Entry tags:

airport, barcelona, beach, breakfast, love, me, n, photos, vacation

Barcelona Part. I
I've been back 1 week, 4 days and 16 hours - figured it's time for an update.

Barcelona was perfect and here's where I write all about it..


But, as usual, the story starts with ginkth

The week without Nigel was weird, it's been a LONG time since I've had the apartment to myself and I was sure I'd be out every night, instead I read a lot of books and ate a lot at home. I missed him.
rijjer picked me up Saturday evening and drove me to the airport (much to my kitties dismay, though malamaca & rouis did a fabulous job loving them while I was gone)


Airport food, you know I love it. This was dinner #1.

I made a friend while I waited for British Airways, flight something or other, departing Vancouver for London around 7:30pm.. my friend, it turned out, was waiting at the wrong gate - but we chatted a bit about Portland and flying alone and whether or not to take advantage of the free on-board booze.

While I waited to board..




A Holga photo! (the first of 11)

The flight to London was nearly perfect. I had a window seat, next to a slim (and thats important on a flight like this,) young girl, who didn't do much talking. I ate another dinner, I drank, I mixed gravol with booze, I watched a movie passed out. In the morning, I was in London and the flight crew was passing out breakfast.



I had a three hour layover in London before my flight to Barcelona. With my hopes of the Fake Shark boys and Joseph visiting dashed, I wandered around a little, read a little, dozed a little and 'oooh'd' & 'awww'd' over the SIZE of Heathrow Airport.






This is the line up of planes waiting to take off on one of the runways..



By the time I arrived in Barcelona it was 7:30pm - it took another hour to get my bags and get out the arrivals door, where Nigel was waiting for me ♥
We caught a cab and I had my first look at the city & the people and I think I was impressed.. because I forgot to take a single photo.


Monday May, 28th 2007

Our hotel was in the middle of renovations, so by chance we ended up with one of two suites on the top floor - with a deck..


here's part of the view.. (a cat wall!)



Nigel & I wandered up La Rambla to find breakfast fairly early that morning after a hour long hunt for a cafe in the Gothic Quarter. There had been plans to meet his boss for coffee, but that whole area is absolutely INSANE and we just couldn't find it..



~Sangria in the a.m.~



After breakfast our first order of business was a bus tour. Nigel had been on part of it earlier it the week with some of his work buddies and thought it wouldn't be so bad to do again. I think the tour really set a precedent for any other cities I might visit in the future. Nigel pegged it when he said it made everything feel a little less claustrophobic.

I think that since neither of us are really into doing MAJOR touristy things, the bus was a good way to see everything in one day and then figure out what we wanted to go back and see in more detail.






All Gaudi.









We hopped off the bus at the top of a hill overlooking the harbor so we could take some photos and, you guessed it, drink more Sangria..





















There was this amazing gondola that you could take down to the waterfront from the top of the hill, which was our original plan.. but the wind was insane that day and it had been shut down, so we decided that we'd just walk to the waterfront instead of catching the bus again, then grab the subway back to our hotel for dinner & a nap..





















~Back at the hotel~






Tuesday May, 29th 2007



Since we'd only finished part of the bus tour the previous day, Nigel & I walked down through the Gothic Quarter and back towards the beach to pick up where we'd left off.. this area of town was my absolute favourite, neither words or pictures can really do it justice.











That whole part of town ends abruptly when you reach the beach, then it's all palm trees and the new(ish) Olympic buildings, McDonalds & Modern Art. We caught the bus and toured the area..


























they're playing volley ball with NO HANDS!




I took a lot of random photos of apartments I'd like to live in..





The end of the road was Placa de Catalunya, the main square right at La Rambla & a few blocks from our hotel. No matter what time of day we walked through the square, it was ALWAYS packed (with pigeons and locals and tourists and scooters).













Here's where I got pooped on - they apparently don't like to be chased.. :(


The Heineken sign - made figuring out where you were a lot easier.






La Rambla.. never complain about Vancouver's 'busy' streets again.



~Back at the hotel for to rest before the rest of the night~
(and I'm not actually sure what we did that night.. but I'm sure it was lovely)


















Wednesday May, 30th 2007

We got up early Wednesday morning to catch a train down South to Sitges.. a little beach town (and as we later found out, a very gay beach town) about 40mins away. This place did not disappoint and we spent most of the day laying in the sun and dipping our toes in the mediterranean.































We ate right across the street from the beach and it actually reminded me a lot of White Rock, with it's board walk and touristy surf shops and over 60 residents. The Paella was to die for and we ate & ate & ate & ate & ate.. (and watched a tourist have her purse stolen!) before heading back to the beach :)
























This guy looked so sad and I wanted to get closer to him for a better photo, but I figured I was already invading his privacy enough..


LOVE THESE GUYS!



Ta Da! The first half documented.. though I'm missing some parts & photos (the church! Tapas!) - the roll of film hasn't been developed, but I'll post it when I have it.
Stay tuned for Part II...


xoxo