Since I have been flying almost every other months recently (Vienna in February, Ireland in March and Netherlands in April), I have decided not to break the chain of travelling and therefore ended up booking myself a random trip to Barcelona in May! And as the speed of blogging could hardly catch-up with the trips that I am making, therefore a summary format as below could save me plenty of time…lol
Airlines (Vueling for outbound and Norwegian for inbound)
My first experience with Vueling wasn’t a good one because they only offers the option of web check-in to limited countries and nationalities, hence I am forced to join the queue for a long waiting time of 1.5 hours just to get the boarding pass and without any checked baggage. In comparison, the Norwegian Air has good services and a convenient check-in process which allows me to obtain my boarding-pass through the self-service kiosk and I get to crossed over the security within 20 minutes.
The Hotel
Since I wanted a more relaxing and private holiday of my own, I decided to spend slightly more on accommodation and Hotel Urquinaona is where I picked at £198.00 for 3 nights. The location is almost perfect because it is in the central of the city and most of the touristic spots are reachable by foot. Yet my stay was a big disappointment because the room stinks to the utmost! Horrible odour was filling up the room from the draining hole in the shower area making me feels like I am staying in the cesspit and I have to find ways to cover it up during the nights. As the room was facing the street, I can hear all sorts of noises from the outside through the closed windows and I am only able to fall asleep soundly after 1.30am before being awaken again at 7.00am. Even though the breakfast provided by the hotel was rather simple, but the croissants and fruits were delicious and the staffs were friendly and helpful throughout my stay and this somehow pacified my dissatisfaction with the room.
Airlines (Vueling for outbound and Norwegian for inbound)
My first experience with Vueling wasn’t a good one because they only offers the option of web check-in to limited countries and nationalities, hence I am forced to join the queue for a long waiting time of 1.5 hours just to get the boarding pass and without any checked baggage. In comparison, the Norwegian Air has good services and a convenient check-in process which allows me to obtain my boarding-pass through the self-service kiosk and I get to crossed over the security within 20 minutes.
The Hotel
Since I wanted a more relaxing and private holiday of my own, I decided to spend slightly more on accommodation and Hotel Urquinaona is where I picked at £198.00 for 3 nights. The location is almost perfect because it is in the central of the city and most of the touristic spots are reachable by foot. Yet my stay was a big disappointment because the room stinks to the utmost! Horrible odour was filling up the room from the draining hole in the shower area making me feels like I am staying in the cesspit and I have to find ways to cover it up during the nights. As the room was facing the street, I can hear all sorts of noises from the outside through the closed windows and I am only able to fall asleep soundly after 1.30am before being awaken again at 7.00am. Even though the breakfast provided by the hotel was rather simple, but the croissants and fruits were delicious and the staffs were friendly and helpful throughout my stay and this somehow pacified my dissatisfaction with the room.
21st May 2016 (Saturday)
This is the first time I thanked myself for the decision of picking the window’s seat because I did fell in love with the city of Barcelona from the sky even before I step onto the ground. The coastline is always attractive since I used to relate beaches to warm and sunny climate (though this is not always true).
Gothic Quarter & Catedral de Barcelona
This is the first time I thanked myself for the decision of picking the window’s seat because I did fell in love with the city of Barcelona from the sky even before I step onto the ground. The coastline is always attractive since I used to relate beaches to warm and sunny climate (though this is not always true).
Gothic Quarter & Catedral de Barcelona
The little streets and the medieval alleyways are full of surprises. I just love the random shops that I could find along the way and it will be adventurous if you could shut-down the GPS and start exploring every pathway in that area.
La Boqueria Market (Mercat de La Boqueria)
La Boqueria Market (Mercat de La Boqueria)
I enjoyed the delicious seafood platter at Bar Boquera (€26.00) and I wished I could have eaten more only if my stomach allows the additional inputs. Some vendors in the market would welcome photography by the tourists (free promotion on the web so why not), but some are rejecting pictures on their stuffs in a rude way.
La Rambla Street
La Rambla Street
Being the most famous walking street in Barcelona, this 1.2km tree-lined pedestrian mall is an excellent choice during sunny days. You could find stretches of restaurants, souvenir stores and various street performances along the way. Do respect the profession of the street artists and consider contributing some money as a reward for their hard work if what they did brightens your day.
The Raval Cat
The Raval Cat
This big fat cat of sculptor Fernando Botero is a piece of public art in Barcelona settling down in the district of Ramblas. It is not far away from the Rambla Street so do drop by for a picture and you will find yourself in love with this funny looking cat.
Magic Fountain of Montjuïc
Magic Fountain of Montjuïc
Arriving at 7.40pm, I walked around the plaza and in order to get the best and complete view of the fountain, I waited at the terrace for more than an hour before the light show begins at 9.00pm. There were street dance performances in the meantime to kill the boredom of the crowd while everyone is waiting.
22nd May 2016 (Sunday)
L'Aquàrium de Barcelona
L'Aquàrium de Barcelona
To some of the people, my visit to the Aquarium at €20.00 could be a surprise, but I do love animals and it is not a bad idea at all spending half a relaxing day with the fishes.
Barceloneta
Taking off my socks and my shoes sitting on the sand by the beach, I am just practising the sayings of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” except that I did not go naked while sunbathing…lol
Dinner – Limosa
A sudden downpour in the evening forces me to hide under a roof for about 30 minutes before I could start looking for a restaurant to pacify my hunger. The first restaurant that I went checking-out wasn’t providing a good service and I just walked off due to the slow and unwelcoming behaviour of the staffs. I then came to Limosa having a portion of Paella and a glass of Pina Colada accompanied by a much better customer service.
Barceloneta
Taking off my socks and my shoes sitting on the sand by the beach, I am just practising the sayings of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” except that I did not go naked while sunbathing…lol
Dinner – Limosa
A sudden downpour in the evening forces me to hide under a roof for about 30 minutes before I could start looking for a restaurant to pacify my hunger. The first restaurant that I went checking-out wasn’t providing a good service and I just walked off due to the slow and unwelcoming behaviour of the staffs. I then came to Limosa having a portion of Paella and a glass of Pina Colada accompanied by a much better customer service.
23rd May 2016 (Monday)
Sagrada Família Church
Being the famous attraction of all time, Sagrada Familia was surrounded by a multitude of tourist during the start of the day. I gave up on the visit because if I buy the ticket immediately at 11.00am, I could only enter the cathedral earliest at 4.00pm due to the crowd. I would probably need to return again after the completion of this building in year 2028 since it is still under construction for now.
Park Güell
Sagrada Família Church
Being the famous attraction of all time, Sagrada Familia was surrounded by a multitude of tourist during the start of the day. I gave up on the visit because if I buy the ticket immediately at 11.00am, I could only enter the cathedral earliest at 4.00pm due to the crowd. I would probably need to return again after the completion of this building in year 2028 since it is still under construction for now.
Park Güell
Again, if I buy the ticket immediately at 2.00pm, I will only be allowed to enter to the park at 6.00pm so this attraction is as well kept for my next visit. After spending some time in the public gardens and hiking to the top of the hill for a panoramic city view, I saw this entrance thinking that it is linked directly to Park Guell. But after completing the very short visit then I only realised that this is the Gaudi House Museum and the small 2 levels compound is all that I could visit! So wow…I did spent €5.50 not knowing exactly the place that I am entering!
Casa Batlló
If you love art, then you shouldn’t miss both Casa Milà and Casa Batlló because the artworks of Antoni Gaudi were incredible and no wonder his architectures were integrated into most part of the city.
Lunch - Divinus
Have been walking for hours, it is time for a late lunch and picking a restaurant with the best seat where I could enjoy both the sunshine and watching the people flow leads me to Divinus. I wasn’t too greedy this time and my choices were: Goat Cheese Tapas (quite a good one), Mussels (quit ok..) and Baby Squids (nothing different from the sotong goring in Malaysia?!).
Casa Batlló
If you love art, then you shouldn’t miss both Casa Milà and Casa Batlló because the artworks of Antoni Gaudi were incredible and no wonder his architectures were integrated into most part of the city.
Lunch - Divinus
Have been walking for hours, it is time for a late lunch and picking a restaurant with the best seat where I could enjoy both the sunshine and watching the people flow leads me to Divinus. I wasn’t too greedy this time and my choices were: Goat Cheese Tapas (quite a good one), Mussels (quit ok..) and Baby Squids (nothing different from the sotong goring in Malaysia?!).
24th May 2016 (Tuesday)
Casa Milà
Struggling between La Pedrera and the Picasso Museum, I finally picked La Pedrera as I’ve been touring Europe for quite sometimes now and I finds museums and cathedrals looks almost the same everywhere hence I would sensibly opt for something different.
Lunch - Txapela
I have been passing by this restaurant a few times witnessing the crowd and on this final afternoon of my trip, I’ve decided to give it a try. I was dazzled by the variety of tapas they offered in the menu and have randomly picked a few from the list. Since I have not been drinking (alcohol) for a long time, one full glass of Sangria makes me feeling dizzy and sick while on my way to the airport. So… lesson learnt and I should not drink before I fly.
Casa Milà
Struggling between La Pedrera and the Picasso Museum, I finally picked La Pedrera as I’ve been touring Europe for quite sometimes now and I finds museums and cathedrals looks almost the same everywhere hence I would sensibly opt for something different.
Lunch - Txapela
I have been passing by this restaurant a few times witnessing the crowd and on this final afternoon of my trip, I’ve decided to give it a try. I was dazzled by the variety of tapas they offered in the menu and have randomly picked a few from the list. Since I have not been drinking (alcohol) for a long time, one full glass of Sangria makes me feeling dizzy and sick while on my way to the airport. So… lesson learnt and I should not drink before I fly.
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