Thursday 9th November 2017
Our plan today was to visit one of our favourite cities; Barcelona. We were acutely aware of recent events in the city, who wouldn’t be? Nevertheless, since being in Catalonia, nothing had given us cause to be concerned.
On our trips to major cities, we frequently chose the train to take the strain but we had heard about disruptions and cancellations on the trains in and out of Barcelona, so thought it wise to opt for another mode of transport.
Luckily for us, the Mon Bus runs from our campsite, Vilanova Park, to Barcelona every half hour. What could be more simple!
In hindsight we should have done our homework and caught a much earlier bus. There is just way too much to see and do in Barcelona and we hadn’t allowed ourselves anywhere near enough time to enjoy it all, as we were to discover.
10.15 am and the bus departed for the city, on time. It was a comfy ride, stopping at Vilanova i la Geltrú and arrived in Plaςa d’Espanya, Barcelona, promptly at 11.20 am.
Ray made sure to drop a pin on Google maps to ensure we were able to find our way back to the bus stop! Always helpful 🙂
This was an area of the city we had not visited before and there was plenty to explore. We navigated our way around the busy roundabout in the centre of the Plaça d’Espanya. In the middle stands the monumental fountain, which marks the avenue leading to the grounds of the 1929 International Exhibition.
Plaça d’Espanya
We headed towards the imposing sight of Las Arenas de Barcelona and the glass elevator, costing €1 each, which takes you to the rooftop viewing platform. A gimmick but what the heck!
Las Arenas de Barcelona Glass Elevator
The viewpoint can also be reached by a series of escalators in the shopping plaza, for no charge.
The circular rooftop enables you to enjoy panoramic views of the Plaça, including the Parc de Joan Miró, with it’s Woman and Bird Sculpture. (Unfortunately we didn’t get a photo of the sculpture to the left, only the park).
City Views
On our list of things to do was to revisit the Sagrada Família. How was the building work coming on? Would it be finished?
Off we set along the Gran via de les Corts Catalans, more commonly referred to as the Gran Via, one of Barcelona’s major avenues.
Casa Golferichs
We passed Casa Golferichs on the Gran Via. Now a cultural and civic centre.
Luckily we did not have to walk the Gran Vias entire length, over 8 miles. Just the hour or so! It was a very busy road but a pleasant walk.
Barcelona Metro Guide: tickets can be purchased for the metro, bus or tram, or all 3 ( T10). It’s worth checking out the options available, depending on how long you are visiting Barcelona.
On reaching Plaça de Tetuan, we headed north east towards the iconic church Sagrada Família, another World Heritage site.
Our intention was not to go into the church or the towers, as we had already experienced this a few years ago and not surprisingly, it is still not finished 🙂 Watch this space in 2026, as this is the year the Basilica is reputed to be finally completed!
Sagrada Família
If you are thinking of visiting it is definitely worth purchasing tickets on line, to save time, as even in November it was incredibly busy.
View From Park
View From Entrance
Whilst we were snapping away taking photos, we happened to notice the Barcelona City Bus Tour. (Green route, east, stop number 12). We just wished we had noticed the bus stop on the Orange route when we first arrived at Plaça d’Espanya, as we could have made the most of a day ticket. (Note to self for future reference).
The bright red double-decker open-top Barcelona buses offer 2 routes. West route – Orange route or East route – Green route. Each taking approximately 2 hours. (So you can imagine our dilemma).
We paid the daily rate of €29 each, which would have been well worth it, if we had started our tour earlier in the day. Nevertheless the hop on hop off service was excellent and we would highly recommend it. Just make sure you leave plenty of time to take in all the attractions that Barcelona has to offer.
First stop for us was number 13 and Park Güell. But a word of caution. Be prepared for a 10+ minute walk up some steep paths to the park, as well as plenty of walking around the park too.
Park Güell – View of entrance esplanade with both pavilions which form the porter’s lodge
Queue for entry to Casa del Guarda, the porter’s residence
We went with the self-guided tour, including a ticket for the monumental zone, after which we were free to access the rest of the park for no charge.
We discovered that you can enjoy the majority of the park for free and even get to see some of the monumental zone if you approach from the south side.
Even on a November day the place was bustling with tourists, who like us wanted to admire the work of Antoni Gaudí, so be prepared.
Once you leave the monumental zone there is no re-entry, so make the most of your time there.
The Dragon Stairway. A twin flight of steps up to the Hypostyle Room.
Stairway flanked by one of the walls with merlons
Decorative salamander forming part of the fountain
Example of tile-shard mosaic (trencadís) on the fountain.
Greek theatre shaped bench on the final flight of steps, under the Hypostyle Room.
The Hypostyle
The Hypostyle is made up of 86 columns; the outer most ones slope inwards. It’s worth reading up on this construction and how it was used to collect rainwater.
The domes inside the hypostyle with familiar decoration
Side view of the Hypostyle
Portico
On passing through an original iron gate, we reached the gardens of the former farmhouse, the Casa Larrard and a portico backing onto the retaining wall of the upper roadway. It is made from rough stone and resembles a huge wave.
Interior of the portico
Exterior of the portico with a series of buttresses
View From Below
Next we headed to the Plaça de la Natura, (Nature Square or originally The Greek Theatre).
Plaça de la Natura
It was undergoing some major improvement work, but we were still able to take in the views over Barcelona and the undulating bench seating decorated with tile-shard mosaic, planned by Josep M. Jujol.
Tile Shard Mosaic
The rest of our visit continued through the remainder of the park, which was just as spectacular.
Plaça de la Natura
Throughout the park we came across a number of musicians performing in these wonderful structures, as the acoustics were fantastic.
A combination of viaducts, paths, steps and roadways connect the many areas of the park and allow you to explore the trees and Mediterranean plants.
View Of Barcelona
Within the area of the park called the Austria Garden are two houses which were built while Park Güell was a residential estate.
Casa Trias, the white house, the work of Juli Batllevell.
The pink house by Francesc Berenguer, which is now the Gaudí House Museum.
Wonderful ironwork gate in Gaudís’ modernistic style.
Back on the Barcelona hop on hop off bus, we continued on the green route passing the Rotunda and the stop for Tribidabo and the funicular railway.
By now the weather had turned incredibly chilly and we reverted to sitting downstairs under cover, which somewhat limited our view of the attractions along the route.
Heading towards the centre of the city we passed the UNESCO Casa Milà or La Pedrera and Casa Batlló, both works of art by Gaudí.
At stop 16 on the green route we hopped off the bus and onto the orange route, stop 19 to enable us to get back to Plaça d’Espanya our starting point.
Cold and hungry we made our way to the rooftop of Las Arenas and into La Lola. Tapas, paella and a fruity white Verdejo, all served by polite and cheerful waiters, keen to practise their English skills. Top marks Nur 🙂
Feeling refreshed and a lot warmer, we made the short distance to our bus stop and didn’t have to wait long for our bus to arrive, on time, to take us back to camp.
We will be back to savour more of Catalonia’s vibrant city and the many cultural attractions and breathtaking architecture. Think it’s going to take more than one more visit though.
