On our walk up Las Ramblas to catch the City Sightseeing bus, we stopped at the market, La Boqueria, to get breakfast. As mentioned in my previous post, the market has a variety of fruit juices, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, and deli meats. We bought a couple fruit bowls and mango-coconut juices for breakfast.
Maramar Gardens / View of Barcelona
Our first stop to hop off at was the Miramar Gardens which was set up in the hillside. The gardens are spread out with panoramic views of Barcelona’s seafront. It was a great spot for taking pictures. We also walked through some of gardens that were part of Hotel Miramar. It was very peaceful and a beautiful way to start the day.
Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium
Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium is also located on the same hill as the Miramar Gardens. As we had never seen an Olympic stadium before, we decided to get off and have a look. It was cool to see and experience it’s size. Even seeing the monument that holds the flame for the duration of the games was neat.
Casa Mila
Casa Batlló
The Gaudi homes, Casa Batlló and Casa Mila were also on the bus route. We got off at Casa Mila to take pictures before walking to the other home to go inside. The street, Passeig de Gracia, on which these apartments are located were beautiful, busy, and lined with lots of cafes and shops. The Gaudi buildings, especially Casa Batlló, stood out against the other buildings. We stood in line to purchase our tickets for Casa Batlló. The entrance fee included a free audio tour which was great to listen to as we walked around. The inside of Casa Battló is equally amazing as the exterior and it definitely the better of the two homes. The details of the interior were so amazing and beautiful as we walked through the home.
Casa Batlló – Interior
Casa Batlló – Interior
We also visited Segrada Familia. It’s another Gaudi designed building. The Segrada Familia is an amazing cathedral that is not complete. The cathedral’s construction began in 1882 with Gaudi’s involvement starting in 1883. The cathedral was only a quarter complete when Gaudi died in 1926. The cathedral is very ornate, both on the outside and on the inside. We spend a good amount of time walking through the cathedral, taking pictures, and admiring in awe the work that has gone into this building.
Sagrada Familia
Sagrada Familia – Nativity Entrance
Sagrada Familia – Interior
We hopped back on the bus for the final leg of the tour around Barcelona. It headed up to Park Güell and a few other stops in the northern part of the city. At this point, we were tired and it was late in the day already so we didn’t get off to walk through Park Güell. The park was originally designated for housing site. The housing site was commercially unsuccessful and converted to gardens. Inspired by the English garden city movement, the intent of the gardens was to exploit the fresh air away from the industrial areas and the beautiful views.
Gothic Quarter
The Picasso Museum was in the Gothic Quarter and that’s where we headed to end our day. The museum was closing at 7:45 and we arrived shortly after 7 so we decided not to go in. The host of the apartment we were staying recommended a tapas bar to us that was also in this part of the city. A few doors down from the Picasso Museum was the tapas bar. All the tapas available are on display at the bar which meant we got to walk around with a plate and chose what we wanted to eat. Each tapas costs $1.70 and when we were done, the server counted the toothpicks on our plate to calculate the cost of our meal.
