The next morning we woke up, lethargic, sick and, quite frankly, in a shitty mood. We dragged ourselves up determined to make the most of the day. We jumped on the metro to Park Güell. Coming out of the metro station the sun was shining shining and this was enough to lift our spirits.

Another Gaudi creation, Park Güell was meant to be a residential estate, similar to those in England, (hence the anglicised ‘park’). Gaudi and Güell wanted to create homes for well-to-do families and the planned engineering was fairly advanced for its time. Unfortunately, like the Sagrada Familia, the Park was never finished. Finally, in 1922 the family of Güell offered the estate to the government.
It’s currently undergoing some conservation and reconstruction. We saw people painstakingly painting each individual mosaic of the tiles, which made me think it’s very well cared for and preserves some traditional air. We spent a good few hours just sitting in the sun in the gardens until we got hungry, and let’s be real, food over everything.

// La próxima mañana, nos despertamos cansadas, enfermas y en un estado de animo terrible. Nos levantamos con fuerzas de aprovechar del día. Subimos del metro hasta Park Güell. Cuando salimos de la estación, hizo mucho sol y nos alegró.

Otra creación de Gaudi, Park Güell se suponía una hacienda residencial, similar a las de Inglaterra, (es la razón porque es ‘Park’ en Inglés). Gaudi y Güell querían crear casas para los ricos. Desgraciadamente, como la Sagrada Familia, no terminaron el parque. En 1922, la familia de Güell lo dio al gobierno.
En este momento, se somete a conservación y pudimos ver los trabajadores pintando las mosaicos que significa que hay mucha cuida en este lugar. Pasamos muchas horas tomando el sol en los jardines antes de comer.

After lunch, we wanted to go to the popular lookout spot called Tibidabo, but we soon realised it’s only open on weekends. Instead, we made the 40 minute hike, (this is no exaggeration, it’s a legit hike trail), to The Bunkers. Although I haven’t been to Tibidabo, from what I’ve been told, The Bunkers are far less touristy with the exact 360degree view of Barcelona. They used to be a base for anti aircraft guns during the Civil War and eventually barracks were built around them. With the sun shining and a cool breeze blowing, we were very content to sit there among the birds for hours. But we still had things to see.

// Después de la comida, queríamos visitar a Tibidabo, un puesto de observación muy popular. Desgraciadamente, solo esta abierto en los findes. En vez, fuimos a los Bunkers. Ahora es un puesto de observación, pero antes fue un lugar donde hubo los pistolas contra aviones durante la Guerra Civil Española. Con el sol y un viento suave, estábamos muy contentas de sentarnos para horas, pero tuvimos mucho para ver.

We made the hike back down and took the metro to el Mercat de la Boqueria on Las Ramblas. The Boqueria isn’t like Mercado San Miguel or San Ildefonso in Madrid. It’s a genuine market selling the freshest fruit and veg I’ve ever seen, fruit juices, meat, fish and some artisan chocolate. We ambled along Las Ramblas and onto the Gothic Quarter. We stopped for some dinner and called it a day.

I didn’t quite know what I was expecting out of Barcelona. With everything that’s going on politically, I was expecting a tense kind of atmosphere, with protests around every corner. What I got instead was actually an amicable, warm environment. The city reminded me of a mix of Madrid and Valencia and it didn’t take me long to realise that this is my favourite city in Spain. It has everything Madrid has, but bigger, with a beach. I have a few free days between exams and returning to England, I’m thinking I may have to return to Barcelona!

// Bajamos del puesto de observación y tomamos el metro al Mercat de la Boqueria en Las Ramblas. La Boqueria no es como Mercado de San Miguel o San Ildefonso. Es un mercado que vende frutas y verduras, zumos, carne, pescado y chocolate. Anduvimos por Las Ramblas y después el Barrio Gótico. Comimos y regresamos al hostal.

No sé lo que había anticipado de Barcelona. A causa de la inestablidad política, pensaba que hubiera un ambiente tenso, pero eso no fue el caso. La ciudad es amable. Diría que Barcelona es mi ciudad favorita en España. Parece como una versión de Madrid más grande y con una playa. Tendré algunos días entre mis exámenes y mi vuelo para volver a Inglaterra, pienso que me gustaría visitar Barcelona otra vez!