Barcelona - 23 September 2011

There was no real need to rush this morning, but we packed before heading out for breakfast.  Just as we had locked the door, I noticed that my left earring had disappeared.  It couldn’t have been gone long as the back was still stuck to my earlobe.  We hunted everywhere, but couldn’t find it, despite moving the beds and everything else.  One thing I can say for the hotel – the room was very clean.

Parrots nesting in Las Ramblas

The lifts were not working, which meant we had to use the stairs.  Although we were only on the third floor, the ceilings were very high and there were an awful lot of stairs, going on and on.  On the mezzanine floor was a Turkish bath for men which was intriguing.  When we finally got down, the staff in reception assured us that the lift repair men had been called and would be there soon.  Otherwise, we would never have been able to get the suitcase down and my mum would probably not have been able to get upstairs again.

Our Hotel from Square

We paused at the top of Las Ramblas to look for the parrots.  They were busy collecting twigs and maintaining their nest.  It was difficult to get a good photo as their feathers were good camouflage with the surrounding leaves.

Our Room level with top of Lampost

We had breakfast in the same place as on Wednesday.  At €6.40, it was good value as we sat at the bar.  The barman liked to impress by carrying a huge number of cups all stacked inside each other and looking in imminent danger of falling apart and crashing to the ground.

Then we went to the square to take some last minute photos, especially of the hotel and our room.

Back at the hotel, we were very relieved to find that the lift had been fixed.  Back in the room, we shook out all the sheets and blankets, moved the beds again and looked in every corner, but still no earring.  We eventually gave up and took our stuff downstairs.  The reception staff took my address in case my earring rematerialized, but it never did.

Placa de Catlunya from our room

There was no problem with checking out and we set off across the square to the A2 bus stop.  We got there just as one was leaving, but the next one was just behind.

Statue in Placa de Catalunya

We got on and put our case on the rack which takes up 1/3 of the left side of the bus.  Such a sensible design for an airport bus!  It was a while before the bus set off, but the journey was very quick.

We got off outside Terminal B and walked to Terminal C.  The bus arrived at Terminal C about the same time we did, but it would have been very difficult to get our luggage off a full bus.

There was a big queue for the check in so we joined it, even though we had one hour before our flight opened.  The queue moved quickly so we hung back for a while with a couple flying to Bristol, who had been sent back when they checked in early for a flight from Mallorca.  When they moved, we decided to take the risk and there was no problem at all.

It took longer to get through security as there was only one female frisker available.

Terminal C is very new, so there is not much in there except duty free and a small café.  We got a coffee and sandwich and some water for the flight.

After a quick trip downstairs, I looked at the screen and noticed that the instruction MO had been replaced by 03, so we headed for the gate.  Boarding was in full swing, despite it being early, so it was a good thing I had looked.  We found two seats with no problem and settled in. 

The flight took off on time and it didn’t seem long at all before we were over North France and then looking down on the Channel Islands.  Some white cliffs were visible on the other side of the Channel, but these were the south side of the Isle of Wight.

The plane landed at South Terminal for some reason, so we were all bussed over to the North Terminal for baggage reclaim – even those with no checked in baggage.  We sat opposite a mother with a very cute baby.  My mum said how she liked his socks.

Once we had got our suitcase, we had to get the shuttle back to South Terminal.  The railway station was in confusion.  The next train to Redhill was 20 minutes late and on platform 2.  We went down there, but a later train was already in.  So we decided to go for the next train which was one of a series due in on platform 3.  We went back up and down again and were soon on our train.  Someone said that there were problems at Three Bridges which had been causing delays and cancellations all day.

At Redhill, I asked for the next train to Tonbridge and was directed to the far end of platform 1.  A train came in for Reigate and somewhere else.  They uncoupled the train and then nothing happened.  After a very long wait, they rejoined the train and it went back to Victoria.  Passengers were told that there were no trains to Brighton due to a collapsed tunnel at Three Bridges.

Meanwhile, we had seen our train standing by, waiting to come into the station.    There was quite a crowd of us now, all chatting in a most friendly way and the station officials joined in.  When the Reigate train had left, our train came in and we all got inside.

Then came an announcement that we had to catch a new Tonbridge train on platform 3.  The conductor walked down the platform with us and reassured everyone that the train would not leave until everyone was aboard.  We had to walk all the way along platform 3 to get on the train, which came in just as we reached the platform.  Finally we set off and headed for Tonbridge.

We got in the lift at Tonbridge Station and a man joined us with a baby.  My mum recognised its socks.  It was the same baby we had sat opposite on the bus from South to North Terminal.  His dad said that he had come to meet his wife and baby at the airport, but had forgotten the child seat, so had had to catch the train.  With all the hassle on the railway, I bet he wished he had gone back to get the seat!

At last our luck returned and the bus came as soon as we walked out of the station.  We were back at my mum’s just before Emmerdale and had a much appreciated cup of tea.

Barcelona - 22 September 2011 (3)

Son et Lumiere

Son et Lumiere

There were crowds of people standing by the fountains and, as we walked towards them, the fountains began to dance and change colour to music.  The signs had said that this son et lumiere only played on Sundays, but I guess this was special due to the fiesta.  We watched the fountains until the music stopped and, despite our late arrival, were able to get a good place to stand.

Sagrada Familia

Torre AGBAR

Then we made our way up the hill and went to look at the view.  The Sagrada Familia and the Torre AGBAR were a bit too far away to get good photos, but we could see them lit up.  The scaffolding on the cathedral didn’t help as it made the Sagrada Familia look a bit fuzzy.

Son et Lumiere

I went to put my camera back in my rucksack and discovered that someone had kindly unzipped both compartments.  The only thing of value I had been carrying in my rucksack was the camera, so the potential thief must have been very disappointed.  My address book, mum’s door keys and reading glasses were all present and correct, so nothing was lost.

The son et lumiere resumed while we were up top, so we went back down again.  Then we walked back to the Metro and returned to our hotel.  There was no music in the square and it all seemed a bit too quiet for a fiesta – certainly nothing like the one I had found myself in in Grenada.  I slept really well, but my mum said there had been a lot of noise outside until about 0200.

Barcelona - 22 September 2011 (2)

Before going back into the hotel, we had a drink in the Cerviceria, just down Las Ramblas.  It wasn’t as expensive or as busy as I had thought when we had walked past it before.  Then we rested our feet at the hotel and heard some rehearsals for a concert.

We decided to go back to Sinatra’s for our last evening.  My mum really liked the hoisin duck tapas and we would have another sangria as a treat.  We went early, partly because my mum hadn’t eaten anything at lunchtime and partly to avoid a long wait at the bar.  It opened at 1800, but, when we got there, they were not quite ready.  So we were told to sit at the bar and were immediately provided with a glass of champagne.  This time, we still had a lot of champagne left when we were shown to the table.

We ordered six tapas plates – two hoisin ducks, caprese, patatas bravas, aubergine parmigiana and deep fried camembert with onions – and some sangria.  It was all very nice and we finished off with Viennese coffee.  While we ate and drank, we watched their repeat showing of Guys and Dolls and tried to remember the tunes to the subtitled lyrics.  The waiters were very friendly and happy to chat as they only had a handful of tables to deal with – all English speaking as the locals eat much later.

After paying the bill – and pointing out that we had not had two coffees each – we set off for the Liceu Metro station which was nearby on Las Ramblas.  We headed back to the Plaça de Espanya and made our way up the street to Montjuic.  My plan was to make good use of the remaining four rides on the Metro to see Barcelona lit up at night, especially the Sagrada Familia and the Torre AGBAR.

Barcelona - 22 September 2011 (1)

We left the hotel at 0920 and walked down Las Ramblas to find somewhere for breakfast.  I was thrilled when I finally spotted a parrot in the trees in the centre of the street, especially as it had a nest and was busy making repairs.  We stood gazing upwards for quite a while, but no one else paid the parrots any attention, despite their loud squawks.

When we eventually moved on, we found a different breakfast bar, but in the same street as the others.  We sat at a table instead of at the bar, so breakfast was more expensive at €10.

Monument on Placa de Espanya

Palau Nacional Montjuic

With eight journeys left, we decided to take the Metro again and head for Montjuic, via the Plaça de Espanya.  Again, the directions were clear and we got the correct train easily.  The unavoidable problem was the many flights of stairs in the station.  My mum has even more difficulty negotiating stairs than I do, so we had to take things slowly.

Twin Towers of Placa de Espanya

When we resurfaced, we were in a very different environment.  Whereas our square is a pedestrian square, the Plaça de Espanya is a square for traffic, comprising a roundabout in the middle of a very busy road junction.  A monument takes up most of the roundabout.

Fountains & Road to Placa Espanya

We walked towards the twin towers, between which is the road which leads up to Montjuic.  There were fountains all the way up, but none were working.  In the middle of the road, they were busy building another stage for the fiesta, which the guidebook said began today.

Sagrada Familia from Montjuic

Montjuic is a steep hill and looks to be a daunting climb.  We were both very relieved to find out that the guide book was correct and that there were indeed escalators to take us up to the Palau Nacional, a very impressive building which houses the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC).  The first escalators merely took us across the wide road which runs alongside the hill.  Then a double escalator took us to the next terrace.  Unfortunately, we did not see the next escalator, which was over to the right, so we slowly climbed the steps.  As we climbed, we could hear someone playing Rodrigo’s Guitar Concerto.  We rested for a while when we reached the top and the guitarist played Billy Joel’s Piano Man, which always brings back memories of Christmas Eve in Quito, when I sang it in a bar with several Norwegians, Americans and French girls.

Fountain of Palau Nacional

The Palau Nacional is a very large building, with a central arena, crowned by a high domed ceiling.  There was an organ at the end of the arena and some of the seats at the higher levels were finished with mirrors.  Two glass lifts went to the first floor, so up we went.

The collection on this floor was mostly modern Catalan artists.  There were a handful of works by Picasso and Dali and some Gaudi furniture, but the art was mostly works by people who were contemporaries of the impressionists.  Some were very good, others less so.  My mum particularly liked the statues and enthused about the detail in the fabrics.  I especially liked two fun paintings by Ramon Casas: one of him and a friend on a tandem and one with them in a vintage car.

Olympic Communications Tower

There were also some Baroque paintings, which included works by Rubens, Titian, Tintoretto, Velasquez and many others.  We skipped through the religious paintings though.

Afterwards, we had a coffee in the café and then walked along the terrace outside.  From the end of the terrace, we could see the Sagrada Familia and the Torre AGBAR, both of which featured on postcards when lit up at night.  A plan began to form.

We decided to head to the Catalonia Archaeological Museum, which was down the hill and to the right.  We had to do a diversion because our side of the terrace had an up escalator and steps, but no down escalator.  So we walked to the other end of the terrace, from where we could see the communications tower, used for the 1992 Olympic Games.  As we walked, some parrots flew over.

The Catalonia Archaeological Museum took quite a bit of finding because it was not where it was marked on the map and because the vital signposts disappeared.  When we finally found it, it was smaller than I had expected.  It was also a bit disappointing as it didn’t have as many Etruscan and Carthaginian pieces as we had been led to expect.  Still, it was nice and cool and we enjoyed wandering around the exhibits.

By the time we left, I really didn’t feel like walking all the way back to the Metro in the Plaça de Espanya.  A look at the map indicated that the Poble Sec station was closer, so we continued to walk downhill and came out just one block away from the station.  It was an easy ride back to the Plaça de Catalunya.

Barcelona - 21 September 2011 (3)

I decided I could do with something light like an omelette so we headed to the street where we had had breakfast.  Our breakfast bar only did meat dishes, but the door waiter showed us Naturista a few doors up.  This was a veggie place, but when we went in, we didn’t see anything we fancied.  It had all been made already and was laid out most unappetisingly.  So, feeling very sorry for the poor man who had gone to all that effort, we walked out.  It would have been so much better if they cooked as things were ordered like in other restaurants.

We wound our way through the old town, looking at the menus of what mostly turned out to be overpriced, meat only restaurants.  At long last, we saw a blackboard in a narrow street which ran along the left-hand side of the cathedral.  It offered a three course meal with drink, including a couple of veggie options for €16.  The restaurant was called Meson Jesus, but Jesus is quite a common name in Spain – I met one in a disco in Javea back in 1976 – so it could have been the owner’s name.  We went inside and found it to be very welcoming and nicely laid out with red and white checked tablecloths.

I had another gaspacho and the lady brought an assortment of chopped salad stuff for me to throw in – something I had not seen before.  I ate the tomatoes but left the rest.  My mum had a huge helping of Russian salad.  We were bit worried about the drink.  We ordered wine and got a whole bottle.  Was a whole bottle really included in the menu price?  We set to drinking it, hoping that it was.  After all, wine is supposed to be a lot cheaper in Spain than at home.  We had potato omelettes for the next course and then my mum had another crème caramel and I enjoyed a crème Catalan.  This turned out to be a rather wonderful crème brulée.  Somehow I managed to finish the wine, having practiced a bit in Tarragona the day before.

The restaurant was quiet.  When we arrived there were just two other women by the window.  Another couple came in later and they were followed by a family of seven, who were the only customers left when we went.  I know Spanish people tend to eat much later and I hoped that  lots of people turned up later.  As promised, the bill came to just €32 and I gave a the waitress a much deserved tip.

We headed back to the hotel and found that we had just missed some dancing in the square in front of the cathedral.  The dancers were just packing up.  It was quite busy in town with all the people who were filling the hotels having arrived for the fiesta.  The number of living statues in Las Ramblas had increased too and there were more people selling the spiral lights, which were being launched everywhere.

We reached the hotel and went to bed soon after.  Despite everything, I slept very well, though my mum reported that there was a lot of noise.