A taste of Barcelona

Today we leave Valencia by train for Barcelona. The two hour ride goes quickly and on our way out of the Sants Railway Station we stop at the tourist information office to buy our tickets for the Hop-on-Hop Off Bus. We've been told by several friends who have visited Barceelona that this is the best way to get around to all the highlights.

The Hotel Market is tucked into a lane and even the taxi driver has trouble finding it. It is one of those quirky hotels with the entrance through the restaurant and to get to our 4th floor room, you have to take two different elevators. At the front desk, they keep a supply of green apples and bottled water for the guests. The room is compact, but has everything we need for a comfortable stay. Our next stop is Café Paris which has an excellent daily menu for €12, including wine and a complimentary aperitif courtesy of the waiter who takes a fancy to us for some reason. Feeling well fed and suitably welcomed, we set off for the Placa Cataluña for the first leg of the Barcelona City Tour. We travel, on the open top deck in blazing sunshine, down to the waterfront and west towards the Olympic venues. There are so many interesting things to see in Barcelona that it’s hard decided where to get off and what to explore. Mostly we just listen to the narration and gawk.

Hopping off at the Casa Mila, one of the many iconic Gaudi buildings, we only have time before closing for the short audio tour, which is nevertheless excellent. Also called La Pedrera, this is one of Gaudi’s masterpiece apartment buildings – architectural eye candy. From the roof, whose chimneys are sculptural works of art, there is a splendid view of the city. I could easily live in one of these extraordinary apartments.

Fortified by a good feast of tapas at Tapa Tapa, we do the obligatory stroll down Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s famous pedestrian avenue. It’s filled with tourists and a good number of hucksters. Most of the more interesting vendors have already closed up shop for the day. Somehow Peter manages to navigate our way through the winding streets of El Raval neighbourhood back to our hotel.