Last day in Barcelona: homeward bound

We had a lovely morning. Used our very useful T-Casual card (again!; they have been so convenient) and took the metro early-ish to the Parque Joan Miró with its 22 m tall statue Dona i Ocell ('Woman and Bird').

Lovely gardens.

From here we could easily see the buildings that make up the area around the Plaça d’Espanya. This huge square features the bull ring (Plaza de Toros de las Arenas - last bullfight in 1977), the impressive classical-style fountain in the centre, and the huge, Italian-style building housing the National Museum of Art situated on Montjuïc hill surrounded by gardens and with great views over the city.

We had an interesting journey (after our final pack and another (!) shower - very humid!!) to catch the Aerobus to the airport - information  I had read was to go to either Plaça Catalunya or Espanya but we couldn’t see clearly where the bus stop was at Catalunya when we exited the Metro here so we ‘high-tailed’ it back onto the Metro and went to Espanya where we had in fact seen the buses when we were there earlier today - why did we make it so difficult? Must have been a ‘brain-snap’.

Walked 9.55 kms.

Bus service to airport very quick as was check-in, security control slow as usual; plane departure delayed by an hour and a half! Phew, thank goodness I booked with a good transfer time because as it turned out, our next flight to Hong Kong (from London) DID leave on time.

No food on first flight apart from snack and water so we opted (unusually for us!) to have lunch at airport as it was now about 1:30 pm and the 2nd flight (with food) wasn’t leaving until about 9 pm, so this served us well and we had THE most delicious bocadillos with Iberian jamon and manchego cheese - with a very nice glass of rioja (for me; beer for MF); it certainly helped while away the delayed flight time.

We flew British Airways the first 2 legs (and I have to say London to Hong Kong was the BEST airline food I have EVER had plus great service - this is in Economy!!); then Qantas from Hong Kong to Australia (already up on the board as being delayed half an hour).

Nothing much in the way of movies although I DID watch one with Bill Nighy (‘Living’): quite marvellous.

A day in Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia: Gaudí’s masterpiece!

We were in at 9 am with the first entry of the day after an incredible fuss of scanning everything as if you were about to take-off in a plane; only the Catholics could come up with a masterclass of men in black suits and fuss and bureaucratic rules.

HOWEVER! It truly IS amazing and finally we have visited - that is, gone INside! We were here in 2009 and stood outside and felt too overwhelmed to go in; we had come to the cathedral that year (when we did the Camino) but had already seen plenty of Gaudí along the way.

It is interesting to note how long it took the Church to consecrate this basilica - 2010 (good ole Pope Benedict XVI) - given the project started in 1882. And how about the Wiki entry? ‘The largest unfinished Catholic church in the world'. A bit underwhelming?

Gaudí devoted 43 years of his life to this project.

So here we are. It truly is amazing and we so enjoyed the Passion Tower (the lift zoomed up 65 m then 10 m of stairs UP; then 400 stairs down). Lots of cranes and construction taking place; I don’t think they will EVER finish (I’m certain the architects will keep coming up with things to add, provided there is money!).

[PHOTOS SEPARATE BLOG POST]

10:30. Time for breakfast! I’m famished!!

Make that 11:30 …… make that lunch …

… a late lunch which involved a lot of walking to Parc de les Glòries but first a coffee, more walking to find the Metro: toing and froing then onto the Metro where we muddled which direction to go in (my mistake) and had to get off and catch a train in the other direction …

So we arrived in the barrio of El Born - home to the Gothic cathedral of Barcelona, many many tourists, and many many shops (food, fans and espadrilles).

We found a spot (Jardí) that sold the most delicious bocacillas of thin jamon on delicious multigrain seeded baguette plus great coffee and cake.

We wandered the streets trying to dodge people and found a quiet spot to watch the passersby with a glass of something cold.

I cannot believe we stayed in this area back in 2009; MF recognised landmarks I have forgotten ...

We had a more straightforward return trip by Metro (food helps!)...

Then out to dinner at another place I had booked. Very understated. But Oh My Goodness. So sensational. Maybe the best this trip? 

Casual: Fonda Pepa with fonda being an ‘inn’ or ‘tavern’ in days gone by. Very proudly Catalan. Just the most amazing dishes. 

And matched with fascinating wines: we had a white blend (garnacha blanca with albariño), the red wine was Carignan (Cariñena) and a Garnacha Blanca by Andrea Miró with our dessert.

And it just seems to be the journey to get there: another hole-in-the-wall establishment and the neighbourhoods (barrios) we passed through on our walk there - fascinating! I think because I raved so much, Pedro (or was it Paco?) gave us a glass each of Ratafia as a digestif 'on the house' to finish up.

Nice walk back through these barrios that are gradually being gentrified. Lovely.

Total walking for today: 14.5 kms.

Sagrada Familia

 

Morning in Madrid then high speed train to Barcelona

We were up early so we could make the most of our time in Madrid. We leave just after lunch today.

It was a scrumptious morning; no rain but everything was fresh from yesterday’s rain. We set off for the Buen Retiro Gardens (Parque de El Retiro) which are just nearby. These date back to the 17th century when it was the exclusive reserve of Spanish royalty until it was opened to the public in the late 19th century. At almost 300 acres it makes for a good walk! The light was beautiful.

We set off to find a coffee place recommended on a blog; it was good but not hot enough and very expensive! From here we continued to the Puerta del Sol through interesting neighbourhoods making me realise that despite being in Madrid twice before, we haven’t REALLY seen it: we’ve just done the sights and galleries.

The Puerta del Sol is a busy public square that marks the centre of the radial network of Spanish roads; it is 0.0 km for all of Spain. It is also here that is the famous Oso y Madroño the official symbol of the city: the statue of a bear nuzzling a strawberry tree which is a popular meeting spot for Madrileños.

Marvellous!

Back to the hotel - after 8.45 kms walking - for breakfast (the usual muesli, yoghurt, banana routine) and a shower; we left our bags at reception and walked towards Barrio de las Letras and happened upon a speciality coffee place; MF very impressed with the competence and artistry of the barista: best coffee the entire trip.

We wanted to allow plenty of time at Atocha station for our train to Barcelona; we arrived about 45 mins beforehand and by the time we worked out we had to go to level one (planta primera), then get the luggage scanned, then wait for the platform to be displayed (only 20 mins before) and then wait as it seemed 100s of people queued to have their tickets checked at the gate, we had literally 5 mins to go down the escalator, race along the platform to our carriage and board. I’m glad we weren’t the LAST on as the only luggage space was overhead and we had to lift our enormous suitcases in (they only just fitted) and the space soon filled up. We sat sweating profusely.

We are speeding along at 296 km/hr; 620 kms in 3.5 hrs with one stop (which would be 6.5 hours by car). But why can’t they arrange the seats to be in the direction of travel??

For lunch on the train we had our bocacillas (filled rolls) that we bought when we were out walking earlier today (better organised today than our Merida-Madrid journey!).

After spending MOST of the trip researching Metro tickets for Barcelona, we decided on the T-Casual which gives you 10 journeys over any number of days; and they use a Zone system here like in Porto but I worked out the main part of the city is mostly Zone 1; so I think we are sorted - hope so! We used the ticket machines like pros and found our way around the network reasonably intuitively. So far, so good.

View from the little balcony of our apartment looking out over the Gran Via:

Used the tickets again after a shower and a rest at our simple accommodation in the pleasant residential barrio (neighbourhood) of Eixample; we are off to dinner in one of those unbelievable hole-in-the-wall restaurants that you wouldn’t know even existed unless you 1) had made a booking 2) could find it (very unlikely to just ‘happen’ upon it).

In an improbable location near the foothills of the Parc de Montjuic, we had The Most Incredible Meal and being predominantly seafood, MF was in 7th heaven; I have to say that many of the dishes were sensational. And an open kitchen to enjoy the show of the chefs preparing the amazing food, fixed menu, some fascinating wines. And the signature dish: the torta de Santiago dessert. What a night.

It was an interesting walk back to the Metro: an eclectic mix of bars, restaurants, sleaze, families out with young children, noisy, buzzy, busy (Monday night!!!!). An area worth further exploration.

Walked a total of 15.7 kms today.

Mérida to Madrid

Got up early-ish: a bit later than usual as we have lost an hour crossing into Spain and our biological clocks have not adjusted. Overcast but we have so far avoided the predicted rain, so we got our walk in (a ‘tad’ over 6 kms).

Before bed last night I had mapped out a circuit of all the major sights; my plan was to avoid lots of people and we were out with just the early morning walkers and joggers which was good.

Mérida was an important centre of Roman power in the region after being founded by Emperor Augustus in 25 BC.

So: Arco de Trajano (a 14 m high Roman arch under which one of the regular streets passes);

the Acueducto de los Milagros (a mix of brick, stonework, masonry and natural rock dating back to the 1st century - spectacular! - and the storks have made themselves at home along the tops of the arches …);

the Puente Romano across the very wide Guadiana River (wonderfully preserved and still in use);

the Alcazaba àrabe (a 9th century Muslim fortification which we didn’t go into);

the Plaza de España (we had a coffee here and enjoyed the chiming of the church bells and the lovely buildings);

the 1st century Templo de Diana with its 8 m high granite Corinthian columns (which incongruously is set amongst the neighbourhood’s modern buildings - you never know what’s around the corner!);

and the Teatro Romano (constructed between the years 16 and 15 BC and still used for performances - we didn’t go in but it is apparently quite spectacular).

We checked out where the train station is and returned for breakfast and packed ready to go again. An amusing touch at a roundabout:

I had set my heart on churros before we go, so enroute to the station we stopped at a place where I had seen a woman kneading the dough earlier - and we were so lucky because while we were eating them with our cup of yummy hot chocolate, I realised we had got the last ones and they were about to close (it being nearly midday on a Sunday!).

A light drizzle accompanied us to the station. We have a bit under 4.5 hours to Madrid; there is a bit of rain on and off along the way and the countryside and roads are quite wet. Countryside along the way:

In Madrid our hotel is wonderfully positioned right opposite the main Atocha Cercanías station (once known as Estación del Mediodía) and we are staying at the Mediodía Hotel (which dates back to the mid-17th century) as recommended by The Man in Seat 61, my 'go-to guy' for everything you need to know about rail travel.

We just had a hamburger down the road (nothing flash, but expensive - this is afterall the capital of Spain), bought some groceries for breakfast, an Irish Whiskey to fortify the soul (as it was a bit cold!), and an early night (as it is wet, although clearing).

Walked 9.6 kms.

Portugal to Spain

We have the day here in Évora before departing by bus to Spain at 3 pm.

So, what to do given we have been here on 3 different occasions now?

Well, the Universidade de Évora beckons. Google maps directs us the most circuitous route - of course! But some of the area we walk through is new to us which is always good.

It took some finding and we almost missed it - finally we arrived at the 2nd oldest university in the country (a Jesuit university established in 1559 - after the one in Coimbra). It has lovely Renaissance marble cloisters and a library with a wonderful frescoed ceiling from the 1700s.

Did the final pack for our ongoing travels and left the bags at the hotel whilst we wandered back through town for a coffee (or two) and a delightful filo pastry of cheese and ham and a glass of rose for me (beer for MF) outside the Teatro Garcia de Resende (1881). I wish I’d known about it before (on our previous visits): it apparently has an amazing interior. But closed today (Saturday).

Lovely streetscapes - but really, how many more photos can one take of cobbled lanes and whitewashed buildings with splashes of yellow??? But there is some blue - and even a splash of red!

The bus leaves about 10 minutes late but we are always grateful there IS a bus! So off to Mérida in Spain. (I think this bus started in Lisbon - and is going through to Zurich!). It’s a 2 hour journey to Mérida (Spain is 1 hour ahead).

We had an almost 2 km walk to our accommodation (an apartment right in the centre of the old town): but easy walking (no cobbles!) and across a long bridge over the Guadiana River with views to the roman bridge.

I always have SUCH a good feeling when I arrive in Spain; something about it makes my heart sing. The town here has such a good feel about it. Very quiet when we arrive about 5:30 pm but starting to buzz around 7 pm when we set out to go to the supermarket; people are enjoying the outdoors and of course many restaurants don't even open until 8 pm.

Already the streetscapes are different!

We had an interesting tapas meal - some dishes outside my comfort zone I have to say but we enjoyed it nonetheless (MF enjoys EVERYTHING!).

Walked a total of about 11.5 kms (5.5 kms in Évora).