The great thing about the increased security measures at airports and the requirement to turn up two hours before your flight leaves is that somehow you end up with a whole pile of time sitting at your gate waiting for your plane to turn up. Having been scared into getting to Barcelona airport nice and early and being told that the bus ride would take an hour, we are sitting here, having cleared 'security', with an hour and a half to wait and plenty of time to update our little blog.
So, the city of Barcelona. It's funny in that when you are going to Barcelona everyone associates it with the architect Antoni Gaudi. The maps have Gaudi tours on them, the typical souvenirs are Gaudiesque and in a funny way the city feels more Gaudi than it does Spanish. Needless to say Gaudi's work provided some of the highlights on our three day stop here.
The Sagrada Familia is the crown jewel here. It is a wee way away from the rest of the city and it is unfinished (it has been for the last 100+ years) but it is well worth the visit. You are able to go inside pats of the building that are semi-complete. The crypt has a little museum and exhibition showing the ongoing construction of the building and some pretty impressive information about Gaudi's work in general (mostly in Spanish). Park Guell was also worth a visit and wasn't what was expected. It's on quite a steep slope, bigger and more remote than had been imagined. Other highlights include the Barcelona Pavilion, the Olympic stadium, the waterfront area and some great shopping (not that we bought much).
So, the city of Barcelona. It's funny in that when you are going to Barcelona everyone associates it with the architect Antoni Gaudi. The maps have Gaudi tours on them, the typical souvenirs are Gaudiesque and in a funny way the city feels more Gaudi than it does Spanish. Needless to say Gaudi's work provided some of the highlights on our three day stop here.
The Sagrada Familia is the crown jewel here. It is a wee way away from the rest of the city and it is unfinished (it has been for the last 100+ years) but it is well worth the visit. You are able to go inside pats of the building that are semi-complete. The crypt has a little museum and exhibition showing the ongoing construction of the building and some pretty impressive information about Gaudi's work in general (mostly in Spanish). Park Guell was also worth a visit and wasn't what was expected. It's on quite a steep slope, bigger and more remote than had been imagined. Other highlights include the Barcelona Pavilion, the Olympic stadium, the waterfront area and some great shopping (not that we bought much).
The city revolves around a road called Las Ramblas. It is the main drag between the harbour and the city's main square. It cuts through the city's oldest parts and has a lot of shopping. You can whittle the time away watching some of the best street ....... performers that either of us have ever seen or sit in one of the cafes/restaurants that line the street (more on that later). We say "performers" but they are a bit difficult to describe. Essentially they all stand still and only perform when you give them money (a bit like the guy on Queen St with the prosthetic arm but on a whole different level). The effort that these guys go to in their costumes is incredible. They are quite simply amazing and they all bring their own sense of humour to the 'job'.
On our last night here we went to see the "magic fountain". It was suggested to us by Victor the hotel guy and it was very good. There is a very large fountain near the city's art museum which was lit and 'manipulated' to music. Here were thousands of people there, it was warm and it was a great way to wrap up what has been a hectic three months. Over the last four weeks we have been to Boston, New York City, London, Paris, Rome and Barcelona. We have slept in 22 different beds now, caught who knows how many planes, buses and trains and seen a lot. It's time now to get back to reality (even if it is a British version of it).
Our first week back will be action packed. We both have a number of interviews (and a few old interviews to chase) and we have to find somewhere to live permanently although, with thanks to some friends, we have our first two weeks covered. As strange as it sounds we are looking forward to settling into some real work and starting to plan our next trip. We will post an update as things come together in London.
M+S
Architectural highlight (and total museum/gallery visits):
If it's ok to choose two, it would be the Sagrada Familliar and the Barcelona Pavillion. Both very different but both executed to a very high level (even if Sam keeps saying the Sagrada Familliar is "butt ugly").
Total museum and gallery visits = 8 (The Sagrada Familiar's crypt).
Shopping highlight (and total black strappy shoe purchases):
It would be nice to say that the long and difficult search for just the right (red) ceramic bull was the highlight as it took all of our three days here and we actually have something to show for it. However, the thing that sits at the front of our mind at present is the 17 euro we paid for a beer and coke on Las Ramblas. Admittedly they were big glasses but given that 17 euro equals about 34 New Zealand dollars and that you could buy a couple of trays of beer for the same amount, we felt a bit ripped off.
Total number of black strappy shoe purchases = 2 (this total has remained static for some time now despite the amount of research undertaken into increasing it)
Lessons learnt:
If the pickpockets don’t get you, the bastards selling drinks on Las Ramblas will.
If the road markings in Italy were a rough guide only, traffic lights in Barcelona should be ignored entirely.
Yes, you can have blisters on top of blisters.
Street performers can be entertaining.
Make sure you read the WHOLE name of the hotel you think you booked at before sauntering into their expansive and clearly far too expensive reception with your backpacks thrown over one shoulder.
When you book a double room, don’t be surprised when you find two single beds and don't be afraid of flashing your wedding ring and yelling "we're on our honeymoon" in order to rectify the situation.
Fear Factor:
4/10 This time we saw people chasing the pickpocket that just stole their bag on the underground. We also saw, on two separate occasions, two grown men (and we use that term with some trepidation) walking down very busy streets at about six in the evening, completely naked (including all body hair.....but excluding 'special' jewellery.....) as if they were on a Sunday walk. It's amazing how quickly a gap in the crowd can form if you're wearing the right outfit.
Funniest moment:
No, not the naked guys, not receiving the bill for our two drinks and not watching the male acrobat jumping onto Mat, wrapping his legs around his waist and posing for a photo as part of his act. In fact the funniest moment was again the round of applause that erupted upon landing at Barcelona airport. We're still not sure if it's in celebration, surprise or relief that we arrived safely.
Total number of Thai meals so far:
Our first week back will be action packed. We both have a number of interviews (and a few old interviews to chase) and we have to find somewhere to live permanently although, with thanks to some friends, we have our first two weeks covered. As strange as it sounds we are looking forward to settling into some real work and starting to plan our next trip. We will post an update as things come together in London.
M+S
Architectural highlight (and total museum/gallery visits):
If it's ok to choose two, it would be the Sagrada Familliar and the Barcelona Pavillion. Both very different but both executed to a very high level (even if Sam keeps saying the Sagrada Familliar is "butt ugly").
Total museum and gallery visits = 8 (The Sagrada Familiar's crypt).
Shopping highlight (and total black strappy shoe purchases):
It would be nice to say that the long and difficult search for just the right (red) ceramic bull was the highlight as it took all of our three days here and we actually have something to show for it. However, the thing that sits at the front of our mind at present is the 17 euro we paid for a beer and coke on Las Ramblas. Admittedly they were big glasses but given that 17 euro equals about 34 New Zealand dollars and that you could buy a couple of trays of beer for the same amount, we felt a bit ripped off.
Total number of black strappy shoe purchases = 2 (this total has remained static for some time now despite the amount of research undertaken into increasing it)
Lessons learnt:
If the pickpockets don’t get you, the bastards selling drinks on Las Ramblas will.
If the road markings in Italy were a rough guide only, traffic lights in Barcelona should be ignored entirely.
Yes, you can have blisters on top of blisters.
Street performers can be entertaining.
Make sure you read the WHOLE name of the hotel you think you booked at before sauntering into their expansive and clearly far too expensive reception with your backpacks thrown over one shoulder.
When you book a double room, don’t be surprised when you find two single beds and don't be afraid of flashing your wedding ring and yelling "we're on our honeymoon" in order to rectify the situation.
Fear Factor:
4/10 This time we saw people chasing the pickpocket that just stole their bag on the underground. We also saw, on two separate occasions, two grown men (and we use that term with some trepidation) walking down very busy streets at about six in the evening, completely naked (including all body hair.....but excluding 'special' jewellery.....) as if they were on a Sunday walk. It's amazing how quickly a gap in the crowd can form if you're wearing the right outfit.
Funniest moment:
No, not the naked guys, not receiving the bill for our two drinks and not watching the male acrobat jumping onto Mat, wrapping his legs around his waist and posing for a photo as part of his act. In fact the funniest moment was again the round of applause that erupted upon landing at Barcelona airport. We're still not sure if it's in celebration, surprise or relief that we arrived safely.
Total number of Thai meals so far:
It has been more than three months now since we had a Thai meal. We're going to make it one of our things to do this week.
