We had never been to Spain, and felt so lucky being only 2 train rides away...the french TGV and a modern Spanish bullet-like train. Not sure about the speed of the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, literally translated as Train at High Speed!), but the Spanish line train recorded a speed of 289 km/hr. Love a bit of European rivalry!
We had a fabulous week, with beautiful warm weather every day. Mainly keeping to the old city, we were not exposed to the poverty and unemployment that is now such a big part of Spain, and that we have become quite used to during our travels through France. While the kids have become very sympathetic to beggars on the street, buskers and the homeless, I admit that I was quite relieved that we were able to see Barcelona through rose-coloured glasses, and at no time did we feel threatened or unsure of our surrounds or the people around us.
We walked and walked, and saw the key tourist sites of this wonderfully dynamic city:
La Rambla: A fantastic pedestrian strip full of life, colour and plenty of tourist stalls. Couldn't resist some lollies for the kids and delicious spanish nougat for me, in 'Catalan', known as torro.
What is Catalan I hear you ask? I received a version in broken english from our taxi driver, so have supplemented his explanation with one from Wikepedia...Catalunya or Catalonia, is an autonomous community and historic region of Spain. It is located to the NE of the Iberian Peninsula with Barcelona as it's capital. There are 3 co-official languages in Catalunya - Catalan, Spanish and Aranese. Tricky with just one Spanish language, let alone three. We retreated back to 'franglais'. Catalanya has it's own flag, displayed proudly everywhere!
La Sagradia Familia: Truly regret not having the time or inclination (on my own with 3 young kids) to battle the queues and venture inside, but will save that for next time, when Ben is with us to share the experience. Still an awe-inspiring creation from the outside. Scheduled completion date, some time in 2026, to mark the anniversary of the death of Antoni Gaudi. Did you know he died after being hit by a tram? A tragic exit for a truly artistic genius.
La Pedrera: another Gaudi creation, with it's instantly recognisable curves and references to nature. The attic of this building has been redesigned and now houses models of Gaudi's designs and several video presentations about his life and creations. One of the comments on the audio quoted one of Gaudi's former university lecturers. His comments when Gaudi finished his degree were something like.."I don't know if I have just farewelled a madman or a genius"...I think a combination of both!
Port Vell and Barcelonta: Having a beach so close to the hub of Barcelona was such a treat for us all. The weather was beautiful...chaise lounge for me, kids never out of the water. Perfect!
While mostly 'perfect', I must make mention of the humorous sight of nudists on Barcelona's beaches....while one would get arrested at Mt Martha, these older gentlemen (and yes, mainly men) had no inhibitions at all, happily standing and looking around at the sights, with their backs TO the water! Kids thought it was hilarious..we really need to get out more!
The afternoon was topped off with a rickshaw ride home. Pablo was great fun for the boys, weaving the rickshaw in and out of pedestrians, trees, monuments..you name it, at great speed. Boys thought it was brilliant. Our driver was unfortunate to have an obvious weight imbalance in our rickshaw, so he didn't (couldn't) risk the same tricky manoeuvres...while I'm sure Sasha would have liked the Funpark version, I was very happy with the tourist version!
Parc Guell: more Gaudi, and a beautiful park! Kids and I just loved walking around and exploring. Incredibly relaxing in an otherwise crazy and busy Barcelona. Rather unusual 'street performer' that captured the boys' imagination in the lead up to Halloween. There were different buskers around the park, who were just wonderful and worth the 10 euros I paid for one CD!
More Gaudi...the fountain in Cuidadela Park, an ornamental motif for the gates into the park, and Casa Batilo.
Our rooftop tourist bus ride: took us through the main streets of Barcelona, past many Gaudi sites, the Olympic stadium and flame cauldron, to Park Montujic and along to Parc Olympic. So much of the city's pride is still linked to the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, from the sculptures on the street, to the apartments and restaurants that once formed part of the Olympic Athletes Village.
Park of Montjuic: a fabulous destination for us all, with magnificent views over the city and bays of Barcelona. It had a bit of everything this park...fountains and paths, beautiful gardens, a chateau (more of a fort), cannons (more in keeping with the fort) and a cable car. I bravely climbed in with the kids, but was no sooner sitting on the floor of the cable car, while the kids encouraged me with words like "not too far now mum", "you're doing well mum", or Will's not so helpful, "gee it's high up here!"
I was transfixed by the workings of Europe's 9th largest port. This whole trip has been an exercise in logistics for us, so I have been frequently captivated by the logistical management of France's cities and now Barcelona, from the train and bus networks, to the incredibly busy airports, traffic flow, car parking, and tourism management. They make it look so easy! At no time in all our travels, have we had to wait more than 5 minutes for a train. I don't know how they do it..and still fit in time for a 2-hour lunch!
(And well done Will on the above photos..my camera ran out of charge, so Will took over. Bon courage Will!)
They shoot and they score..their way to Camp Nou! That my friends was Will's poetic touch to this blog (he is lying beside me in bed as I type away). While I am not the greatest soccer fan in the world, more due to my lack of interest than lack of appreciation for the sport, I found the experience quite awe-inspiring. The stadium is impressive (but of course has nothing on the MCG)..however it is the passion and history of the Club that you can feel at every turn. I actually felt priveleged being there. Funny really, given the Club and it's players are worth a fortune...and it cost a fortune to get in! Nonetheless, I was very happy to contribute more to the Spanish economy, indirectly.
Sasha was wonderfully patient, and the boys were transfixed. Will thinks he counted more than 300 trophies! Slight exaggeration perhaps, but either way the FCB is an incredibly successful club. If you asked the boys the highlight of their time in Barcelona, it might well be the spa in the players' changeroom, or perhaps buying and wearing their 'No.10 Messi' FCB jerseys!
For Sasha, the highlight was swimming in the Mediterranean and having her hair braided, and for me, Barcelona's diversity as a tourist city...not to mention the fabulous Paella and Sangria! I just loved my nights (and days as well) with the kids, walking hand-in-hand exploring, choosing a different square for dinner, the boys playing with their fluorescent helicopter sticks (I had Australian tourist written all over my forehead, as before you knew it, we had bought 6!) or simply cooking an omelette or ravioli in our apartment. As ever, the kids were so relaxed and just went with the flow. They have made yet another adventure so easy!!
While the kids have been learning a little bit of spanish (or perhaps Catalan?) at school in Montpellier, it was not enough to prove useful in our conversations..other than the occasional number, and 'Adios'. It was actually a real shock to be in a foreign city and not be able to speak the language, which seems so bizarre when we have been living in another foreign city for the past 2 months. It certainly shows how comfortable and secure we have become in France, given our respective abilities with the french language. And even for me in Barcelona, I spent more time saying 'Bonjour' and 'Pardon', than hello and sorry. This french thing is starting to stick!
Flying into Nice from Barcelona almost felt like we were coming home. Words echoed by both Will and Sasha.
Adios Barcelona...Bonjour Nice!
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