Barcelona

On Monday I took the air-bridge over to Barcelona, with only an hour wait in the plane in Madrid when they broke the door trying to close it. Barcelona was a bit cooler at only 30 degrees, so I dropped my bags at HelloBCN and then went had a wonder around the city centre, along the harbour side to buy some new shoes and through the olympic village now turned into a shopping centre. Cooked up a big chicken korma only for the remaining half to be eaten from the fridge the next morning.

On Tuesday I headed out to what must be the most famous attraction in Spain, Gaudi's masterpeice the Sagrada Familiar. A big church that they have been building for the last 140 years and have only just made it past half way. It was full of over-the-top sculptures, columns, and bits and peices sticking out everywhere. Maybe when they finish the building in another 150 years it will look better, but now I think they would do better knocking the monstrocity down. Afterwards walked down past the Placa de Toros, the brightly coloured Torre Agbar and back the the hotel. In the evening I visited the castle overlooking the city at Montjuic, just behind the hotel.

Wednesday was spent on the closest beach with the million other people that had the same idea. In the night we headed down to the harbour front for a few drinks with the danish and swedish guys and the french girls.

On Thursday I checked out a few more of Gaudi's eyesores along with the gothic quarter which was full of ancient buildings and tiny roads only big enough for some tourists and a motorbike. The cathedral was also visited but was being renovated.

Friday was a day to lay on the beach and enjoy the sun with the Swedish cheerleaders, along with a couple of good local vinos in the beach side cafes. The evening was spent playing some weird card games with my previous pomy room-mates.

Saturday I decided to be active again and see some of the sights around town. I took the metro out to Park Guell which was a park designed by Gaudi. It had a big plaza with weird pilons but I thought as little of it as all the other works of Gaudi. Fortunately there were some good panoramas over the city. Next stop was Placa Espanya where the monstrosity of an art museum towered down. Behind here was the 1992 olympic site, with the old torch still standing over the stadium. After a good salami bacquet back at the hostel I headed to the Park Retiro where they had built a rather impressive fountain and everyone was paddling around the lake in their row boats. I returned back home through the gothic quarter down some winding little pathways.