Sunday, May 22, 2011

2nd Day on the Tourist Bus - May 20th

Today we are taking the Bus around the Eastern Side of the city!  Have I mentioned that normally Howard and I don't do this sort of thing, we are more free spirited, but I must say its a great way to get an overall view of a city.
We enjoyed the views around the entire route 1st and then went back around to get off at Parc Guell, up in the hills.  This system is very efficient so we figured we could enjoy Parc Guell, have lunch somewhere and catch the bus again back home.  Unfortunately around Placa Catalunya, the hub of Barcelona and closer to the water then the hills, Mother Nature came calling so we got off and went to the big department store - El Corte Ingles.  While I scampered around looking for the, Howard was checking out ythe wonderful supermarket in their basement - finally found Granola for our yogurt!
We decided to do a little walking by going to the next stop to hop on our bus.  That would have been fine if we hadn't gotten lost in the labyrinth of winding streets that go every which way-beautiful streets in a Medieval like way, lots of shopping!


After asking for help we found our bus stop and fortunately it arrived just as we did. We hopped back on and headed towards Parc Guell.  Our goal had been to enjoy a nice lunch in a quaint place, well that didn't happen.  We ended up in a place that just helped fill the void in our stomachs.  Up the hill we went towards Parc Guell, passing a beautiful church and walking thru yet another wonderful neighborhood (this city is filled with them).  On the way up the hill we came upon a surprise - I don't know if Spaniards are lazy or if they just want to help the tourist but we had help getting up the hill.......

Parc Guell is a big, beautiful public park designed by Gaudi (one of his first projects).  It was originally planned as a Residential Development, when it didn't succeed it was made into a park.  It is filled with architectural fantasies, lots of mosaic themed benches to rest on while you enjoyed the magnificent views of the city, the house he lived in for years, a Ginger Bread look alike house... The expansive garden included many trails for hiking, a variety of Mediterranean tropical plants, flowers, Palm trees and many others.  Its a wonderful place to visit when you want to get away from the sounds of the city.


 Our energy being totally spent we stayed home and enjoyed some Tapas from a tiny joint just around the corner from our apartment.
Buenas Noches, Elenita y Howard Arturo




 












1 comment:

  1. So far, so good! It sounds like you're having a great time! We don't usually do the tour bus thing either, but sometimes it really helps you get a good overview of a new, large city.

    If you have time to hop on a train to Figueres to see the Salvador Dali museum, it's fantatic!! Castell 4 (on Pujada del Castell #4) is a really good, friendly restaurant in Figueres. Their small plates are as delicious as they are beautiful.

    Safe travels!!

    ReplyDelete