Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Old Travel Diaries: Barcelona, November 2004


On my Krakow project, I had a bit of bad luck with the Barcelona trip. I've tried unsuccessfully to go there several weekends in a row, but somethign always prevented it: lack of tickets, huge thunderstorm in Krakow or just better things to do. Before I finally made it out there, I had heard so much about the place that I was actually quite excited to go. However, the trip turned out rather average. I suppose it always does with places which are a bit overhyped – it’s not easy for them to live up to expectations in the course of one weekend and me being on my own. The hostel I booked was not busy, and it was hotel-style – double/triple rooms all over the building with hardly any communal area. I did meet 2 Finnish girls in the canteen downstairs, but they seemed to have had a rather busy schedule, and I have not spent any time with them.

So, I just hung out on my own. Ramblas was nearby, and it was everything they said it was – busy, bustling, full of tourist traps and streetlife. The first night, I fell for one of those traps – set menu at some restaurant, which was way overpriced for the lousy quality that it was.

Nightlife in Barcelona was overrated, too – people simply go out too late for an old fart like me. At 2 am, when it seems to peak, I am ready to go to sleep. So I didn’t go anywhere on my first night.

My hotel was situated in Barrio Gothic - a truly old part of central Barcelona. It turned out to be almost the best part of the entire city, at least for me. I absolutely loved walking around the dark narrow streets, enjoying the light contrasts and taking photos of people disappearing in the distance of the alleyways.

The next day, I did the obligatory Gaudi sightseeing. Before that, I fell for another tourist trap – a tourist bus ticket. Bad idea – overpriced again, and then you are stuck trying to make most of the spent money, while you could move around much faster in the metro. I suppose the tourist bus is more for the dumb Americans who cannot navigate a metro system in New York, let alone in a foreign city, but more likely, it’s for naïve pensioners who fall for the scary stories of salesgirls about the complexities of Barcelona’s public transport.
Nevertheless – ticket in hand, I was on my way around the Gaudi town. Have to admit – apart from Sagrada Familia, Gaudi is overrated and in effect is another tourist trap. I visited Casa Pedrera and Casa Batllo, of which the latter was a better choice. Funky indeed, but certainly not deserving the genialization and extreme praise the audio guides were offering. Casa Pedrero was actually quite boring.


Now, Sagrada Familia is indeed a breathtaking structure. Its towers are everything you had seen from the photos and more. Unfortunately, Sagrada Familia is also far from being completed, yet the queues for the towers are huge, with most of the waiting happening inside the tight claustrophobic tower corridors. But once past the waiting, the maze of walkways upstairs and views from the narrow windows are impressive indeed. I spent a good couple of hours meagring from tower to tower on endless walkways and tiny passageways. I might have even taken a leak inside of one of them in-between groups of people for the lack of any other option.


I was also quite impressed by the Picasso Museum. Not being a fan of the late artist at all, I was rather surprised to discover that he indeed had an outstanding artistic talent which he unfortunately stopped putting to use aged about 22.

On Saturday night, I met 2 English girls, and we ended up spending quite a bit of time together. One of them was cuter than the other, and naturally less friendly, although both of them were all right, just a tad snobbish. We also met on Sunday by the cathedral, and then again for dinner – one of the nicer dinners I had had on my travels, in a smart-stylish place on Ramblas. Kind of reminded me of a restaurant in San Francisco, also named Ramblas, serving faux Catalan fare although rather good.


And that was really about it. On the night before I flew back to Krakow, I made a short stop at the Miro Museum, which actually turned out pretty good, despite the fact that I am - again - not a fan of the artist at all. But it was closing, so I did not see the entire exhibition. I also made it to the city beach, which was really not that impressive. Overall, Barcelona is a pleasant and even a beautiful city, but somewhat overhyped in my opinion. Perhaps it was a case of overblown expectations, or maybe it was just the November blues. I think, however, had shopping been my travelling agenda, I would have had a lot more fun there.

3 Comments:

Blogger Aubrey Andel said...

The photo of the girl in Barrio Gothic would look great at the end of my hallway. As you walk down the hall towards the picture, you'd feel as if you were entering her world. Well, at least if a mega mega white thing wasn't temporarily blocking one's path.

1:06 AM

 
Blogger sheeep said...

Even though I went there as a total turist (excuse me), I loved Barcelona. (maybe it's because it was the first time to visit Europe, I was just too excited...) A city full of beautiful and unique sights where many artists were born amazed and inspired me so much. I couldn't believe how the Gaudi's extraordinary (in other words, weird) architectures match naturally on such busy streets until I saw with my eyes... I would love to visit the city again.

4:20 PM

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Barcelona is amazing city. Barcelona is not only Las Ramblas and a few odd buildings from Gaudi. You "must" see these... but with so many tourists around you will not feel the genuine vibe of the city. Dare to explore. Don’t just follow the flock. Barcelona is plenty of nice corners and hidden gems... wander out the main stream... you'll see the real stuff (for good and bad, but I still think the balance is positive).
It is a fabulous city, filled with amazing Gaudi architecture, great restaurants, a pretty harbour and good shopping and good choice of many Barcelona hotels. I could spend days just wandering around in the old quarters with their narrow streets, browsing in shops and stopping off for a coffee or some tapas. It is magic city.

4:40 AM

 

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