Barcelona, Spain

I had a short and exciting trip to Barcelona, Spain early this year. I went in February so it was cold, windy but still very sunny. I must say, after the cold wet weather in Dublin, Barcelona was an amazing switch of weather.

My first trip to Barcelona, Spain

My partner booked the whole trip via Expedia.com for a very good bargain. We flew Aer Lingus and stayed at a cozy little hotel called Axel Hotel on Aribau Street. We arrived at the Barca airport quite late at night and the man at the information counter was helpful in advising us to take the airport shuttle to town, instead of taking a taxi. It was relatively cheap and the driver was friendly enough to inform us where to get off as well.

Axel Hotel Logo

It was quite of a language barrier as most of the people we came across did not speak English, but I was more than happy to give speaking Spanish a shot ;) Anyway, when we got off the bus, we kinda wandered around for a while before an old lady pointed us to Aribau Street. It was quite dark but we managed to get to the hotel safely.

Unfortunately, upon checking in, I was disappointed as the room type we booked and the pictures I saw was totally totally different. But, since we were in Barcelona and have no idea when we would return, we paid for an upgrade and got that particular room that I wanted.

The hotel was clean, trendy and gay. Yes, it was a hetero-friendly hotel ;) The lobby was tastefully decorated, the rooms were clean and spacious. For more specifics on the hotel, please refer to the post called Axel Hotel, Barcelona, Spain.

In the balcony of the hotel

Tours

Anyway, the next day we made our way to the Touristic Booth to collect our all day tour tickets, which we had previously purchased online for 24 Euros. The Barcelona Bus Turistic was an all day tour covering ALL the major tourist spots. Honestly, if you are staying longer, I would suggest to take a full 2 days to explore all the locations on the map.

Bus Turistic Stop Signs

When you get on the bus, all you need to do is plug in the headphones provided and listen to the "tour guide" who will guide you through all the locations. We stopped at many many locations including Sagrada Familia (a must go - even though the line to enter is extremely long), Park Guell and many more. If you visit Park Guell, I would suggest a restaurant at the end of the road called La Toretta, which had a nice outdoor location at the back of the restaurant, over-looking the city.

I would also suggest to sit on the top deck of the Double Decker bus for a full view of all the locations. We covered most locations, some by not even getting off the bus.

Sagrada Familia

Inside Sagrada Familia

Park Guell

At La Toretta with my Sangria

Shopping

Another wonderful thing about Barcelona is of course the shopping - Zara, Zara Home, Mango, etc. Everything is so much cheaper than Dublin. But sorry guys, the ladies' section had a better bargain! I spent 135 Euros for a ton of clothes. I only wished I could have bought more things from Zara Home but our flight only included carry-ons.

While exploring the city, we decided to take the subway or metro. It was a challenge as everything, I repeat, Everything was in Spanish. But we managed. Got on the right train and headed to Placa De Catalunya. There was this Halal restaurant there called City Gate - not bad Indian Muslim food.

Placa De Catalunya

Pick Pockets

Now we get to the main thing you have to worry about in Barcelona - pick pockets. Seriously, it's bad. We actually witnessed a pick pocket getting beaten up by this group of Honkies from Hong Kong - young boys, big group. They only fought back because they were in a big group, otherwise.. well you know.. The pick pockets travel in groups and they generally look the same - of a certain race, I cant say which one for sure though. But it's kind of weird because you are able to feel like they are targeting you, sort of? So my partner and I always looked after each other's bags.

I guess you have to constantly be alert and I would suggest to carry a sling bag that is hard to open so that they cant slip their hands in. I would also suggest to keep your money in two places (handbag and pouch) so you have emergency money, just in case.

All in all, it was a beautiful trip! I love Barcelona and I imagine it would have been better in summer. I might go back just to experience the cultural city when the sun really comes out. I can also see myself living there, minus the scary pick pockets, because the apartments and houses look like 'work of art'. Everywhere you turn, you see art - on buildings. I love looking at architecture and design - Barcelona filled that need, to the fullest.

Barcelona Bus Turistic

We took the Barcelona City Tour Hop On Hop Off tour.