All posts tagged: Barri Gotic

A Pictorial Tour, Part two.

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Here are the second batch of photos from our trip, again in no particular order.   A commemoration and a tribute to the sacrifices made! The Abbey, Mont St. Michel. Almost expect a ‘Quidditch’ game to appear overhead!! Lisbon. The Baixo district was the only flat part, surrounded by hills. The very spectacular Sagrada Familia, probably the best building I’ve ever had the pleasure to enter. Pintxos, San Sebastian. Chateau Chambord, Loire Valley. The Loire is full of Chateaux great and small…this is the greatest! Kids fun in Honfleur, Normandy. Opera Garnier, Paris. Haunt of the Phantom of the Opera! Arguably the most famous church in Europe, the majestic Notre Dame, Paris. Amboise Chateau, Loire Valley. Perched high above the river and town, protecting all. Tuk-tuk’s in Lisbon Jeff Koon installation at the Guggenheim, Bilbao. Veules-des-Roses, Normandy Place de la Bourse, on the cover of all Bordeaux brochures. Santillana del Mar, Spain. Most restaurants featured fixed price menu’s similar to this one. The Cathedral at Bayeux, Normandy Etretat, again! The tragic, haunting silence of Oradour-sur-Glane Plaza de …

Barcelona Day Three

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First things first….I’m writing this update under duress, I have just discovered the evil powers of Sangria! So has Rachael, who is having a siesta!! Right! Day three…started with a run amongst the yachts and cruisers of the marina and the Barceloneta, followed by coffee/croissant/fruit salad brekky at the La Boqueria which is growing on us by the minute. A great market place! We spent the rest of the day wandering around the Barri Gotic, La Ribera & El Born districts, which are all tightly bound within the old town. Fabulous laneways filled with shops, bars and historic buildings, including the Santa Maria del Mar Church which is the exact opposite of the Sagrada Familia….dark, somber, foreboding! We thought we had hit the jackpot upon reaching the Picasso Museum to find no queues….and no open doors!!! Not open on Mondays! We had what was supposed to be a quick lunch at the Caterina Market, but turned into an hour long battle of wits between the bored waitress and the cranky Aussie tourist. We became invisible …

Barcelona Day One

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So here we are, 22 hours flight time later, in spectacular Barcelona. It’s hard to believe after all the planning, and the longest countdown clock, we are actually at ground zero. The flights were long, sleep deprived, and incident free except for the toddler next doors occasional vocal impressions. Bang on schedule we touched down, bags turned up, sim for phone organised and taxis everywhere. First port of call was the city baggage locker to store ours for a few hours, then down La Rumblas to La Boqueria food market, a huge colourful array of all manner of fresh produce from seafood, meats of all description with a strong “pig” influence, through to fresh fruit and sweet delights.      Main interest for us centred around caffeine, which was dutifully satisfied, with a croissant accoutrement! Afterwards we wandered the aisles checking out all the wonderful produce on display, from those we knew to the strange and wonderful.      Next stop was the Barcelona Cathedral which is tucked away in the Barri Gotic region, very close to …