Barcelona - Our last days in Spain

Well we finally reached the Mediterranean Sea when we reached Barcelona.  We took a mid afternoon train from Zaragoza arriving in Barcelona just after 4 pm.  Rather than book accommodation in the historic centre of town we opted to spend 3 of our 4 nights at the beach.  The guesthouse was in the part of Barcelona where the Olympics had been held in 1992 and all the facilities and developments are still in use today.  The area parallel to Icaria Beach is where the olympic village was built to house all the athlete's and is now local housing.  The guesthouse was only a 5 minute walk from the beach so after getting settled in, we took a walk around the area and enjoyed fish and chips for dinner at a cafe on the boardwalk.

Icaria Beach is the second of the town beaches after Barcelonetta Beach. There is a very large marina between the two beaches much like Coffs marina but with more development of bars and restuarants along the promenade.  Barcelona has a really nice vibe due to the fact that it is a city with beaches.

We had sunny days but a cool wind was blowing so when we went to the beach we sheltered on the
downwind side of the marina wall.  David did brave a swim in the sea but he didn't stay long, me on the other hand not so brave.  Just enjoyed having a sun bake on the sand.

On our last afternoon while staying at the beach, we hired bikes from our guesthouse and rode the length of the beachfront along both the beaches and the marina. We went all the way along to the western end where the deep sea port has the cruise liners dock.

On one of our days we took the local bus to see some of the Gaudi attractions.  The famous architect was from Barcelona and his work is in evidence all over Barcelona.  We went firstly to the gardens which he designed and in the garden is the house which he lived in for the last 20 years of his life.  We paid the entry and looked through the house and there is also some of the furniture there which he designed.

We hoped off the bus on the way back home and went to see the very famous Cathedral, Sagrada Familia which he was working on at the time of his death.  It was not completely finished when he died and had remained that way until recently.  Work has been started which will finish off the parts left when he died.  Also at the moment work is underway to clean the entire building.  It has been progressing for about a year now and is half finished.  So half of the building is shrouded in scaffold and sheeting and there are cranes erected on top of the building.  The parts that have been finished and are on display are truly beautiful and display the building how it must have looked back in the 1920's.

We did not go into the cathedral as the queue was approx 1 hour waiting and we hadn't realised that tickets could be purchased online. But we did have our morning coffee sitting in the window of the Macca's across the street in the shadow of the Sagrada.

And so onto our last day in Barcelona and of course Spain.  We left our guesthouse at the beach and moved to another hostal closer into the centre of the city to be closer to the railway station for an early morning departure the next day.  We did some more sightseeing in the centre in the afternoon and the evening.  This area was just down at the corner near our accommodation where there is a bull fighting arena which still has the exterior of the building preserved but the interior has been converted into a shopping arcade.  There is a lift to go to the roof and these are pics taken from the roof of the arena building.

There is a lift to go to the roof and these are pics taken from the roof of the arena building.

We couldn't leave Spain without having one last meal of the Spanish dish of Paella.

So goodbye Spain, we have loved our time here and are hoping to one day return to see more, and next time lots more time in Barcelona will definitely be on the itinerary. So we are off on the early morning train to return to France and for our visit with our friend Nicole in Avignon in Provence'.

Until next time, bye bye.