If you want to leave a comment or connect with Insta/FB, check out the About page
Trip Day 7 - Barcelona Day 1 - Part 1
The Trip
The day started fine. I caught a train from Rouen (ROAAN!) to Paris and then a cab from the train station (no scammers at St Lazare - they mainly hit the Eurotrain passengers.) It was 55 Euros (I will put E-) going forward which I had googled was a fair fixed price.
I got there extra early and was stopped at body search. The machine went off twice. The guy scanned me and found nothing, then swabbed my hands for explosives. I told him it was my hot personality that set it off. He was not amused.
I wanted to relax, so paid 75 E- to be in the Air France lounge. There was food (omelette with sausage, chocolate filled pastries coffee, and water) but I mainly got to relax comfortably for 2 hours.
I spent a pleasant 2 hours talking to my seatmate Dafna from Argentina. Her English was terrific. She's 27 years old and is an optician in her family's business. Her sister was traveling with her and in another seat. Sofia is 21 years old. Since Sofia doesn't know me, I suggested a trick that I walk up to them at the baggage claim and address her by name. Dafna agreed so I did. I walked up, did a double-take, then said Sofia? Sofia? It's been years since I've seen you and I still recognize you. Dafna giggled and Sofia looked at her and knew she had been had. Fun times!
Trip Day 7 - Barcelona Day 1 - Part 2
The AirBnB from Hell
When I got to the airport, they had a proper queue and direction to taxis and it was only 39 E- to get to my destination. Well, the destination was somewhat incorrect, and after the taxi left (and he was quite concerned where he was leaving me), I contacted the host and after about 20 minutes, I got to it. There was an elevator here, but it was a "private room" which was mainly a bed with an unstable coat rack kind of contraption and very little room for my crap. There was a bathroom too. The living room was a "shared" area - he has another private room (enough with the damn double quotes) and he lives there - there was nobody else there. The kitchen was off-limits other than the morning for making coffee (hah - you'll see why) but when I asked what coffee I should get, he said that the coffee pod machine was broken and that all he made was Greek-style (Turkish) coffee. In addition, I think he was smoking weed and he kept the windows open. Trouble was, it was in the 40's and he would not turn up the heat. When I asked him later, he said he would turn it up. It was warm in the hall but still cold in my bedroom. He later chewed me out because my bathroom door was open. There was no heat in the bathroom and he said it was a waste - what? No heat in the bathroom?
I bundled up and sat in the freezing living room - he was playing XBOX and I asked him to turn up the heat. He then went to his room because I guess I was cramping his style. About an hour of catching up my site, he stormed out of his room carrying on about how hot it was. And just as I was getting comfortable. I spent a freezy night and couldn't post. There were no chairs, just the bed.
In addition, the outside area smelled of piss, weed, and diesel fumes. It was near La Rambla, one of the major tourist walking streets, which is why I picked it. Bad, bad, choice.
Good start, bad end.
Trip Day 8 - Barcelona Day 2 - Part 1
The AirBnB from Heaven
I woke up freezing my ass off at 4:30 AM. I got my PC out and started looking up AirBnB's and I found one with an orange motif that was near La Sagrada Familia. I wanted to get away from La Rambla because I think it's a dangerous neighborhood. I booked it and packed my shit. It was only 6 AM and I WASN'T going to shower in a bathroom with no heat and some crappy curtains to stop the water from flowing out. Also, I had noticed that the water wasn't very hot. I was tired and went back to sleep dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants until 9 AM. I had a tour that day and asked the guide, Albert, if he could take my luggage on our tour and then drop me off at the new AirBnB and he was completely agreeable to that. He was also concerned.
I'll write about the tour next, but first, the new AirBnB.
I got to the place at 2 and they said they could hold my luggage until 3. Mariella is originally from Lima, Peru and she has been here for 18 years. She was so nice and compassionate. I walked around losing myself as I do, had a small Tapas plate of Iberico Ham, fries, and eggs, then went back at 3. Mariella told me that my AirBnB wasn't ready. She told me another place would be ready in 45 minutes and that it was an upgrade with 2 rooms. I wanted to go to La Sagrada Familia anyway so I was okay with an upgrade. I hung out at the church for an hour or so. My guide told me a lot about it.
When I got back, the place was ready. This place is beautiful and is fully loaded. Here are the pics. It is THE BEST AIRBNB I have ever stayed in, though Detroit used to be my favorite prior to this.
So WORST and BEST AirBnB the same day.t
Trip Day 8 - Barcelona Day 2 - Part 2
Tour with Albert
First things first, it's Albert, not Alberto because Albert is from Catalonia. What they speak here is mainly Catalan not Spanish. Catalonia was conquered by Spain 300 years ago and they have been trying to get away from them for years and Spain doesn't want that.
Most signs are in Catalan which is my year's worth of learning Spanish went down the toilet. Catalan is primarily spoken and many word are the same, but conjugation is different. Since I suck at Spanish conjugation anyway, I guess it don't really matter!
They had the Olympics here in 1992 and it changed the landscape greatly with many new buildings. The prior big thing was the International Exposition in 1929 which also saw a lot of new construction. In 1936 to 1939, they had the Spanish Civil War, which devastated the country.
Poor Albert - Andy doesn't care about architecture, churches, seafood, and I think I listed a lot more. He did the best he could. I enjoyed it and I started getting him to say fuck a lot, which was may more fun. He started doing so with gusto, when I said, I don't really like that. He is such a nice laid back guy.
We go again tomorrow, this time on a non-Viator trip (he also puts his tours on AirBnb). He was very compassionate and concerned about my sucky AirBnB and really was happy for me about my new place.
One item of note - the pollution and smog here are quite bad. It's because in the winter, the winds blow in from the Mediterranean and the mountains trap it (I made that up, but that's probably right) so some of the pics are hazy.
Trip Day 8 - Barcelona Day 2 - Part 3
La Sagrada Familia
I had to wait longer for my AirBnB than 3 PM, because the upgraded room was still being prepared. Mariella told me maybe 45 minutes, but if I really wanted the original room nearby (in another location), I could get it right away. I loved the idea of an upgrade (who doesn't?) so said I'd wait. I figured I would have enough time to get to La Sagrada Familia, do a 2-minute walk through it (because I know me), go up in one of the elevators, take some pics, and scurry back to the AirBnB place. I actually thought I had to kill 90 minutes time, so I that I killed. Mariella bitched me out for not being there sooner because she said it had been ready at 3:30 PM. I love you Mariella, but I was quite happy ending my day with La Segrada and then taking a nice hot shower (did I gush already about the place? It's fucking fantastic. Best AirBnB ever! I would move to Barcelona (or anywhere) if I could live in a place like that.
Churches are not my thing, though Saggy (my short name for it) is not really your customary church. The architect, Gaudi, was an amazing designer, engineer, and all round genius whose works are so different than the standard stuff. There will be more for day 3's post about him.
Saggy is still being built. They started in 1882. Gaudi imagined 14 towers - 12 for the apostles, one for the Virgin Mary, and one for Jesus. The Jesus tower, the big one in the middle, will be topped by a cross. Mary's is the one topped by the star.
The reason it's taking so long is because they ran out of money, a couple of world wars, and a civil war, but now, it is one of the most visited churches in Europe and they make enough money to continue construction. Expected completion date is 2026. My ticket, at a Senior price, was 21 E-, and then another 7 E- for the elevator ride. Saggy is one of the most visited churches in Spain and in Europe, probably up there with the Notre Dame in Paris and St Petey in Vatican City.
Stop reading now if you are easily upset by the making fun of religious things, because that was just a taste.
Are you gone?
To me, the Jesus Tower look like a phallus. So I call it the Penis Tower - which cracked my guide Albert up. Embarrassingly though. I think that an irreverent asshole like me probably doesn't usually come visit the church.
I also said if a Gen-Xer (or me) would put a top on it, it was probably one squirting white liquid.
I did two turns around the inside, taking some pics, and making sure I didn't miss anything important (hah). I saw a girl trying to get a selfie with a timer (which I know is tough and the angle sucks). I offered (in English) to take the pic and she agreed, thanking me with an American accent. I asked where she was from and she said she was from California. I was really on a mission to get out of there, so I didn't chat (can you believe that shit?) but headed to the elevator almost 40 minutes before my allotted time. I sweet talked the guard who looked at the short line and said go ahead. It's a one-way elevator trip. You have to walk down. They said it was 130 steps, but it seemed like a lot more. I didn't count and didn't go back up to check the count - plus it wasn't allowed to walk back up.
I went because to Saggy because it was obligatory, not because I really had an interest, but it was sill fun - so many fucking tourists, not really that bad, but there were a lot of Asian folks with selfie sticks who would just crowd the picture taking areas. There was an included audio tour with folks listening to it without headphones, but the place was fairly busy and loud, so not really noticeable.
Just FYI - tourists are some of the rudest people in the world. I guess they figure that the rules don't apply to them. Don't give me that shit - I'm not rude, even though I'm a tourist. I'm just very foul-mouthed. And feel free to end your free subscription to this blog. I have changed my attitude. My posts on Insta and FB will be almost clean, but here I will pretend I'm talking to you, because as you all know, this is how I talk. Even if it pisses you the fuck off Peter.
The last pictures are those of images on the church floor that I thought had funny connotations - yes, I know it's not weed and yes, I no the person isn't spanking. Just like I know that the church is not called Saggy.
Trip Day 9 - Barcelona Day 3 - Part 3
Day 2 with Albert
Today was my second day with Albert. He took me to Park Guell to see the park that Gaudi designed. It originally was supposed to be a real estate adventure with 60 buildings for rich people but this was before gasoline-powered cars and there were no takers because it was so far away from the center of the city. The Guell family eventually donated it to the city.
Even though I'm not a big architecture fan, I absolutely admire the genius of Gaudi. From La Sagrada Familia to Park Guell to many other works, this guy had the most amazing design visions, engineering, and creativity I have ever seen. But then gets killed by a fucking tram. He was 76 but he was still working.
We drove up to Tibidabo mountain on the other side of the city of the mountain we were on the prior day. We took the elevator up and could have walked to the highest viewpoint of the city but I declined.
Finally, I had enough sightseeing and asked Albert to take me to a bowling alley and we bowled 2 games each.
Barcelona
Final Thoughts
I shouldn’t have expectations since I don’t research a lot, but Barcelona was not what I expected. I was expecting a Spanish city, but Barcelona, though in Spain, is not Spanish.
There is a strong Catalonian identity here with folks speaking Catalan and most street signts in Catalan.
Some people speak English and with those I couldn’t, I was able to speak my horrible Spanish and at least communicate somewhat. People were very compassionate and pleasant to this tourist, but then again, I try not to be an asshole like so many other rude tourists are.
Gaudi had a huge impact on the architecture of the city. He broke the mold of your-boring-ass architecture and you can see it in designs on other buildings.
People are hard-working and fast walking. Everything is open late. I didn’t really notice siesta time because I was where all the tourists were.
Uber does not work well in Barcelona. You can order a local taxi through them, but I couldn't get it to work.
Barcelona Itinerary - Monday, March 6 - Wednesday, March 8
| Date | Time | Activity | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Mar 6 | 7:24 AM | Train from Rouen to Paris | SNCF - French Rail |
| Mon Mar 6 | 9:30 AM | Get to CDG Airport | Charles De Gaulle Airport |
| Mon Mar 6 | 12:15 PM | AF 1648 - Flight to Barcelona | Air France |
| Mon Mar 6 | 3 PM | Carrer de l'Arc del Teatre | View AirBnB Listing |
| Tue Mar 7 | 10 AM | Private Tour with Albert | Viator |
| Tue Mar 7 | 2 PM | Get to new AirBnB | AirBnB |
| Wed Mar 8 | 10 AM | Private Tour with Albert | Private Tour off the books |
| Thu Mar 9 | 11 AM | Train to Madrid | Renfe Spanish Rail |