// Barcelona
This month they visit Barcelona
Having been to Spain many times, both coastal resorts and various city breaks, Mrs and Mr Jones were keen to see a more cultural side to the country this time. They discovered in Barcelona the best of everything: museums, architecture, beaches, bars, shopping, art, history, and food.
Mr Jones also discovered that Barcelona is the home of Barca and Camp Nou, so our cultural trip included a tour of his own personal mecca, FC Barcelona.
GETTING THERE All the major UK airports travel to and from Barcelona, and if you shop around and are prepared to be flexible about the time you depart and arrive, you can find some major bargains. On this occasion, Mrs and Mr Jones chose to travel from Birmingham airport with Monarch airlines. The flight is a little over two hours and once at Barcelona airport it is just a short taxi trip into the city centre and costs fewer than 30 euros.
THINGS TO DO There is so much to see and do in Barcelona that it can seem a little overwhelming. The best thing for the first-time visitor to do is to take the sightseeing bus tours for a whirl around the city. This is a brilliant way to dip in and out of what’s on offer, especially if you are on a short trip. The Barcelona City Tour bus is one of a few different bus tour operators that offer hop on, hop off, bus tickets. You can buy one-day or two-day passes. Be aware though, that the tickets you buy are not interchangeable with different bus operators.
You are spoilt for choice in Barcelona for incredible architecture and history.
Sagrada Família should be it.
Mrs and Mr Jones agreed the church was designed and built by an architect who may have been partaking of unusual substances because nothing can prepare you for the sheer creativity and ‘bonkiness’ of this ode to God. It inspires awe by its sheer verticality and in the manner of the medieval cathedrals it emulates, it’s still
If you have time for only one sightseeing outing, La
Architecture of Les Rambles
under construction after more than 130 years. When completed, the highest tower will be more than half as high again as those that stand today. La Sagrada Família was Antoni Gaudí’s all-consuming obsession. Gaudí saw its completion as his holy mission and as funds dried up, he contributed his own. It truly is one of the most amazing, special places that Mrs and Mr Jones have ever visited.
Park Güell should also be on your list. It is where Gaudí turned his hand to landscape gardening. It’s a strange, enchanting place where his passion for natural forms took flight – to the point where the artificial almost seems more natural than the natural.
Barcelona's most famous street is both a tourist magnet and a window into Catalan culture, with cultural centres, theatres, and intriguing architecture. The Ramblas in Barcelona are a series of tree-shaded pedestrian malls that go from the Plaza de Catalunya to the port. Unofficially, La Rambla is divided into five sections, which explains why many know it as Las Ramblas.
A stroll here is pure sensory overload, with souvenir hawkers, buskers, pavement artists, mimes and living statues all part of the ever-changing street scene. Mrs and Mr Jones relished pottering the streets along Las Ramblas especially the cobblestone lanes of the Gothic quarter, Barri Gòtic, stopping every half hour to have a small sherry and delicious tapas.
La Sagrada Familia
A pilgrimage site for football fans from across the world, Camp Nou is one of Barcelona's most hallowed grounds. While nothing compares to the excitement of attending a live match, the ‘Camp Nou Experience’ with its visit to the players’ changing rooms, a pop-up café next to the pitch, and a photo with Messi (photo shopped into the pic), the Experience is definitely one that will leave the football fan elated.
There are plenty of museums and galleries and Mrs and Mr Jones were spoilt for choice. Picasso lived in Barcelona as a youth and
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