Continuing my blog about Spain…
Day 4 Barcelona
We were up early to catch our AVE Express Train (we did have reservations for this) which whisked us off to Barcelona in just 3 short hours. There we were greeted by a driver from our beautiful 5 star Hotel Neri. This hotel is a charming, boutique hotel located in the heart of the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona, adjacent to the old church and is on a quiet, narrow street. The hotel has a courtyard and a rooftop terrace. The best part is that it’s only minutes away from the bustling and noisy Las Ramblas.
Barcelona is a city that’s all about wandering. Around each corner, something lurks and is happening. We wandered through antique fairs, street markets, artist colonies, and protests going on in Plaza Cataluna. But the best place to wander is Las Ramblas.
This boulevard is a cross between Bourbon Street in New Orleans and the Champs Elysees in Paris. Surrounded by magnificent architechture designed by Anton Gaudi, there are shops, cafes and lots of people posing as creatures and queens like statues.
We walked miles, visiting cathedrals and shopping. For dinner, we found a great spot called Me and My Donkey where we were seranaded by our adorable Portuguese waiter, Nelson, to the tunes of “Guantanamera”.
High in the Catalunian mountains sits a 12th century Benedictine Church in a place called Montserrat, a day trip away from Barcelona. Once we figured out the correct train station to go to, the R5 train track isn’t even in the train station! It’s across a major intersection between two large columns. If you want to go all the way to the top of the mountain, you have to be sure to buy the ticket that includes the funicular and not the tram. All very ‘cloak and dagger’, but after 1 1/2 hours in the lovely countryside, we were there.
Montserrat Abbey hosts the Virgin of Montserrat, also known as the Black Madonna. The statue was originally white, but turned black, so the legend goes. People come from miles around asking for her blessing.
The bascillica has a museum with the works of Dali, El Greco and Picasso.
Once you arrive, you’re at 4,000 feet. But you still have to go higher to get to the top and that’s where the funicular comes in. At the top of the mountain, you have options to hike or just enjoy the views. We chose to hike and made it to the first Chapel, Chapel of St Joan.
After a long day, we took the last train back to Barcelona.
Day 6 Barcelona
Our last day in Barcelona, and it was Mary Kay’s 51st Birthday!! We decided to celebrate by doing all things Gaudi. Did you know the phrase “that’s so gaudy” actually came from Gaudi? Once you see Anton Gaudi’s works, you’ll understand why. We began at La Sagrada Familia (the Sacred Family), truly the most magnificent cathedral I’ve ever seen. Gaudi took over the renovation of the structure in 1883 and worked on it up until his death in 1926. It’s still not completed, but has become a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We took an elevator to the top of the Cathedral where you get a great view of the city, all the way to the sea.
We continued our Gaudi tour by visiting some of the houses and apartments he designed in the center of Barcelona, truly works of art. We finished our day in Park Gruell. A park that sits on a hilltop overlooking Barcelona with splashes of Gaudi creations strewn throughout the park.
For Mary Kay’s evening birthday celebration, we ate at a wonderful restaurant right in the main plaza, she ordered duck, Rosemary had lamb, and I had a wonderful John Dory whitefish. Afterwards, we hit Las Ramblas, stopping in and out of pubs and bars. We had a great time celebrating and didn’t get back to the hotel until 3 am.
On a side note – when our trip was finished, we took a secret poll among the three of us to see what place each of us chose as our favorite. It was unanimous, we all chose Barcelona.
You can view my Barcelona/Montserrat photo album on our facebook page here
There are many fantastic places we visited and in my next blog I will write about Cordoba, Granada and Seville.
If you have questions about traveling to Spain, drop me an email at nkivlen@carefreevacations.com. Or talk to one of our Carefree Vacations Spain Travel Specialists listed here.
Tags: Architecture, Barcelona, Churches, Food and wine, Historical Landmarks, Hotel, Montserrat, Rail, Spain
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