Immaculate Conception Weekend in Barcelona

Milano - Barcellona

We set off from Milan Malpensa (Terminal 1) almost an hour late (it seems because of the flight arriving from London). On board they serve us a wholemeal sandwich filled with pesto and....peppers (a rather risky choice, in our opinion).

When we arrive, the sky is clear and it's 15 degrees...

What strikes us immediately about Barcelona airport is the cleanliness and the silence... And then the splendid, very shiny black floor (in the shopping area) that reflects everything (to the delight of the ladies in miniskirts, I'm told!!!!!)

At the information office we pick up the 4-day travel pass for public transport (19.50 euros) which, however, doesn't include the bus from the airport. So we take the bus to terminal 2 and then the Renfe, which takes us into the city, and then the metro (all air-conditioned carriages, even in December!) to comfortably reach the hotel: obviously full of Italians, as the porter points out to us.

Not an hour passes and the hotel treats us to a surprise: as if for honeymooning couples, they have a bucket of ice with a small bottle of Codorniu and two glasses brought to our room...

Once the siesta is over, we go back to the centre, where we meet our friends. For the first evening in Barcelona (it's also Saturday!!!) we decide to walk along the famous Ramblas, from the Diagonal stop, along Passeig de Gracia to Plaça Catalunya (admiring the exteriors of Gaudi's buildings: La Pedrera and Casa Lleo Morera) and down to the Boqueria market.

For dinner we get well and truly ripped off: we opt for a Cerveceria along the Ramblas which, however, turns out to be decidedly not cheap (and stingy with portions). We pass by the Church of Santa Maria del Pi and cross the Gothic Quarter and the little streets of the Ribera, before arriving at another tapas place, Txirimiri, along Carrer de La Princesa, where we replenish our food supplies.

The metro runs all night on Saturdays, but tiredness is starting to set in and so we opt for a good long sleep at the hotel.

Barcelona

Today too the sun is shining and the temperature is good. We start the day with a croissant accompanied by cafe y leche in a little bar near the Sagrada Familia (Xamfra' Gaudi') and we begin to miss the anti-smoking law that in Italy has cleaned the air of so many places.

And then we go to check on the progress of Gaudi's masterpiece compared with 2001. Impressive!!! We decide not to go in because the queue is always long, but we don't miss the Christmas stalls in the park in front of one of the façades: the mistletoe arrangements and the umpteen statuettes and decorations for nativity scenes are beautiful.

We take the metro and go to see Plaça Jaume and then make our way into the alleys surrounding the Cathedral. The cloister is very crowded, but we manage to see the geese and the statuette of Saint George.

In Plaça Nova, right next to the Cathedral, we manage to witness another typical Sunday-morning event: the inhabitants of Barcelona dancing the sardana, the typical Catalan dance. Beside them, new stalls of Christmas decorations: a shame that with the sun and the heat they seem almost out of place...

With difficulty we also enter the Cathedral, but during Mass it is possible to see only a small part of it.

The first available entry for the Casa Catalana de la Música is at 15:00; to while away the wait we decide to have lunch at the Mexican restaurant La Rosa Negra (for lovers of spicy food, the chicken in chilli-chocolate sauce is excellent) at Via Laietana 46.

The guided tour of the Casa Catalana de la Música (12 euros) lasts 50 minutes and consists of a video presentation plus a tour illustrated by a guide, and includes a mini demonstration with the organ. Unfortunately it is not possible to take photos, but the wealth of images and colours remains firmly impressed on the memory. The intention is to create a garden with the luminosity of an outdoor space, in which the muses of music come out of the walls as if to take part in the performance. Strong colours, stained glass and mirror effects make this building a sort of painting... Truly interesting.

Once the visit is over we move toward the Church of Santa Maria del Mar. Unfortunately the two towers are hidden due to restoration work, but the interior is enough to convey the majesty of the Gothic church. The very white statue of Mary, with a boat at her feet, seems to light itself and cast light through the church.

Before the afternoon siesta, we make a quick trip to Barceloneta, in the area of the Museum of Catalan History, to photograph the sunset in the tangle of masts of the moored boats and to admire the hill of Montjuic from afar.

For dinner we decide to treat ourselves well, enjoying a Catalan paella and drinking a white Terrasola at the restaurant Barceloneta, on the Moll des Pescadors. 40 euros each including wine and service.

Barcelona

While Milan celebrates Sant'Ambrogio, we wake up under an initially overcast sky, but it soon turns blue.

For breakfast we choose a Cappuccino Crema & Caffè (Jaume, Placa de l'Angel): the cappuccino isn't bad, while the brioches are super good!

First tasty stop: the Chocolate Museum!!! The entrance ticket is represented by a strange ticket that would hardly fit into ordinary ticket punches: it's a 73% chocolate bar!!! The Museum is rather small and describes the history of chocolate (from the Aztec drink to our pralines and its thousand uses) and today's Spanish production (including sculptures). Along the route there is a series of chocolate characters and representations: from Don Quixote to Asterix and Obelix to Disney characters (Bambi, Wall-E), bullfighting, Gaudi's works... Before leaving, of course, we treat ourselves to a tasting (small chocolate E 1.60) and a purchase to take back to Italy (90% dark chocolate, Euro 2.50)

Having left the temptation of chocolate, we stay on the culinary theme and go to visit the traditional La Boqueria market, near the Rambla. It's a Monday in the middle of a long weekend, some stalls are closed, but the open ones fascinate us with the colors of fresh fruit and the smells of fresh fish, cured meats, olives, mushrooms.... In a fruit-abstinence crisis, I let myself be tempted by a mango and pineapple juice (1 euro) and a walking fruit salad (2 euro). The stalls for tapas and hot dishes are too crowded to hope to find 4 free stools. We settle for the snacks.

We then take the metro and head towards Park Guell, one of the few wonders of the city that isn't above a metro stop (even though line 9, currently under construction, gives hope)! With bus 24 we can still reach one of the side entrances. The park is full of various musicians who cheer the walks of the many tourists who obviously concentrate on Gaudi's staircase and the terrace with the sinuous bench. Actually, we remembered the staircase with the dragon as wider, while the marzipan houses and the great hall with columns are always fascinating. We didn't even remember the street vendors, but today there's a great supply of necklaces and scarves.

Unfortunately the sky is partly cloudy and the sun can't play with the very colorful mosaics, but we still enjoy walking along the park's paths, with one eye on Gaudi's colonnades and the other on the city that stretches out at the foot of the hill. Someone starts to feel tired, so we give up climbing the promontory with the cross and take the bus back to the city.

We have dinner at La taberna del cobre (C/ Argenteria 53, near Santa Maria del Mar): excellent paella but also hamburgers and tapas in general, all in all without spending too much (25 euros for two).

We walk through some of the characteristic alleys of the Gothic Quarter, between Calle Montcada, the (now closed) Santa Caterina market and the Cathedral (here too, the Santa Lucia stalls are closing).

The evening ends with a drink in a place on Calle Ferrer, between Plaza de l'angel and the Rambla. Between a beer and a taste of Spanish wine, we miss the smoking ban in Italian venues!!!

This last day in Barcelona also ends with a ride on the Yellow Line, direction Palau, Bogatell stop.

Barcelona - Milan

Departure day. We get up earlier than usual because we want to make the most of the morning to go and see the sea and the beaches not far from our hotel.

First of all, though, we try the hotel buffet: 12 euros in the all-you-can-eat formula is ideal for starting the day off great: sweet delicacies for me, savory treats for my husband...

The day is clear, the sun warm and the beach is swarming with sports enthusiasts (beach volleyball, cycling, jogging...), even a few intrepid swimmers, people walking their dogs or strolling with children, someone has brought breakfast and improvises a picnic on the sand... The seafront is equipped with stone loungers, benches, drinking fountains... And the typical chiringuitos are opening too. On a balustrade we even find the Spanish version of Ponte Milvio in Rome: dozens of closed and rusty padlocks testify to promises of love!!!

The walk is all too short for us: we have to go back to the hotel to close the suitcase and leave the room. We say goodbye to the Bogatell stop and go to catch the train to the airport.

We snack at the airport, at Pans, and take one last look at the shops and the shiny black floor, and in our minds we're already on the next trip to come: in about two months the camera will portray us in Prague!!!