to take your picture. When you're distracted, that's when their teammates will strike. Don't try to attract attention to yourself by wearing showy clothes and jewelry, and always keep your belongings close to your body and within eyesight. If all else fails, scream.
To learn more about how to avoid pickpockets and scams in Barcelona, these links might be useful:
c. Travel Security: The Complete Guide To Protecting Your Valuables While Travelling (There is a separate section about Barcelona)
3. AVOID THE HARSH AND MIGHTY SUNLIGHT! The "eternal summer" part of this entry's title is not just meant to make it sound poetic. The temperature in Barcelona when we visited in August was 33 to 37 degrees. Everyday, we had to go through the agony of wishing our pits wouldn't get sweaty enough to show through our shirts or pray that our sunblock lotions would hold on long enough to protect us from the sun before it melts from the humidity. Even winters in the city (generally from the months of December to early March) are still sunny though a little crisp.
I might have said that exploring Barcelona is worth having a sunburn, but sunburns are actually nasty and painful little things that can put a damper on your holiday. It's true that majority of the visitors in Barcelona are there to enjoy the warmth of the sun and escape the harshness of their country's winter, but we should all also be aware that direct sunlight is only healthy for the human body from 0600H to 0900H in the morning and anytime after that up until about 1600H in the afternoon is already cancerous and harmful to the skin.
The best way to keep yourself protected from the sun is to simply stay in the shade and protect your skin with a good quality sunblock with an SPF of about 50. Umbrellas or sun hats, sunblock, and sunglasses are your best friends here. If you can, wear light and airy clothing with sleeves. Also, keep yourself hydrated by bringing bottled water with you all the time. A lot of stores sell bottled beverages, but there are few to no drinking fountains or refill stations in Barcelona.
4. SOME SHOPS OR RESTAURANTS MAY BE CLOSED IN THE AFTERNOON. In Spain, there's a little tradition called "siesta" wherein some businesses close late in the afternoon to allow workers to rest or run errands. Basically, it's like a long and late lunch break for everyone. In the Philippines, a country with heavy notes of Spanish influences, "siesta" usually means taking an afternoon nap after lunch because back in the olden days working in the heat is otherwise unproductive anyway-- I don't know if the same could be held true for the Spanish.
The times when the shops or restaurants close for siesta and reopen may vary. Siesta usually starts as early as 1330H in the afternoon until 1600H. The good news is, to compensate for these hours, most businesses and establishments remain open until well off into the evening.
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