Here I am, back in Singapore, but still going to update the blog. Hola!
After arriving at Girona from Krakow, we took a bus into Barcelona. From the central bus station we then walked to our
airbnb.
The streets remind me of Venice, like low-rise flats and narrow alleys.
The place we live in is quite central, but more expensive.
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| Parlament de Catalunya |
Here are all the old medieval structures around Placa Sant Jaume (St. James' Square).
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| Our room, so small and costly |
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| and 4 storeys up. Vertigo! |
But our place overlooks a small alley, and at night the people never seem to sleep.
The main street of Las Ramblas, the main street from Placa Catalunya to the port of Barcelona. All the restaurants on this street should be avoided at any cost, because they are cheap and bad.
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| Las Ramblas |
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| Statue of Columbus, before he set for the New World. |
The port of Barcelona.
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| The bridge opening up for a yacht to leave. |
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| maremagnum, shopping complex by the bay. |
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Dinner of pinchos, and...
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| Arroz Negro! |
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Another church in Barcelona, I probably did not even bother remembering the name.
I believe the pictures below are from Palau Guell.
On Day 2, we met a friend of Weichung's friend, who showed us around the city centre.
Ancient Greek columns.
The place where Columbus announced the discovery of the New World to the Queen. This used to be part of the palace.
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| King's Square |
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| Fossar de les Moreres, memorial for those who died in the Siege of Barcelona. |
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| The basilica opposite, Santa Maria del Mar. |
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| All the well wishes written on trees! |
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| La Boqueria market |
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| fresh fish! |
After this we headed to two buildings designed by Guell. I don't know their names, but I think 1 was called Revolution or something.
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| 1 |
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| 1 |
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| 1 |
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| 2 |
Subsequently, we ate some pinchos for lunch. The guy (Richard) left us to go home for lunch.
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| Pinchos at Lizarran |
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| and Pork loin strips. |
After lunch, we walked to La Sagrada Familia. Meant to be completed in 2026, the centennial of Gaudi's Death, this is the last work by Gaudi.
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| La Sagrada Familia |
Afterwards we walked through the city suburbs to arrive at Parc Guell, a park with Guell elements.
The entrance to Parc Guell, apparently full of people.
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| Entrance of Parc Guell |
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| View from the top floor of the park |
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| a live performance |
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| climbing to the top. |
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| barcelona! |
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| dive into the heart of Catalan |
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| Here stands Weichung. |
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| More tunnels with Guell designs. |
At night we went to hunt for our dinner, apparently there was a really cheap restaurant nearby! Les Quinze Nits.
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| Les Quinze Nits |
Unfortunately, that was the only day that you needed to book in advance and reserve seats. So we could not enter to eat.
So Weichung decided for us to eat at a crap restaurant, but it will be my fault because I didn't stop him from entering.
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| Ate this putrefactory risotto |
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| And caramelised flan. |
After a very disgusting meal, we went to Placa Catalunya for the new year countdown.
It was a rather peaceful affair, until the clock struck 12am, and people started spraying champagne.
People started to throw their empty bottles in Las Ramblas!! So dangerous.
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| Culprit in action |
On the 3rd day, New Year's Day, we went to Montjuic, which houses the Palau Nacional.
Along the way back, we saw this small church, it looked rather inviting so I took a picture.
Along Las Ramblas, we saw this museum tucked away in a small alley.
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| Museu de Cera |
After eating an extremely forgettable dinner at Las Ramblas, we went to eat ice cream to gratify ourselves. One of the better ice-creams in Europe!
