I got to Barcelona on Thursday after my flight. I stowed my luggage in the train station. I tried to buy my train tickets for the trip to Madrid the following day, but there was too much of a line. I left for the hostel intending to return to purchase tickets on Friday.
After checking in, I headed towards the southern part of the city, between the old town and the coast. I got off and wandered towards the beach. I've never seen a more crowded beach. There were way too many people there.
I continued walking and made it to their Arc de Triomf. There were also lots of people here doing tricks while bicycling, skateboarding, or rollerblading.
I walked around the old town more and then took a long walk back to the hostel.
I was hoping to meet up with my friend the next morning. She was supposed to call me but it never came in. I was thinking my phone had quit working. It turns out she lost my phone number and couldn't get it back. I still had fun going around alone.
I first headed to the train station to stow my luggage and secure tickets to Madrid. The station was once again packed in the morning. I waited in line for the same-day-departures, to find out there was only one ticket left in business for the overnight train to Madrid. I would be paying more and only getting a seat. I decided a bus would be better, so I headed out for the bus office. I waited in line for the national departures, to have the sales person tell me to goto the next building. There wasn't a next building, so I went back and stood in line for the international bus departures, but he said I had to buy it from the other line. Finally I waited once more and got my bus ticket to Madrid. This was all a bit frustrating.
I headed back to the train station to wait in line for the future-departures to go ahead and secure a train ticket from Madrid to Lisbon. I didn't want to be stuck for this trip. The guy didn't speak much English, so I wasn't sure exactly what I was getting (I asked for a bed in the overnight train. It ends up just being a seat, but more on that on the next post).
With all of my travel arrangements made, I headed back out to wander the city.
I walked up and down La Rambla. The famous tree lined streets full of street performers and shops. Lots of people just dress up and sit there. They get money from donations and people taking photos with them. I didn't see this statue, but I wish I would have: http://urbanprankster.com/2008/07/the-golden-ass/
An open air market that I really enjoyed walking around:
I rented a bicycle and went around the city. I went around and tried to get a view of some of the Catalan architecture designed by Antoni Gaudí.
Saint Paul's Hospital:
It ended up being a long and terribly uphill journey to the Güell Park overlooking the city.
And Gaudi's masterpiece: Sagrada Familia. It's still under construction. I didn't realize when I went in I'd mostly be seeing a construction area. It's still pretty though.
Finally I headed out to the bus terminal to catch my overnight bus to Madrid.
The bus ride in itself was okay. I can sleep anywhere, though it's not as restful sitting up. I was asleep right away. However, sometime around 2AM, we stopped at a gas station. The driver made everyone get off the bus for about 20-30 minutes while I guess he fueled the bus. I was really tired and afraid I'd fall asleep at the gas station and get left. This made the trip terrible, and I was a bit exhausted when I arrived in Madrid.
Overall I really liked Barcelona. It's a very pretty city. Though I kind of think there are too many people and tourists there. I still enjoyed it.
All pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/wcleveland/Barcelona
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