Barcelona, Dec 2006

Following our two day sojourn in foggy, cold Zaragoza, we caught a train to Barcelona and it wasn't long into the journey before the fog lifted to reveal a beautiful cloudless sky. We travelled along the coast for a while, and the sight of the sun shining on the blue sea immediately revived our holiday mode of mind.

On reaching Barcelona's main station, we bought a T10 (Zone 1) ticket for the metro. This ticket costs about 6.90 Euros and entitles you to ten journeys on the metro. What's useful is that this ticket can be shared between whoever you're travelling with. We took Line 3 to Liceu, the metro stop near our hotel, which was located right off Las Ramblas, the famous pedestrian boulevard and tourist hotspot.

Hotel prices in central Barcelona are obviously more expensive than you would find on the outskirts or, I assume, in other Spanish cities. We stayed in a 4 star hotel, The Ambassador. The room was quite small, but clean. Noise from the other rooms could be heard, but aside from all that, the location was perfect. We booked the hotel through Lastminute.com and all went smoothly in that respect.

Our time in Barcelona was rather brief, but we did manage to see quite a bit. We visited the harbour area, and from there took a long walk, passing through the picturesque Parc de la Ciutadella (where the Barcelona zoo is situated), to the new beach area where there is a variety of upmarket restaurants to dine from. From there we took the metro to Sagrada Familia, the amazing unfinished church designed by Gaudi, a real must-see for any Barcelona trip. From there we went to Parc Guell, also designed by Gaudi. It's an extraordinary place to visit, with uniquely designed buildings, tiling and stone structures. It also has an impressive view over the city.

We met up with a friend of mine, who lives in Barcelona, that evening. We went for a drink at one of the numerous cafe's in central Barcelona. Being a vast city, there is a variety of options for food and drink, however lunch time menu's are really good value for money, where it is possible to receive a 3 course meal for between 8-9 Euros. In terms of the nightlife, unfortunately we didn't get to experience any of it this time round, but we are looking forward to sampling it on our return, especially the jazz, lounge and electro clubs.

We rate Barcelona as one of the best cities to visit. It's a great place to explore, and of course the Gaudi architecture makes it that much more special. It's certainly at the top of our list as a city to return to and spend some more time in, and we are hoping to go again in June for the Sonar Festival. My friend has also assured us that we'll have no need for hotel lodgings, as she'll provide accommodation for us! Thanks! Next stop... Girona.

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