We couldn't travel through Spain without paying a quick visit to the famous city of Barcelona. Having been before as part of a school trip, I wasn't as excited as I had been when travelling everywhere else, but my boyfriend had never been so I felt it was only fair.
As hard as it was to leave Madrid, we had to pack our bags and hop on a train. It was later in the evening than usual. Our train journey took around two and a half to three hours and it was dark by the time we arrived in Barcelona. We had directions to follow from the train station to get to our hostel, Sant Jordi Sagrada Familia. We went straight down to the metro station to find ourselves witnessing someone getting robbed. The metro security ran after the thief but unfortunately he got away. I always knew Barcelona was notorious for pickpockets and was always so careful with my belongings and the likes of handbags but this scared me. It scared me so much that every time I saw someone I didn't like the look of on the metro I moved carriage. I got robbed of my passport, purse and money before and I didn't want it to happen again. So a word of warning, watch yourself!
We hadn't got off to a great start. When we arrived at our hostel, I thought things might take a turn for the better. First impressions were good. I could see a bit of a skater theme going on; very cool. The guys at reception were very hipster and your typical skater boy. They didn't have a care in the world which is why I probably didn't find them to be as nice or as helpful as the receptionists in Valencia or Madrid. I was dying to see the rooms because if they looked anything like reception, they'd get a thumbs up from me. I couldn't have been more disappointed. The reception/dining room was the only nice thing about the place. We were brought up to what seemed like a really old apartment block. We were brought up a creaky elevator, through a narrow hallway and into a decent looking sitting room which led to our bedroom. The prices of hostels in Barcelona were so expensive compared to everywhere else so we thought we might as well get value for our money and get a double room. I'll tell you now, it was the smallest room I've ever seen. The bed nearly took up the whole room. On top of that, no air-con, just a useless fan. The bed was uncomfortable enough as it was and being too hot just made it even worse. Thank God we only booked one night. I couldn't wait to get out of the place.
We checked out the following morning and headed to another hostel from the Sant Jordi branch, the Rock Palace. Just as before, first impressions were good but were we going to be in the same predicament as the night before? That was the question. Thankfully not! This place was top notch! The staff couldn't have been nicer and were so welcoming. Our eight bed dorm was so nice. It was modern and spacious. We also had a balcony which looked out over some of the city and we had air-con. Win win! This place even had a roof-top pool. We didn't get a chance to see it as we were only there for one night but the interior of the hostel was rock 'n' roll at its finest; graffiti covered toilets, a collage of rock posters and the Beatles painted on the walls. It was quirky and I liked it.
The good thing about the Rock Palace was that it was so central and we were right in the heart of the city. We were two minutes from one of the main shopping areas with a lot of designer stores lining the streets. Take note Barcelona is expensive and I found it to be the dearest place we visited. We were also only a five minute walk from the nearest metro station bringing you to any of the popular tourist spots (if that's what you're into). We only went to the Catedral de Barcelona as I had been to a lot of the other attractions such as Nou Camp Stadium, PortAventura and Monserrat before. Yes, the Cathedral is an incredible building as is all of Gaudi's work but it is somewhat like the Eiffel Tower as in you see so many pictures of these landmarks that the novelty is lost. Basically, it is no different in a picture than it is in person. Once you see it, you see it. We didn't get to go inside as you have to reserve a ticket in advance. Instead, we took a stroll around the small park opposite and sat and watched everything going on. It had been roughly three years since I had been here so I could see the changes and how far they've come along with the building. It is an interesting place to see and a must for most people visiting Barcelona but personally, I wouldn't feel as if I'm missing out.
We spent the rest of the day searching for La Ramblas, another popular street in Barcelona. Along the way, we roamed the city and came across some really nice areas. We saw the Magic Fountain located at the head of Avenida Maria Cristina but to our disappointment there were no light and music shows as they are only on between October and April. We continued on down several streets to eventually come across La Ramblas. By this point, we were starving so stopped for a bite to eat in one of the first tapa bars we saw, Guells Tapas. It was pleasant but overpriced as are a lot of things in Barcelona; €8.50 for a pint doesn't sound normal to me. Moving on we found an alley way leading us to Mercat de la Boqueria, one of the biggest markets in Europe. You become surrounded by beautiful colours and smells. The market mainly sells fresh food such as fruit, veg, fish, meat and traditional Spanish delicacies. I was here before and it's a really nice area to pick up a few ingredients for meals or even a couple of souvenirs.
We later sauntered on down past La Ramblas until we came to Port Vell. On a sunny day (which it was not) I can only imagine the glorious scenery looking out to sea with Montserrat in view. We took a boat trip out around the port but due to the blustery weather, we were in for a rough ride. If you get sea sick at all I would not recommend this. At one point I felt the boat was about to turn over entirely on its side. I still thoroughly enjoyed it and loved watching the cable cars go by and make their way up the mountain to Montserrat. For less than €10 per trip you can't go wrong.
Later that night, we found out there had been two men shot outside one of the hotels on La Ramblas. It either happened whilst we were looking for the street itself or when we were at the Tapas bar. If it wasn't for the delay we could've been witnesses or even victims to the shooting. Between this and pickpockets, I was really beginning to feel unsafe. I didn't even feel safe walking back to the hostel at night with my boyfriend. There were gangs of homeless people as well as junkies roaming the streets. I wanted out! I wasn't feeling it in Barcelona to begin with and this just topped it off.
I remember planning to return to Barcelona with my friends after our Transition Year trip. I loved it at the time but we were mainly based in Salou. Having traveled numerous cities in Spain I can now find myself being more attracted to culture and natural beauty rather than busy cities and their tourist attractions. Don't get me wrong, I'm a girl who loves to shop and wants to experience it all but if I had to choose a favourite place, Barcelona would not be it. I think you can see the city in a short period of time and you only need to see it once. I have learnt that! I may return for a shopping trip or to pay a visit to PortAventura but probably not for any other reason.
After two nights it was time to go. Seville was our next stop. We were hoping we'd enjoy it a little more. Thank you so much for reading and stay tuned for my next post. Mwah!
Holly X
We hadn't got off to a great start. When we arrived at our hostel, I thought things might take a turn for the better. First impressions were good. I could see a bit of a skater theme going on; very cool. The guys at reception were very hipster and your typical skater boy. They didn't have a care in the world which is why I probably didn't find them to be as nice or as helpful as the receptionists in Valencia or Madrid. I was dying to see the rooms because if they looked anything like reception, they'd get a thumbs up from me. I couldn't have been more disappointed. The reception/dining room was the only nice thing about the place. We were brought up to what seemed like a really old apartment block. We were brought up a creaky elevator, through a narrow hallway and into a decent looking sitting room which led to our bedroom. The prices of hostels in Barcelona were so expensive compared to everywhere else so we thought we might as well get value for our money and get a double room. I'll tell you now, it was the smallest room I've ever seen. The bed nearly took up the whole room. On top of that, no air-con, just a useless fan. The bed was uncomfortable enough as it was and being too hot just made it even worse. Thank God we only booked one night. I couldn't wait to get out of the place.
The good thing about the Rock Palace was that it was so central and we were right in the heart of the city. We were two minutes from one of the main shopping areas with a lot of designer stores lining the streets. Take note Barcelona is expensive and I found it to be the dearest place we visited. We were also only a five minute walk from the nearest metro station bringing you to any of the popular tourist spots (if that's what you're into). We only went to the Catedral de Barcelona as I had been to a lot of the other attractions such as Nou Camp Stadium, PortAventura and Monserrat before. Yes, the Cathedral is an incredible building as is all of Gaudi's work but it is somewhat like the Eiffel Tower as in you see so many pictures of these landmarks that the novelty is lost. Basically, it is no different in a picture than it is in person. Once you see it, you see it. We didn't get to go inside as you have to reserve a ticket in advance. Instead, we took a stroll around the small park opposite and sat and watched everything going on. It had been roughly three years since I had been here so I could see the changes and how far they've come along with the building. It is an interesting place to see and a must for most people visiting Barcelona but personally, I wouldn't feel as if I'm missing out.
We later sauntered on down past La Ramblas until we came to Port Vell. On a sunny day (which it was not) I can only imagine the glorious scenery looking out to sea with Montserrat in view. We took a boat trip out around the port but due to the blustery weather, we were in for a rough ride. If you get sea sick at all I would not recommend this. At one point I felt the boat was about to turn over entirely on its side. I still thoroughly enjoyed it and loved watching the cable cars go by and make their way up the mountain to Montserrat. For less than €10 per trip you can't go wrong.
Later that night, we found out there had been two men shot outside one of the hotels on La Ramblas. It either happened whilst we were looking for the street itself or when we were at the Tapas bar. If it wasn't for the delay we could've been witnesses or even victims to the shooting. Between this and pickpockets, I was really beginning to feel unsafe. I didn't even feel safe walking back to the hostel at night with my boyfriend. There were gangs of homeless people as well as junkies roaming the streets. I wanted out! I wasn't feeling it in Barcelona to begin with and this just topped it off.
I remember planning to return to Barcelona with my friends after our Transition Year trip. I loved it at the time but we were mainly based in Salou. Having traveled numerous cities in Spain I can now find myself being more attracted to culture and natural beauty rather than busy cities and their tourist attractions. Don't get me wrong, I'm a girl who loves to shop and wants to experience it all but if I had to choose a favourite place, Barcelona would not be it. I think you can see the city in a short period of time and you only need to see it once. I have learnt that! I may return for a shopping trip or to pay a visit to PortAventura but probably not for any other reason.
Holly X
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