Artistic Barcelona

After quite a long walk from the bus station we arrived at our apartment in Barcelona. As hostel prices soar over Fri/Sat/Sun we opted for a room in an apartment shared with other travellers (worked out cheaper than a hostel). It ended up a great decision as we found ourselves with a 3rd story apartment about a minutes walk from Los Rambles and the main square. Staying in an apartment did put a bit of a dampener on the party scene but after Granada and Valencia we were due for some sleep. It also meant we could get out and about and use our time here to see the touristy things. With Kelly as the tour guide (we are now in familiar territory for her) we visited the Picasso museum (thoroughly worth the 9 Euros), and toured the city’s various Gaudi buildings (2nd photo). The Segrata Familiar (top photo), a Church still under construction according to Gaudi’s designs, was incredible but not really worth entering as all the best views were from the outside.

The cheese tasting part of our trip realy took off here when we found a café with a 8 cheese tasting plate. As usual we cooked a night, ate out cheaply one night and then splurged a little to see what was really on offer. Kelly cooked up an amazing roast vegetable and prawn stack with fresh buffalo mozzarella, the result of a quick tour of the local market. Persistent attempts at shopping finally paid off for Kel, and she has bought a new dress. I found the best pair of Blues Brother sunnies ever and immediate purchased them for 8 Euro. The same shop also had a hat my size and so I now have a new hat and sunnies for a total of 15 Euro. Leaving Barcelona behind by overnight bus is never fun but the destination in San Sebastian, a city kelly constantly raves about. Unfortunately the weather’s not looking too good so we may be there a while awaiting the sunshine……

Stayed: Apartment Balmes 12
Ate: El Bulli - Ha only joking, 8000 seats a year with 300,000 requests! Mamacafe - expensive but tasty, Origins 99.9% - 99.9% local produce and a super cheese platter.
Drank: Bar El Jardi - BEST Spanish hot chocolate EVER.