Barcelona, Day 7: La Boqueria and Leaving Barcelona

We came to La Boqueria the day before but it was closed due to public holiday- Labor Day. Day 7 was our last day in Barcelona. Our train to Madrid was scheduled at 1:00PM. We still had time in the morning so we checked out La Boqueria and had breakfast there.

Barcelona, Day 6: Gothic Quarter

It's very easy to spend an afternoon at Gothic Quarter and lose track of time. The old city is an intriguing place. Not only it offers historical sites and architecture landmarks, but also it has retails and restaurants. There is always something to do.

Barcelona, Day 6: The Beach

Based on my research, the beach is supposed to be within walking distance of La Rambla. It is actually quite a long walk (25 minute walk) from La Rambla and there is no metro station near the beach. So we walked from La Rambla to Port Vell, had lunch at Port Vell, and then walked from Port Vell to the beach. It seemed kind of far on a hot day when you felt dehydrated due to intense sunlight. There was no way around it, I assumed. Sure you can hail a taxi near the Columbus Monument. But you don't want to miss out on the sight of Port Vell, don't you? So I just kept walking and walking. By the time we arrived at the beach, I already got enough tan that could last a year. It saved me money on spray tanning or self tanning.

Roy Lichtenstein's Barcelona Face

Barcelona, Day 6: Port Vell

Pork Vell is beneath the south of La Rambla. There are a shopping mall, cinema, aquarium and plenty of restaurants. This area is spacious. It's a nice place to hang out. Also, it's family friendly, you see parents with little children here. On this trip to Barcelona, I always kicked myself for not having enough time to spend on one place - I had to keep moving to see more places.

Barcelona, Day 6: La Rambla

Some travel blogs or guidebooks say La Rambla is Barcelona's Champs-Élysées. Far from it. Whoever says that either tries to sell this place to you or has no observation skill. The only similarity between those two is that La Rambla also has two rows of dense trees.

Barcelona, Day 6: Barcelona Cathedral

We passed by Barcelona Cathedral few days ago but we didn't go inside. I was glad to come back and check it out.

Barcelona, Day 6: Streets of Barcelona

Day 6 was Labor Day, we were going to visit the sights in central Barcelona - Gothic Quarter and the surrounding area, Port Vell, and the beach. They are all within walking distance, at least that's what I thought. We had been busy taking day trips and going to different areas of Barcelona, so we didn't even have time to go to the beach, which is what Barcelona is famous for. The points of interest in Barcelona and nearby towns are very spread out, we did a lot of commuting and actually missed a few places that were close by. It would be a joke if I go home and tell my folks that I didn't check out the beach of Barcelona.

Portal de l'Àngel early in the morning. I like the giant thermometer but can't tell if it's accurate.

Barcelona, Day 5: Casa Batlló at Night

After coming back from the day trip to Montserrat, we took a long break in the hotel. At night, we walked to Casa Batlló because JJ wanted to capture Casa Batlló after dark. There were still some tourists eager to take pictures of Casa Batlló even though it was already closed. Nice stroll, beautiful sight, and happy tourists, it was a fun night.

Barcelona, Day 5: Montserrat, The Monastery, Black Virgin, View Point

The mountain looks like bunch of ladyfingers from far away. Up close, they look like giants with different faces. That's my keen observation.

Barcelona, Day 5: How to Travel from Barcelona to Montserrat

This is another day trip I really appreciate. The scenery is very grand. I have never seen anything close to this. It's beyond unique. Montserrat is 30 miles away from Barcelona. The monastery is on the top of the mountain.

On the train to Montserrat

Barcelona, Day 4: Park Güell

To go to Park Güell, you have to take the bus, line 24, at Plaça de Catalunya. The bus will drop you off right in front of the main entrance. If you take the metro or other buses, you will have to walk a long way to the park. Remember, the park is on the hill, so it's not going to be an easy walk especially during a hot day. Line 24 is the best option.

Barcelona, Day 4: La Pedrera

After lunch, we walked on Passeig de Gràcia back and forth to find La Pedrera, also known as Casa Milà. Then someone pointed to a building that was completely covered. Just our luck, the exterior of La Pedrera was under restoration. The staff said it started out last year and will last the whole year in 2014. We still decided to go in anyway. The line wasn't too bad in the afternoon, about 15 minutes wait.

The model of La Pedrera

Barcelona, Day 4: Block of Discord

Block of Discord includes Casa Batlló, Casa Amatller, and Casa Lleó Morera. They are all on the same block and famous for unique modernist style.

Casa Amatller

Barcelona, Day 4: Casa Batlló

The fourth day was all about Gaudi's casas and park. You may wonder if one would get Gaudi fatigue by the end of day?

Barcelona, Day 3: Gothic Quarter and Tapas

As JJ and I were both feeling the effect of jet lag, we decided to just take it easy this afternoon. Our hotel was walking distance from Gothic Quarter, so we took a nice stroll in the area.

Barcelona, Day 3: Sagrada Familia

We dedicated the third day to Sagrada Familia designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. Joining the line at 8:30am, we waited for one hour to get in. I should have bought tickets online to avoid queuing. But you must choose a schedule when you buy from the official website. Somehow we couldn't commit to the exact date and time before the visit. You can always book tickets online the day before your visit, print the receipt at your hotel for a small fee or free of charge, and bring it to the entrance. You will not regret it. Traveling can be physical demanding. You only have so much energy and time each day. Try not to waste your energy and time on waiting in a long line.

Barcelona, Day 2: Sipping Sangria in Figueres and Dali's Jewelry

Barcelona, Day 2: Figueres and Dali Museum

The train ride was about 55 minutes. After we arrived at Figueres station, I thought I was supposed to take a taxi to the city of Figueres. Then we saw all the tourists hopped on a bus, we just followed them. The bus took us to the city. Next, we got off the bus and took a 10 minute walk to the museum.

Barcelona, Day 2: Train Ride to Dali Museum

The second day in Barcelona was Sunday. We took a day trip to Salvador Dali's home town, Figueres, to visit Dali Museum by the high-speed train (Renfe).

We took the metro from Plaça de Catalunya to Sants Station first. It was confusing where to go next. The staff at the metro ticketing office told us to go upstairs then we would enter the lobby of Sants Station where we could buy Renfe tickets. Once we were at the lobby, we went to the information booth to ask which window was for Renfe tickets as there were so many windows for buying tickets. These information booths in Barcelona are truly life savers, they never fail me.

Barcelona, Day 1: Magic Fountain

After we rested in the hotel for a while, JJ said he wanted to take pictures of Magic Fountain in Montjuïc that evening as Magic Fountain didn't happen everyday. He was afraid if he didn't do it right away, he might never find time to do it because our itinerary was so jam-packed.

So there we went, we took the metro to Plaça Espanya to take pictures of Magic Fountain.