My Trip to Barcelona

blurr · 07-May-2006, 20:48

Give you a quick run down on travel costs, it worked out £30 per person, for a return flight flying with Ryanair. The accommodation itself was £21 per person per night for a 3 bedroom apartment. Was the cheapest we could find! Took a train direct from Leicester to Stansted, got a VERY cheap train ticket, £14 (including young persons) return for both of us.

Here's where we stayed...

Balcony

Master bedroom

Spare room with double bed

Spare kids’ room

“Office”

Sitting Room

Kitchen

Bathroom

Hallway/Reception

A 3 Bedroom apartment on the second floor (again), in Poblenou, the place is situated outskirts of the city. The apartment itself is fully kitted out, again mostly with Ikea gear, must very cheap in Europe! The place also comes equiped with a cooker, dishwasher (washing tablets included) and a washing machine. There's a balcony too but not a very good view! As you can see from the photo above. Place comes with a small 14" TV but is fully equipped with 27 odd channels, none of which are English speaking - fair doos. This one had a more homely feel than the Berlin one that's for sure.

Location wise? there are 2 nearby supermarkets, the main one we used, well only one was Condis, the food prices were very reasonable, cheaper the UK. Fruit and Veg are AMAZING, so big, so ripe, so tasty! There were also quite a lot of bakeries in the area, so you could get freshly baked on the day, bread! Top stuff. Couple of internet cafes, plenty of tapas bars and restaurants on the nearby ramblas street (not the main one of course). The apartment was slightly far from the airport 1hr bus journey away from the airport, and it cost us 19 euros for a return trip. So can't complain. We were also 10min walk away from the beach, we did have the option to stay at the beach side apartment, but just through convenience and ease to the metro and shops we chose the more "city" based one. Transport wise, we favoured the metro, cheap, efficient and clean, again putting our own tube system to shame. The metro station was very nearby, less than a minute’s walk away. Took about 10min to get into central Barcelona. You can buy a T-10 ticket, which is valid for 10 journeys, costing 6 euros 65 cent (I really need a euro key/shortcut thing on my PC). Which is interchangeable so you can pass it on to your friend/partner.

I'll bypass the "shopping" side of things, as to be honest I couldn't be arsed/didn't find any decent stores, apart from a couple selling Gay-star. Though there was one store which was near the Cathedral in the city centre, sorry the name escapes me, which was specifically for girls, had some very nice selection of Adidas in there. Alas my girlfriend isn't an Adidas fan so she didn't get anything.

Right as for sight seeing, there's A LOT to see, heck one week didn't give us near enough time to check everything out, especially the mountains (hills)! The hotspots/highlights are La Ramblas, where the Boquira market resides, worth checking out for the fresh fruit/meat/fish/sweets, it's all good!! and very cheap!

Check out the size of this water-“melon”!

“Impressive”

Some other hotspots/highlights:

The Sea front

Santa Maria del Mar ( Church of St Mary of the sea)

Parc Guell

La Sagrada Familia (Temple of the Holy Family)

Palau de la musica Cataluna (Palace of Catalan Music)

Arc de Triomf

Font Monumental

Palau Nacional - home of the National museum of Catalan Art

Torre de Telecomunicacions

Fountain down La Ramblas

What to eat? well as you well know Barcelona (Spain) is famous for it's Tapas. I admit we didn't actually try any, instead we opted for a more full blown "Seafood" meal, ala Seafood platter... and various other things. It's also good for its homemade icecream! There's a place which was near us which was very popular with the locals down the rambla street. AGAIN I can't remember its name, was El something, very good though! It's almost like Busy Work Shop on a Saturday morning, queue stretching metres down the road! Was well worth the wait and the ice cream was top notch! Look how happy the missus is!...

There was also a famous fish restaurant near us which we went to for my birthday meal called, Els Pescadors, very pricey, but was worth it, fresh fish, good portions, wonderful service. It's definitely worth travelling to Poblenou alone to check it out (if you don't happen to be staying in the area).

Yes we were a tad underdressed…

Another good, well priced fish restaurant is La Gardunya which is behind the Boqueria market off La Ramblas. Highly recommend the Seafood platter, 30 euros, but plentiful to share between two. You get a nice variety of fish and alas, freshly caught from the sea which is about 15min down the road.

The seafood platter itself, plus a happy self.

Missus killing a poor tiger prawn…

Another popular restaurant (for the tourists) is The Attic, which is again down La Ramblas, not bad prices but the portions are a bit stingy. Oh and don't go for the Seafood Kebab which is what I went for, yes it's a main course!!

Fresh squid in batter

"Something"

Fish!

MY MAIN COURSE - Angel fish kebab - Angel fish is what Barcelona is infamous for...

Barcelona is a lovely place, the weather is great, the people are nice, the atmosphere is laid back. It has a nice mix of hussle and bussle, city, tourist spots etc and its own peace and quietness, in form of its beaches. Oh and the graffiti there is pretty cool too…

Phew okay I think that covers most of it. Thank you for taking time out and reading my little report, sorry it doesn't cover EVERYTHING, like clubs, bars etc. Going on holiday with a girlfriend who isn't into that stuff kind of puts a damper on those things! Please excuse some dodgy facial expressions/embarrassing/not-very-complimentary photos. But hopefully it'll give you some insight of what Barcelona is like. I'm really dreading to do a write up for when I go to Malaysia and Hong Kong and Japan this summer.

EDIT: Updated with a few more food photos!

cunning-stunt · 07-May-2006, 20:55

Nice read blurr m8. Been to Barcelona twice and think it's an amazing place.

aird · 07-May-2006, 20:56

did you not get any pics of the fountain at night?

Dogma · 07-May-2006, 21:01

You didn't go to the Nou Camp?

The Dark One · 07-May-2006, 21:02

You're brave, eating the seafood in Barcelona. I tried it a few years back and I'm sure they served me a wellington boot :/

blurr · 07-May-2006, 21:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogma

You didn't go to the Nou Camp?

No. Ashamed to say we just didn't have near enough time, we missed out a lot of other "hotspots". Next time maybe next time...

Napoleon · 07-May-2006, 21:03

Nice thread, wet my appetite for my trip there in a month's time. Will definitely check some of that stuff out rather than just sleeping all day like I did the last time!

Dogma · 07-May-2006, 21:12

Apparantly it's an architectual masterpiece.

I went to the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid last week, and that was a real sight, and the Nou Camp is meant to be better!

aird · 07-May-2006, 21:15

never been to the bernabeu, but been to the Nou Camp or Camp Nou as the locals call it. It truly is an amazing stadium. It had a massive nike shop in it, and that seemed to be under the stadium. It was weird

Napoleon · 07-May-2006, 21:16

I intend to go to the Camp Nou, I've heard the museum type stuff isn't up to much and the descriptions aren't in English (though that won't bother me it will bother my pals) but I still really want to see it. Would obviously much prefer to go to an actual game but I'm never there at the right time.

Fucking beautiful stadium tbh.

blurr · 07-May-2006, 21:22

Cheers guys, just added a few additional photos to the original post.

GEFORCE · 07-May-2006, 22:02

Plz someone put O, Rly on the pic called “Impressive” lol.

Rizzy · 07-May-2006, 22:36

Looks like you had a good time mate!

When I went a few years back for my mates stag do, we had a whale of a time. Went to the Nou camp too, that was pretty good. The Architecture in general is awesome as well as the night life and tapas! Got lost one day and ended up on the nudest end of the beash!

Oh and had a great time at the Ba-Ha Beach Club! (sp?)

PS, here you go Geforce

Swank · 07-May-2006, 22:42

rofl

n1 blurr, looks like you enjoyed yourselves

terroristteddy · 08-May-2006, 01:04

sounds good, Alt Gr + 4 for all your euro sign needs!

€€€€€

leady · 08-May-2006, 01:14

Would you believe that I went to Barcelona last week and saw none of those things

but I did see the outside of the Nou camp, it could well be a multi-story (i.e. its impressive from a chopper only)

GEFORCE · 08-May-2006, 17:37

Thx Rizzy made me day.

Raging Bull · 11-Jul-2006, 12:52

Went to Barca/Madrid last year. Stayed to long in Barca and got bored but did manage to see Barca vs Valencia and Madrid vs olympiakos. I like Madrid better especially for the art galleries that were free to get into with a student card. Crazy.

Uncle_Z · 11-Jul-2006, 13:40

*deep breath* Baaarrceloooooooonaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Napoleon · 11-Jul-2006, 14:53

Such a beautiful horizon!!!!1111!111 (I've seen better horizons tbh).

GLoBaL ChiLLaGe · 11-Jul-2006, 14:57

I never been, but looking at those pictures I should get myself there!

Hapless · 11-Jul-2006, 17:57

No pictures (too lazy) but here's a quick paragraph about my visit to Barcalona back in March.

Clicky

milou · 11-Jul-2006, 18:46

I went in Sept. '04: http://milouvision.fotopic.net/c288683_1.html

Jim · 11-Jul-2006, 18:50

I can see your missus' nipple eminating through her top on the bottom right pic. Needed an excuse to stay in. Thanks.

Scrobbs · 12-Jul-2006, 15:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Napoleon

Nice thread, wet my appetite for my trip there in a month's time. Will definitely check some of that stuff out rather than just sleeping all day like I did the last time!

So how did that go, hmmm?

The Big Kahuna · 12-Jul-2006, 19:17

+Rep to Blurr

Just the sort of post I was hoping we would get on here.

Next...

Napoleon · 12-Jul-2006, 19:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norfolk'n'Clue

So how did that go, hmmm?

I went to the Sagrada Familia and saw la Pedrera and the manzana de la discordia! (ok they were all walking distance from our apartment so it wasn't too much of an effort).

07-May-2006, 20:48	#1
blurr fashion victim Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 17,704	My Trip to Barcelona Give you a quick run down on travel costs, it worked out £30 per person, for a return flight flying with Ryanair. The accommodation itself was £21 per person per night for a 3 bedroom apartment. Was the cheapest we could find! Took a train direct from Leicester to Stansted, got a VERY cheap train ticket, £14 (including young persons) return for both of us. Here's where we stayed... Balcony Master bedroom Spare room with double bed Spare kids’ room “Office” Sitting Room Kitchen Bathroom Hallway/Reception A 3 Bedroom apartment on the second floor (again), in Poblenou, the place is situated outskirts of the city. The apartment itself is fully kitted out, again mostly with Ikea gear, must very cheap in Europe! The place also comes equiped with a cooker, dishwasher (washing tablets included) and a washing machine. There's a balcony too but not a very good view! As you can see from the photo above. Place comes with a small 14" TV but is fully equipped with 27 odd channels, none of which are English speaking - fair doos. This one had a more homely feel than the Berlin one that's for sure. Location wise? there are 2 nearby supermarkets, the main one we used, well only one was Condis, the food prices were very reasonable, cheaper the UK. Fruit and Veg are AMAZING, so big, so ripe, so tasty! There were also quite a lot of bakeries in the area, so you could get freshly baked on the day, bread! Top stuff. Couple of internet cafes, plenty of tapas bars and restaurants on the nearby ramblas street (not the main one of course). The apartment was slightly far from the airport 1hr bus journey away from the airport, and it cost us 19 euros for a return trip. So can't complain. We were also 10min walk away from the beach, we did have the option to stay at the beach side apartment, but just through convenience and ease to the metro and shops we chose the more "city" based one. Transport wise, we favoured the metro, cheap, efficient and clean, again putting our own tube system to shame. The metro station was very nearby, less than a minute’s walk away. Took about 10min to get into central Barcelona. You can buy a T-10 ticket, which is valid for 10 journeys, costing 6 euros 65 cent (I really need a euro key/shortcut thing on my PC). Which is interchangeable so you can pass it on to your friend/partner. I'll bypass the "shopping" side of things, as to be honest I couldn't be arsed/didn't find any decent stores, apart from a couple selling Gay-star. Though there was one store which was near the Cathedral in the city centre, sorry the name escapes me, which was specifically for girls, had some very nice selection of Adidas in there. Alas my girlfriend isn't an Adidas fan so she didn't get anything. Right as for sight seeing, there's A LOT to see, heck one week didn't give us near enough time to check everything out, especially the mountains (hills)! The hotspots/highlights are La Ramblas, where the Boquira market resides, worth checking out for the fresh fruit/meat/fish/sweets, it's all good!! and very cheap! Check out the size of this water-“melon”! “Impressive” Some other hotspots/highlights: The Sea front Santa Maria del Mar ( Church of St Mary of the sea) Parc Guell La Sagrada Familia (Temple of the Holy Family) Palau de la musica Cataluna (Palace of Catalan Music) Arc de Triomf Font Monumental Palau Nacional - home of the National museum of Catalan Art Torre de Telecomunicacions Fountain down La Ramblas What to eat? well as you well know Barcelona (Spain) is famous for it's Tapas. I admit we didn't actually try any, instead we opted for a more full blown "Seafood" meal, ala Seafood platter... and various other things. It's also good for its homemade icecream! There's a place which was near us which was very popular with the locals down the rambla street. AGAIN I can't remember its name, was El something, very good though! It's almost like Busy Work Shop on a Saturday morning, queue stretching metres down the road! Was well worth the wait and the ice cream was top notch! Look how happy the missus is!... There was also a famous fish restaurant near us which we went to for my birthday meal called, Els Pescadors, very pricey, but was worth it, fresh fish, good portions, wonderful service. It's definitely worth travelling to Poblenou alone to check it out (if you don't happen to be staying in the area). Yes we were a tad underdressed… Another good, well priced fish restaurant is La Gardunya which is behind the Boqueria market off La Ramblas. Highly recommend the Seafood platter, 30 euros, but plentiful to share between two. You get a nice variety of fish and alas, freshly caught from the sea which is about 15min down the road. The seafood platter itself, plus a happy self. Missus killing a poor tiger prawn… Another popular restaurant (for the tourists) is The Attic, which is again down La Ramblas, not bad prices but the portions are a bit stingy. Oh and don't go for the Seafood Kebab which is what I went for, yes it's a main course!! Fresh squid in batter "Something" Fish! MY MAIN COURSE - Angel fish kebab - Angel fish is what Barcelona is infamous for... Barcelona is a lovely place, the weather is great, the people are nice, the atmosphere is laid back. It has a nice mix of hussle and bussle, city, tourist spots etc and its own peace and quietness, in form of its beaches. Oh and the graffiti there is pretty cool too… Phew okay I think that covers most of it. Thank you for taking time out and reading my little report, sorry it doesn't cover EVERYTHING, like clubs, bars etc. Going on holiday with a girlfriend who isn't into that stuff kind of puts a damper on those things! Please excuse some dodgy facial expressions/embarrassing/not-very-complimentary photos. But hopefully it'll give you some insight of what Barcelona is like. I'm really dreading to do a write up for when I go to Malaysia and Hong Kong and Japan this summer. EDIT: Updated with a few more food photos! __________________ + myembers \| + scoute.org Last edited by blurr; 07-May-2006 at 21:17.

07-May-2006, 20:55	#2
cunning-stunt spam tbh Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 913	Nice read blurr m8. Been to Barcelona twice and think it's an amazing place. __________________ ________________________________________

07-May-2006, 20:56	#3
aird Slowest Man in Rats Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Glasgow Posts: 6,210	did you not get any pics of the fountain at night? __________________ LastFMinator

07-May-2006, 21:01	#4
Dogma On. Fire. Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Your Face. Posts: 7,291	You didn't go to the Nou Camp? __________________ Energizer Bunny arrested; charged with battery.

07-May-2006, 21:03	#7
Napoleon 8===D~~~ Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: BO-T Posts: 10,972	Nice thread, wet my appetite for my trip there in a month's time. Will definitely check some of that stuff out rather than just sleeping all day like I did the last time! __________________ Batman Beings was followed up by The Dark Knight one of the rare movie gems where the squeal tops the previous.

07-May-2006, 21:02	#5
The Dark One meh Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 7,787	You're brave, eating the seafood in Barcelona. I tried it a few years back and I'm sure they served me a wellington boot :/

07-May-2006, 21:12	#8
Dogma On. Fire. Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Your Face. Posts: 7,291	Apparantly it's an architectual masterpiece. I went to the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid last week, and that was a real sight, and the Nou Camp is meant to be better! __________________ Energizer Bunny arrested; charged with battery.

07-May-2006, 21:15	#9
aird Slowest Man in Rats Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Glasgow Posts: 6,210	never been to the bernabeu, but been to the Nou Camp or Camp Nou as the locals call it. It truly is an amazing stadium. It had a massive nike shop in it, and that seemed to be under the stadium. It was weird __________________ LastFMinator

07-May-2006, 21:16	#10
Napoleon 8===D~~~ Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: BO-T Posts: 10,972	I intend to go to the Camp Nou, I've heard the museum type stuff isn't up to much and the descriptions aren't in English (though that won't bother me it will bother my pals) but I still really want to see it. Would obviously much prefer to go to an actual game but I'm never there at the right time. Fucking beautiful stadium tbh. __________________ Batman Beings was followed up by The Dark Knight one of the rare movie gems where the squeal tops the previous.

07-May-2006, 21:22	#11
blurr fashion victim Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 17,704	Cheers guys, just added a few additional photos to the original post. __________________ + myembers \| + scoute.org

07-May-2006, 22:02	#12
GEFORCE lolcakes Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Newcastle Posts: 4,214	Plz someone put O, Rly on the pic called “Impressive” lol. __________________ Intel I5 @ 4.0Ghz 4GB DC XMS3 1600mhz Gigabyte GA-P55-UD5 Corsair H50-1 ATI 5770 1GB

07-May-2006, 22:36	#13
Rizzy L331 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Rally School Posts: 6,273	Looks like you had a good time mate! When I went a few years back for my mates stag do, we had a whale of a time. Went to the Nou camp too, that was pretty good. The Architecture in general is awesome as well as the night life and tapas! Got lost one day and ended up on the nudest end of the beash! Oh and had a great time at the Ba-Ha Beach Club! (sp?) PS, here you go Geforce

07-May-2006, 22:42	#14
Swank 1% brown Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Cocks, Cornwall Posts: 6,072	rofl n1 blurr, looks like you enjoyed yourselves __________________ Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like? http://www.chickipedia.com/

08-May-2006, 01:04	#15
terroristteddy posts for a living Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: West Sussex Posts: 4,242	sounds good, Alt Gr + 4 for all your euro sign needs! €€€€€

08-May-2006, 01:14	#16
leady thread or dead Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 3,096	Would you believe that I went to Barcelona last week and saw none of those things but I did see the outside of the Nou camp, it could well be a multi-story (i.e. its impressive from a chopper only)

08-May-2006, 17:37	#17
GEFORCE lolcakes Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Newcastle Posts: 4,214	Thx Rizzy made me day. __________________ Intel I5 @ 4.0Ghz 4GB DC XMS3 1600mhz Gigabyte GA-P55-UD5 Corsair H50-1 ATI 5770 1GB

11-Jul-2006, 12:52	#18
Raging Bull troll Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 218	Went to Barca/Madrid last year. Stayed to long in Barca and got bored but did manage to see Barca vs Valencia and Madrid vs olympiakos. I like Madrid better especially for the art galleries that were free to get into with a student card. Crazy.

11-Jul-2006, 13:40	#19
Uncle_Z pro poster Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 737	deep breath Baaarrceloooooooonaaaaaaaaaaaaa __________________ Who trades his culture for dollars? The fool or the scholar? Griot, Poet, or white collared?" ~ Dälek

11-Jul-2006, 14:53	#20
Napoleon 8===D~~~ Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: BO-T Posts: 10,972	Such a beautiful horizon!!!!1111!111 (I've seen better horizons tbh). __________________ Batman Beings was followed up by The Dark Knight one of the rare movie gems where the squeal tops the previous.

11-Jul-2006, 14:57	#21
GLoBaL ChiLLaGe Bosh! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Derby Posts: 2,684	I never been, but looking at those pictures I should get myself there!

11-Jul-2006, 17:57	#22
Hapless Prince of All Oafs Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sunny Solihull Posts: 4,040	No pictures (too lazy) but here's a quick paragraph about my visit to Barcalona back in March. Clicky __________________ Championing the cause of Status Anxiety sufferers since 1969.

11-Jul-2006, 18:46	#23
milou keeping it elderly Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Coast hugging Posts: 5,290	I went in Sept. '04: http://milouvision.fotopic.net/c288683_1.html __________________ 100% zimmer photoblog

11-Jul-2006, 18:50	#24
Jim runs the company firewall Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 11,337	I can see your missus' nipple eminating through her top on the bottom right pic. Needed an excuse to stay in. Thanks. __________________ I voted "Permanent ban - 2008"

12-Jul-2006, 19:17	#26
The Big Kahuna Fuck RAW Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 10,608	+Rep to Blurr Just the sort of post I was hoping we would get on here. Next... __________________ Dear Blizzard, Paper is fine but stone needs nerfing Yours Truly Scissors .