Barcelona
We arrived in Barcelona considerably more refreshed than previous times due to the fact that we had treated ourselves to travelling Premium Economy from Singapore. We had the usual longish stopover in Changi, during which time we took the opportunity to stretch our legs and rest in comfy chairs. We took in some of the sights within the airport, admiring the flowers, the ponds, and the butterflies.
Our tasks in Barcelona were to purchase the "gold card" which gives people of certain age a discount on train travel, buy our train tickets to Bilbao, buy a pre paid simcard, and to visit the Sagrada Familia. We achieved three out of the four.
Purchasing the gold card couldn't be done at the airport - the man telling us that it wasn't available for foreigners. However, in the main station in the city we were successful. This, in turn, meant that we were able to purchase our train tickets with a 40% discount!
Unfortunately our sim card purchase was unsuccessful. Our first store was just generally unhelpful and not interested, the second was of a similar disposition, the third was very helpful, but had sold out, and the last one had such a queue that we didn't even try the one sales assistant working! Thus, this is job now to finished in Bilbao.
We had a lovely time at the Sagrada Familia. It is such a magnificent building, and we there as the afternoon sun shone through the stained glass, bathing the building in bright, coloured light.
We stopped for some tapas on the way back to our hotel. We were both thrilled to see Padron peppers on the menu and promptly ordered them. Poor Jill hit the jackpot! She managed to take a bite of the only hot one on the plate! Eating Padron peppers is always a gamble, as even though the vast majority are not even remotely hot VERY occasionally a hot one is in the mix. Jill's was so hot that her lips were still tingling about three hours later!
Most people reading this will have moments in their lives which stand out for them. Perhaps things like the first walk on the moon, or in space, or when JFK was killed and so on. For us Barcelona will stand out as the day the Queen died, news we learnt as we were heading for bed on our first night in Spain.
So love Spain! Barcelona, Bilboa, tapas, Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas all wonderful memory filled places. Loved your pics. Travelling Singapore Airlines myself soon so will do same during stopover. Hope you partake of a magnificent icecream 'Cheese Icecream' in Bilbao (near the opera house) - never seen it anywhere else (beautiful ice creams by day and cocktail ice creams by night) what a great idea. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying your trip with you Magpie - great blog. Stay healthy......
ReplyDeleteThanks Graham. Hopefully the is just about spent! It has been a bit of a shock to come from very cold, wet Stirling, to hot, very dry northern Spain!
DeleteAh..Barcelona and Sagrada Familia.
ReplyDeleteI was working on the outskirts of Barcelona for five days in 2004 and hadn't managed to get into the town to, particularly, see Sagrada Familia.
The day came to leave...fly direct to Chicago... and, spur of the moment I asked the taxi driver to go via the centre of the city via Sagrada..We drove around the block, and, just às we cane back to the main entrance, I said 'let me out...go round again.. and pick me up. Out I got and straight in ....with my luggage and laptop disappearing into the distance.
I was inside for four minutes... came out, and he picked me up.... and caught the plane.
I haven't been back.....yet.
Travel weil Janet