'Más de una ciudad'

I'm back! I think it's safe to say I left my heart in Barcelona. Wow! What a fantastic city! I am head over heels with the place. A fabulous 2 days away left me craving more, I could have happily stayed for a week at least.



An hours delay due to cabin crew sickness left us somewhat jaded, however, the rowdy stag parties soon put smiles on our faces by demanding the pilot buy us all a drink by means of an apology. He didn't, spoilsport! After 2 Bombay Sapphire and Peach Iced Tea (try it, it's a taste sensation) we finally landed. Our apartment was situated in the Gothic Quarter just minutes away from Barcelona Cathedral, so once we had unpacked, lunch with a cathedral view was in mind. We had already lost an hour of our trip and time was something that was definitely not on our side. I wanted to go everywhere and see everything, but I soon realised that it was an impossible task. We had tickets booked for La Sagrada Familia and the Nou Camp the next day so we decided to make the trip up to Parc Güell that afternoon.



I can only describe it as walking into a fairy tale. The funny shaped buildings and multiple mosaics formed something so interestingly beautiful it took your breath away, especially the panoramic views of Barcelona from the main terrace. I could have looked at that view alone for hours, but we were on a mission to find the mosaic salamander, or 'el drac', that I'd seen in pictures. Could we find it? Could we hell! After walking around the park from top to bottom with no sign, I assumed it had been taken away to be restored and so we left. Imagine how silly I felt when I realised it was at the entrance to the park! Because it had been surrounded by so many people both on the way up and on the way down I had walked straight passed it, twice! D'oh! I managed to eventually get my photo the next day after the Sagrada Familia so all was not lost. Dinner and cocktails in the 'Plaça de Sant Miquel' was the aim of the evening, however, you can't go anywhere with my brother and not visit an Irish pub. The 'Carrer de Ferran' did not disappoint with a selection to choose from. Needless to say I fell asleep before my head even touched the pillow that night!



Day 2 and as my Dad is a very early bird I was woken up with a Starbucks take out, amazing! Talk about starting the morning right. First stop of the day was La Sagrada Familia, I'd definitely recommend pre booking your tickets online as when we arrived at 10am a mile long queue had already formed. Again, Gaudí had managed to take my breath away. It wasn't until we had walked through the museum that we realised how precise and perfected each single structure inside was created. He was a genius. It was at this point my camera decided to give up the ghost. Annoyed is an understatement, as good as an iPhone camera is, it's nothing like my Canon and it was only midday. Relegated to the bottom of my bag was where it remained for the rest of the day.



The best way to get around is definitely the tourist 'hop-on-hop-off' bus. With three different routes taking you to different parts of the city and being able to get on and off when you please is definitely worth every penny, or should I say cent? Plus, audio commentary during the tour informs you of buildings and history you would never have known from walking or taxiing. After a quick stop at Parc Güell again for my photo and some lunch we headed to the Nou Camp.



As avid football fans, this trip was a must see for my Dad and I. My Mum and brother, not so much. Walking through the trophy room was insane, is there anything Barcelona haven't won? After a tour of the dressing rooms we stepped out onto the pitch which was overwhelming. Those of you who don't know the Nou Camp has a capacity of roughly 100,000. Compare that to Everton's 40,157 and you can understand my reaction. It was soon time to be getting back on the bus, only after a well earned beer break, mind you!



After the Nou Camp the bus took us round the 'Eixample' district and this was to be where we said goodbye to the bus and head to our last tourist stop of the day. Casa Batlló is another architectural masterpiece by Antoni Gaudí. Nicknamed the 'house of bones' or 'casa dels ossos' as the pillars are bone-like and on the façade further up they look like skulls. The colourful, almost scale-like roof is meant to represent a dragon and the skulls and bones its victims. We didn't manage to take a look inside much to my disappointment, however I have definitely added it to the list of places to go for next time. Another drink stop, this time Sangria, was the perfect end to our tourist day.



Dinner in the Visual Restaurant on the 23rd floor of the Gran Hotel Torre Catalunya gave us an almost 360° view of Barcelona. There really was so much more we hadn't seen. The food was faultless, I would really recommend that if any of you are planning on going to Barcelona a meal here is a must! The Magic Fountains in the Parc de Monjuïc was a short drive away so we had planned to watch them before heading back to the Gothic Quarter for the night. The fountains are set to coincide with lights and music and they really were a fitting finale to an amazing trip away. I am completely enamoured with Barcelona and I really cannot wait for the chance to be able to go back again.