Barcelona on a budget (part one)

Trip with Ryanair 40 euros for two return Hotel Maritim - excellent 4 stars facing the sea, large rooms and bathroom (with bidet) transport: metro Selva del Mar about 500 metres away, buses much closer, 10-ride ticket 7.70 euros each, unlimited travel card for all transport 15.20 euros each. Girona airport bus return 21 euros each Restaurant Mercante di Venezia 20 euros each, good quality Self service Fressco (2 s) in the Maremagnum complex 9 euros, vast choice of vegetables and cold dishes, then pasta, fish and meat, you help yourself as much as you like, wine, beer, coffee and dessert included, it's not haute cuisine but it's not bad,

Sunday 4 October: Rita and I set off from Turin with Ryanair (40 euros return for two, everything included), bus to Barcelona (42 euros return for two), we arrive at the terminal (Arc de Triomf), then to the hotel, buying the T10 ticket at 7.70 euros for 10 rides usable by two as well. It's very hot, around 28-30 degrees The Hotel Front Maritim is a modern building, found online following a tip from a travel account, large room, facing the sea, complete and spacious bathroom (with bidet), TV with Spanish-language channels, no wifi, but you can connect with a cable, two stations in the lobby, but crowded and slow, restaurant, wellness centre, 80 euros a night, metro about 500 metres away (Selva del Mar station), some bus lines pass closer.

In the afternoon we begin the visit, with the Gothic part of Barcelona, which for Spain has the same importance that Granada, Seville and Cordoba have for Moorish art. We go to the Church of Santa Maria del Mar, in Catalan Gothic style, considered the most beautiful in all of Spain, built in the 14th century, it has a facade with sculptures and capitals representing the guilds that promoted its construction, two octagonal towers, of which only one is original. The interior is rather bare, with massive columns, widely spaced, supporting the three naves, we also notice the Gothic rose window and the stained-glass windows, we also liked the small square in front.

We leave the church and head towards the Picasso museum, we pass through the narrow streets of the Born, and the carrer de Montcada, which in the Middle Ages was the most important street of the city, the typical medieval Palaus are today home to important cultural institutions such as the Maeght Foundation (at no. 25) and the Picasso museum. Note that the street is very narrow and it's difficult to see the buildings, we give up on the museum because of the length of the queue. We then head towards the church of Santa Maria del Pi, it's open but almost entirely covered by scaffolding both inside and outside, you can practically see nothing.

Passing along via Laietana we come across the Palau de la Musica Catalana, one of the masterpieces of modernist architecture, designed by Domenech i Montaner, we admire the facade decorated with red bricks and columns with very colourful mosaics, with the busts of great composers; it's too late for the visit inside and there are no free seats for the evening symphony concert. We then wander around the characteristic and narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter, then go to dinner at the Mercante di Venezia restaurant, a restaurant with Italian cuisine, mid-level, classic style, average prices around 20 euros each, wine and coffee included, we were satisfied. Passing along the seafront and the port, we see the many outdoor bars and restaurants, then finally to the hotel.