(Once again my camera ran out of memory and the shitty hostel we were staying in didn’t have a computer for me to clear it. All Barca photos are iPhone pics // Mi camara no tuvo más memoria, entonces saqué estas fotos con mi móvil)

After 8 an hour bus journey from Porto back to Madrid, we raced off to Avenida de America in the hope that the Spanish would live up to their stereotype just this once and be running late. We arrived at the bus station literally as the clocked turned 00:00, but in true Spanish style, us being a minute late was actually 15 minutes early. We boarded our 3rd bus of the trip and headed off to Barcelona.

We woke up absolutely exhausted with runny noses and sore throats. We headed out shortly after dropping our things at the hostel to try and make the most out of the day. Our first stop was the famous, Sagrada Familia. We came towards it from the newest side which left me very confused. The newest part of the church looks NOTHING like the original side. I can’t tell if I like the fact that they haven’t tried to replicate Gaudi, or if it just looks like a mad discontinuity. One thing I did find super interesting is that Jesus doesn’t have a face in the crucifix scene: is that artist licence or something deeper? I personally don’t know how I feel about the Sagrada Familia. Seeing the original side of the building, you can’t deny the beautiful intricacy of the facade but as my friend described it, it looks like ‘melting mud’. It’s an impressive building, but not a beautiful one. I didn’t get the chance to go inside, but on my next visit I’m putting that at the top of my list. Maybe that’ll change my mind.

We moved on next to Las Ramblas. I had expected hordes upon hordes of people, but it was eerily quiet. The regular stalls weren’t there and when we tried going to the Mercat de la Boqueria, we found it closed. Unfortunately, we hadn’t taken into account that with this day being Easter Monday, everything was pretty much shut. We attempted to go to Park Güell too, but hadn’t realised you needed tickets. Defeated, tired and getting iller every passing second, we raided a pharmacy then retreated back to the hostel to rest up for a hopefully more successful following day.

// Después de un 8 hora viaje desde Oporto hasta Madrid. Tomamos un otro autobús hasta Barcelona. Nos despertamos con un resfriado y sin ninguna energía. Sin embargo, nuestra primera parada fue La Sagrada Familia. El lado lo más moderno no parece nada como el original. No sé si me gusta este hecho, porque nadie puede imitar a Gaudi, pero al mismo tiempo parece que ambos lados no quepan juntos. No se puede negar que el lado original tiene detalle increíble y la fachada es linda, pero el edificio no es lindo: es impresionante pero no es bonito. No tuve la oportunidad de ir dentro, tal vez esto habría cambiado mi opinion. 

Intentamos visitar Las Ramblas. Anduvimos entre las calles donde yo había anticipado mucha gente, pero no hubo. Desgraciadamente, fue el Lunes de Pascua, y la mayoría de cosas fueron cerrados. Intentamos de visitar a Park Güell también, pero no tuvimos entradas. Derrotadas, cansadas y enfermas, fuimos a una farmacia y después al hostel para descansar un poco para realizar un día proximo más exitoso.