We checked into our Airbnb in Barcelona after a nice 45km ride on the Costa Brava followed by a 60km train ride into the city. We decided to take the train to avoid cycling endless beaches north of Barcalona, and because we'd heard it the motorways were a nightmare to negotiate on bikes. We were in a great location close to La Rambla, the beach, and the Gothic Quarter and we spent the next few days checking out the city.
Most of the attractions we visited were the creations of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudà - La Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell and Casa Batlló, but we also spent a lot of time just wandering around the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter and the wide boulevards of the Eixample neighbourhood.
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| Roof & chandelier detail in the Casa Batlló |
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| La Sagragda Familia |
It was the second time I'd visited La Sagrada Familia; the first time was on a summer holiday trip when I was at university. It was interesting to see what had changed on the incredible church - construction of which began in 1882 and remains unfinished. The stained glass windows were an amazing addition, creating a rainbow-like effect inside the main building.
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| Park Güell |
One morning Sarah was booked in to get her hair cut, so I set off in search of a new sleeping mat as mine had been slowly deteriorating. After a bit of searching I needed some internet to read some gear reviews. I got a coffee at a cafe that was on the corner of a quiet backstreet intersection to use their free wifi. After a while I heard yelling from out on the street and noticed all the shopkeepers closing their doors. The barista in the cafe quickly got up to shut the doors of the cafe just as approximately 15 people dressed completely in black, with hoods up and masks on, came sprinting past. They stopped at the corner where the cafe was and started dragging all of the (car-sized) recycling/rubbish bins out onto the street. They quickly tipped them all over, blocking all four directions from the intersection and ran off. Everyone in the cafe was extremely tense and although I know a little Spanish I had no idea what was going on. After five minutes they opened the doors again and carried on as usual, while armed riot police turned up and cleared the roads. I still have know idea what it was all about!
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| Political press conference in front of the Town Hall |
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| La Sagrada Familia and Torre Agbar dominate the Barcelona skyline |
We ended up staying an extra night in the city to see my host sister Kristina (from my high school exchange to the Basque Country). She took us to a great burger spot and we had a great catch-up; hopefully we'll see a bit more of her when we get to Euskadi.
- David
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