Barcelona

What a beautiful city.

The architecture is stunning.

Ignore all the bollocks about it being teeming with pickpockets. You are more likely to get robbed in London.

The food is fantastic and cheap. The food market on The Rambla is chock full of locals eating at tapas bars and buying the fantastic ham, fish, mushrooms and just about every other yummy goodies you can imagine.

Great wine at brilliant prices.

A shoppers paradise. The Gothic Quarter is a warren of lanes with quirky, tiny boutiques and designer stores too.

You can walk everywhere but the Metro and buses are cheap and convenient.

Take the cable car from the Super Yacht stuffed Marina to the top of the mountain for great views over the city.

All that and a fantastic beach. What’s not to like?

Can’t wait to go back.

I’ll pop a few more photos over on the photography thread when I get a mo.

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Add in its universal appeal too. The place has been brilliant for me on each of: a family break with two kids; a trip with my old man; a 4 day stag do; a football trip. Love it.

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Loved it too, Goatster.

Plus if you’re a fan of Orwell, you can visit the Plaça de George Orwell.

And if you’re a massive fan of Homage to Catalonia, you can try to identify all of the places mentioned in the book as you walk up and down the Ramblas. Ask Mrs Bletch - it was the best 2 hours of her life…that she’ll never get back.

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Interesting. Do they have a football team at all? :lou_smiley:

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My dad and I did something similar with Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene. In Havana.

Did have a nice veggie meal in a place in Barcelona. Think it was l’hortet. Love Barcelona oo even if it’s just walking about.

Gotta go at some point, and I am (carefully) planning a train trip there with the fam. Top tip for sleeper train travel; make sure you fill the sleeping quarters _completely _with your people. If you don’t, there is every chance of a farting Frenchman three feet above you giving you an unwelcome taste of Provence all night.

My first and only experience with a Barcelonian was a bad one. It was when I had that place on Bellevue Road, just before moving to Liverpool. We had a few extra internationals in our orbit that summer. We had someone’s cousin over from Romania, who said “I hate you” in the sexiest way. We knew that cultured Italian girl inexplicably going out with the skinhead meathead. She had a mate from Barcelona, who we’d alternately feed/put up in our respective city centre gaffs.

Last I heard of her, she’d made off with the Italian girl’s jewellery, never to be seen again.

Now you can’t make any generalisation on the people of Barcelona on the basis of alleged criminal activities of one particular person, and even at that tender age, I am proud to say that I didn’t. However, the fact that I was learning Castillian Spanish and she’d be opposed to that whole enterprise tipped me over the edge.

I am better now, and prepared to carefully order sleeper train accommodation to the city in question.

Even so, what a twat.

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Just trying to book Barcelona for next month. Where is the best place to stay? We are not really interested in the beach, but would not mind a pool on a rooftop, but also want to be near the main city centre. I know there is a big shopping centre quite a way outside town, but very interested in the gothic quarters as well.

We stayed at a hotel on Via Laietana right next to a metro station (Jaume 1). It was a little while ago and I can’t remember the name of the (not very good) hotel but there are lots of hotels on that street. It runs parallel to La Rambla and within easy walking distance of the shoreline and the Picasso museum. The metro’s really good for getting you round and about.

I love Barcelona and I’d dearly love to go back

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Went to Barcelona a few years ago with the family. Stayed on the outskirts but ventured into the centre for a day. Didn’t overindulge in architectural sight seeing - as interesting as that may have been, given I’m in the architectural profession - the familly wouldn’t oblige…

Still managed to see some impressive parts of the city. Visited and toured Camp Nou (how could you not!), visited Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, lounged by the Marina, explored Las Arenas Shopping Centre - formed within a former bull ring. It has a 360 degree roof top skywalk terrace which provides awesome views over the city (plus good views of the water fountain shows), briefly saw the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc, diving location for the 1955 Mediterranean Games and 1992 Olympics. You can also see Norman Foster’s Torre de Collserola from here, if I remember correctly?

As Goatboy says, try to ignore the whole pickpocketing rumours. It’ll just distract you from what is a fantastic city!

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And you don’t have to go too far to enjoy the traditional peasant festivals.

Personally I’m not a huge fan of wrestling donkeys off the parapets of church towers but if that’s your thing, it’s the place to be.

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Out on day 2 of Barcelona at the moment! Arrived in a massive thunderstorm and it continued to chuck it down with rain last night!

Today has been amazing, spent all day in Las Ramblas, eating and drinking in the cafe paradise and went and got lost in the market. Beautiful place and seems so chilled and relaxing!

Tomorrow we are taking a hop on, hot off bus trip so we can get to see the main parts of the city and sorbs a little bit of time in each.

Monday we have the Nou Camp to take in the tour, which I am really looking forward to.

Leave us Tuesday and Wednesday to plan, but fly back Wednesday evening! Want to go up the mountains on a cable car for the views!

We are staying in the old town at the Hotel Garbi Millenni, which is very basic but clean newish and over the road from quite a few restaurants.

Booked to take Mrs G for a return trip to Barcelona next May. Finally getting round to celebrating our 10th anniversary (spent actual anniversary in hospital with kid G).

Kid G is on a school trip for a week so we get to be all grown up!

Staying in apartment in born district and have booked the highly recommended Blavis tapas restaurant for posh meal. Should be hot enough for the beach too.

Can’t wait.

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Gosh, you’re an old romantic at heart, your steely exterior is all kid-ology!!

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Well done GB. Restaurant booking 7 months ahead?! If you have another night I can highly recommend Eldiset as one of the best, and most lively restaurants I have been to. Does not break the bank and when I was there in August they turned away 70 people who had not booked in just 2 hours :lou_lol:

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That restaurant looks great and is in the same road as our apartment :lou_lol:

Cheers Bucks. I am gonna be so in the good books :lou_lol:

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Definitely on my list! Sounds awesome

Sagrada Familia c.1915 courtesy History In Pictures on Twitter:

^^^^ one day it will be finished…and the Goats will rule the world. :lou_eyes_to_sky:

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A year late but we are finally having our 10th anniversary bash in Barcelona… Booze/food heaven:

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Congrats on the anniversary, @goatboy if you get a chance check out Can Paixano. Good food, and awesome Pink Cava (at like €4 a bottle). Locals love it (it’s always rammed). You’ll be stuffed and battered on about €25 euro.

Have a good’un!

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