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Barcelona
The first stop on our first trip to Spain recently (Summer 2003) was in Barcelona. We had taken the night train from Paris and arrived at about 8 in the morning. The day was a bit gray, the ground was wet and an occasional drop of rain hit me as my girlfriend and I walked with our baggage to find our hotel which turned out to be a bit further from the train station than we had anticipated. In usual fashion we didn't have exact directions but rather a general idea of where we were going.
The weather did not discourage me one bit. I had dreamt of coming to Barcelona since I had been introduced to Gaudi by a Catalan student and friend in college. Ever since that day I knew I had to see Sagrada Familia and Gaudi's other works for myself. I was not disappointed.
We only spent two days in Barcelona but I hope to go back at some point. Barcelona is a wonderful place that has a big city name with a not so big city feel. There is plenty to do from arts and culture to night life and the beach. If I had to pick one city in Spain to live in it would have to be Barcelona.
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The BoquerÍa Market (or Mercat BoquerÍa) is a great place to spend some time wandering around getting a taste of how the locals do it. The market is just off of Las Ramblas and about 5 or 6 blocks down from Plaça de Catalunya on your right. Inside you will find everything from stands selling meat to fresh vegetables, cheeses, breads and of course olives. You'll also find a few places to sit and eat. I think it's a nice atmosphere and it's a great place to people watch as you eat. |
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Metro Hours are: If you're going to be in Barcelona for a few days it's best to buy a multi day pass. This is usually much cheaper especially if you're going to depend on the metro to get around and you plan on making several trips in a day. A single ride will cost you €1 and multi day passes go for €4.20, €760 and €10.20 for a one, two and three day pass. Transports Metropolitians de Barcelona has a great site with lots of information about the Barcelona metro, getting around Barcelona and things to see. |
You will find El Corte Ingles in all of the bigger Cities in Spain and in Barcelona alone there are 4 locations with my favorite at Pl. de Catalunya at the head of Las Ramblas. The grocery section of all El Corte Ingles stores can be found in the basement and provide a great place to go if you're looking to pick up some groceries for a picnic, need to grab a quick bottle of water or soda or just want to have a look around to see how locals shop. You'll find everything that you need at reasonable prices here. Head upstairs to the ground floor and in most of all El Corte Ingles stores you will find gifts, souvenirs, jewelry, perfume and sometimes toiletries. On to the first floor (second floor for those in the US) and above you will find clothes for men and women, sporting goods, luggage, a travel agent, etc... This place has everything and is very convenient. |
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The AC Hotel Vilamari is a very comfortable, modern
and reasonably affordable hotel located just a few blocks from the Pl.
Espanya. The hotel staff is very friendly and helpful and most will speak
English for the non-Spanish speaker.
The hotel lobby is beautifully decorated with modern decor which mixes perfectly with the gray marble, stainless steel, frosted glass and rich woods. Rooms have the same warm, modern feel and include hardwood (synthetic) floors in addition to marble (synthetic) bathrooms. The hotel offers a free snack bar with drinks (soda and alcohol) from about 11am until 7pm every day. At 7 the free snack bar shuts down and dinner is offered in their restaurant at varying prices. We didn't eat at the restaurant in the hotel since it was very easy to find good restaurants at reasonable prices throughout the city. One of the things that I liked about this hotel is that they offer free, refrigerated bottled water on every floor along with news papers and fresh fruit. It was great to come home after a long hot day and drink some cold, fresh water. We also cheated an took a few bottles with us every morning when we left for the day. Our room came with a queen size bed, toilet/shower/bath and TV. I was at first concerned that our room would be noisy since it overlooked the street but thanks to their double payne windows we couldn't hear a thing. The location is very convenient, located just a 5 min walk from the Pl. Espanya metro station. From there you're about 4 stops from Los Ramblas and about 7 stops from Sagrada Familia. You can get just about anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. The neighborhood around the hotel is relatively quiet and free from the crowds of tourists. In the area you will find a handful of restaurants and shops one of which (I believe called Carpark) is open all night sort of like a 7-11 but with a much bigger selection. Overall I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone who is concerned with comfort while staying in Barcelona. The price sits somewhere between that of a budget hotel and a luxury hotel. Prices: Address: Phone: Other Contact: |
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vacation 2003 - next stop Benidorm
