Tag: architecture

image credit: http://www.viator.com

Checking out of my hotel in Valencia, I could find nowhere in the lobby to sit or indeed to plug in my laptop. A short-haired Italian woman wearing heavy-framed glasses and who was likely in her late forties, gave me a contemptuous look and swiftly sat down in the last available space on the strange round sofa-like seating in the lobby. Fine, I thought, and headed off to the Plaza Ayuntamiento, dragging my suitcase behind me. I went into another hotel, the Melia Plaza Valencia, located in the Plaza de Ayuntamiento as they had a much nicer lobby with comfortable seating and floor to ceiling windows that let you see what´s going on outside. The lady working there was polite and friendly, so I thought, right we´ll stay here. I had a nice freshly-made salmon and avocado sandwich and a cafe con leche and then began searching for somewhere to stay in Barcelona. I must say I was quite excited about going to Barcelona as the last time I had been there was in around 2009! Also, I had never arrived there by train before.

Map showing the locations of Alicante, Valencia, Tarragona, and Barcelona

image credit: Google Maps

The train journey was nice and peaceful as the seat next to me was empty and though it was not a silent carriage, most people kept pretty quiet. As we approached Tarragona, I could see the sea to my right and then as the train finally pulled in at Barcelona Sants, I felt a slight thrill at being back in Barcelona after so many years. Coming out of the train station, I was not sure where to go, but knew I needed to find a cafe where I could get something to eat, but also find a hotel as I still had not booked one.

I saw a large cafe/restaurant nearby, the name of which now escapes me, and headed there. I had a nice chickpea salad and a coffee and started searching for a hotel on my laptop. The place was clearly a local hangout and was run by some friendly Chinese guys who kindly showed me where to get a taxi when it was time to head to my hotel and warned me to avoid taxis other than the black and yellow official ones. Ultimately, I decided to try another Vincci hotel, and so I booked the Vincci Mae which is located on the famous and very long avenue that traverses the city of Barcelona, called Avinguda Diagonal.

I headed to the taxi rank which is located at another corner near the train station and joined the orderly queue. I noticed that while it was not cold, it was considerably cooler than in Valencia and that by coming to Barcelona, in just two hours and forty minutes (high-speed train) I had basically left summer and travelled into Autumn. I suddenly realized that it was going to be necessary to wear my jacket and proper shoes and tights! And alas, to put away my flip flops and sandals for the first time since I had left London.

The taxi driver was friendly and polite and the traffic was not too bad, so it only took about 15 minutes to get to my hotel. After checking in, I took a walk along the Diagonal looking in through the windows of the huge stores. Eventually, I got a burger and fries to take away from Five Guys. The weather was cool, but not chilly, and there were several joggers passing by. I noticed when crossing Diagonal, that you have to very careful because they have installed bike lanes on both sides of the street, running along right next to the pavement. So if you just go ahead and cross because you don´t see any cars, well, you could still get knocked down by a speeding cyclist! In my opinion, it´s not a great design and there are not even signs to warn pedestrians (and especially tourists and visitors to the city) that there is a cycle lane there. So, if you are in Barcelona, make sure to look both ways even if you see no cars and that goes for streets other than Avinguda Diagonal as well.

Europa Cafe, Avinguda Diagonal

image credit: Google.com

The next morning, I crossed over to the other side of the street to the stylish looking Europa Cafe, where I had a coffee and a croissant. The service was polite and professional, though you had to go up to the counter to pay, which was a bit unusual as it was not a self-service place.

Leaving Europa Cafe, I turned right and walked along a few yards until I came to a shop that does DHL deliveries that I had seen the night before. I decided to go in to find out how much it would cost to send a package to the US. However, after going in, I saw that there were a few people waiting at the counter and I did not feel like waiting. Also, I felt as if all eyes were on me instantly as I walked in, so, I decided to have a quick look around the store, but did not touch anything. The shop was not very big and sold mainly things like office stationery, so it was not particularly exciting. I made a quick round and headed out the door.

Seconds later, I saw a young woman, likely in her early 20s, walking towards me. She looked possibly Russian, had blue eyes, blonde hair, and was wearing a very bright pink, I would say fuschia, sweater. It was the bright pink that made me notice her and look at her. She looked straight at me and immediately gave me a look with her eyes that seemed to be warning me to look behind me! Somehow I understood her and turned to look behind me.

At that moment, I saw the security guard coming out of the shop I had just left, marching towards me and glaring at me aggressively. I was very surprised. He barked something at me in Spanish which I could not understand. I said. ´What?´He did not respond and kept glaring at me and marching towards me in an aggressive manner, and then came around and stood in front of me where I was standing, to see what I was holding in my hand. All I had in my hand, was my very basic and old Samsung phone that I had bought in Mallorca back in 2016. He was clearly surprised when he saw that all I in my hand was my phone, said´Oh okay´, then quickly turned on his heel and marched back towards the shop. Shocked, I said, ´You thought I took something? Oh my God!´He did not answer, did not apologize or look at me, and quickly went inside and closed the door.

This type of occurrence is actually common in Spain, where certain people assume that if you are not white and are of Indian/Asian appearance, that you must be a Roma/gypsy and there to steal from them. Indeed the way in which Roma people are treated in Spain is highly racist, shocking, and vile. We´ll talk about this more another time.

The Sagrada Familia and Diagonal

image credit: http://www.arup.com

I decided to walk to the Sagrada Familia, joining many other tourists along the way, who formed an almost-procession to the site. It was mostly a straight line, but took a good 30 minutes to get there. As it was a bit cloudy, the lighting wasn´t the best for taking photos. Still, it was great to see the Sagrada Familia up close. I walked around to the front of it to see all the intricate, carved details, and then, feeling a bit nervous about the big crowds and potential pickpockets, headed back towards my hotel.

I stopped at a shop called Natura on Diagonal. It´s a chain that I really like that sells ethnically inspired clothing, jewellery, gifts, and items for the home. However, there were two men trying to fix something in the ceiling and one was standing on a ladder right across from the tils where you pay. The area where they were working was not cordoned off in any way and there were no signs to direct customers a different way. The man bumped into me as he came down the ladder, but said nothing. No apology, nothing.

Sadly, all of this is very common in Spain, where people often bump into you and don´t say sorry, don´t hold doors open for others and let them slam in your face and, no apology. Ofcourse not everyone in Spain behaves like this and some do have manners, but on the whole, this lack of respect and consideration for others is very common. I left buying nothing, and headed back to my hotel.

Note: Health & Safety is a concept that is still quite new to many in Spain. In fact, if you say this to Spanish people, they will often say that they don´t know what you ´re talking about because Spain has very good healthcare (which it does), as they often think that by health and safety, you mean healthcare. Many Spanish people have never heard of the term ´Health & Safety´.

View from the rooftop of the Vincci Mae, Barcelona

After the incident earlier on, I did not feel comfortable as I noticed that whenever I went into any shop, the shop assistants would stare at me and watch me intently as soon as I entered the shop. In fact, the whole time I was in Barcelona, I felt a certain unease and a heightened level of stress, which I definitely had not felt on my previous trips to Barcelona in 2008 and 2009. I felt I was being watched constantly, while at the same time, spent much of my time worrying about my bags potentially being snatched from me. Barcelona is an amazing city and it certainly does have a vibe! However, sadly, it does seem to have gone downhill with regards to cleanliness and increased crime.

After reporting the racist incident to the appropriate government agency, I forced myself to leave my hotel despite the way I felt. I did not feel like going out at all, but thought I really have to make the most of being in Barcelona. I turned right coming out of the hotel and headed down Diagonal and found myself at a waffle place called Goofretti, where I ended up having a stack of pancakes with bacon and honey, along with a pot of English Breakfast tea. It all tasted pretty good. Just after sitting down to eat, I looked up and saw right across from me, some sparkly angel wings (which had a lot of meaning for me, but we´ll talk about that later) on a stylish black leather bag with slim handles, hanging from the back of a stool that a girl with long, black hair was sitting on while chatting with two of her friends.

A Zadig & Voltaire bag similar to (or possibly the same) as the one I saw

Just as they were leaving, I asked the girl where she got her bag from. It turned out to be from Zadig & Voltaire (as you may know, their logo is a pair of angel wings). I ended up having an interesting conversation with the three girls, who around 17 or 18 years old. They were very nice and friendly and also I should say, very smart and stylish. All in all, I found that people in Barcelona dress very well and have great style! In fact, one of the girls was wearing a very cool, chunky, golden choker-type necklace with a large heart locket. She told me that it was from an Italian jewellery store called Vestopazzo (amazingly, just a day or two later, I actually came across a Vestopazzo near Urquinaona, where I ended up getting my niece a necklace (also with a heart but a different style). They make stylish jewellery from silver, recycled brass, and rose gold.

The necklace I got from Vestopazzo

Anyway, getting back to what we were talking about, I ended up telling the girls about the horrible experience I had had that morning and they said they were really sorry to hear about it and that it should not happened, but asked me not to judge Barcelona by it and to give the city another chance. I agreed to do so. We also talked about the over-tourism in Barcelona and how it was affecting their own lives, with rental prices being far too high for them to consider moving out of their parents´homes in future. They also talked about how despite not living in the center of Barcelona, their neighborhoods were starting to receive greater and greater numbers of tourists, which had not been the case in the past. It was lovely to meet these intelligent girls who helped to change my perception of the city. Funnily enough, soon after they left, I walked a little further down the street and turned the corner and guess what….there in front of me, was a Zadig & Voltaire store (which turned out to be one of only two in Barcelona). Ofcourse I went in and had a look, though I did not end up buying anything. However, I do really like their bags.

Plaza Catalunya

image credit: http://www.meetbarcelona.com

After two days on the Diagonal, I moved to yet another Vincci hotel, Vincci Gala, as it was located just a short walk from Plaza Catalunya, a large square which is the main meeting point in the city. It was a good choice as I was able to walk around Plaza Cataluyna where there was a free concert going on. I also went into the Apple Store on the corner to try to get my phone issues sorted out and had lunch (salmon and avocado bagel which came with some hummus and potato crisps on the side and a frappuccino type drink) at the well-known and well-located (though highly overpriced and not very well-managed cafe), Farggi, where I chatted with two elderly ladies at the table next to me, who turned out to be sisters. They had grown up in Barcelona and one still lived there, while the other was just visiting. They were very nice and it was a good opportunity to practice some Spanish!

Mercat la Boqueria, Barcelona

image credit: http://www.througheternity.com

In the evening, I walked most of the way down Ramblas, clutching onto my bag as the area is notorious for pickpockets. Still, it was nice to be in amongst the crowd of tourists and locals, walking this way and that through the Ramblas, just to feel the vibe and hear the many different languages being spoken all at the same time. It was dark by this time and I headed into the busy and bustling Mercat de la Boqueria just off the Ramblas. It has a great vibe and is full of stalls with colourful fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, and all manner of things, as well as many places to stop and try some tapas and many other kinds of food.

Bruma Las Ramblas

image credit: Google reviews

However, in the end, I decided I wanted to find somewhere indoors where I could actually sit down at a table and have dinner in peace and quiet. I ended up at Bruma Las Ramblas and was not disappointed. I think this place is considered to be quite touristy and it´s not cheap, but it was good and the service was friendly. You basically get a table and then go up to the counter and tell the man there which pintxos etc you would like and then he puts them onto a plate and brings them to your table. I must say, I especially liked the spicy breaded king prawns on wooden sticks.

The score

image credit: http://www.espn.co.uk

After two nights at the Vincci Gala, I found that the hotel prices in Barcelona city center had suddenly gone up massively overnight and that it had basically become unaffordable for me to stay on in Barcelona. It turned out that this extortion was due to a very big football match (UEFA Champions League) that would be taking place in Barcelona on the 23rd of October (Barcelona v Munich). And so, I thought… it´s time to head to a new city. I had already been to Parc Guell on my last trip to Barcelona many years ago, so did not go there this time, but it is ofcourse well-worth visiting.

The famous Antoni Gaudi-designed Parc Guell with its gingerbread houses and colourful mosaic tiles

image credit: http://www.barcelona-tickets.com

As I was on the enormous shopping street, Passeig de Gracia, I thought I should see a few shops and a bit more Gaudi architecture before leaving the city. I hesitantly asked a dark-haired Spanish lady if she knew the way to Casa Batllo. She was wearing dark sunglasses and sitting on a bench smoking a cigarette, looking down, and trying to ignore the crowds. She half-looked up and sort of gestured with her arm to show which direction it was in. She looked like she lived in the area and I could see that she was absolutely fed up of the throngs of tourists all around. Frankly, I can sympathize. There were groups of people on guided tours, stopping literally every 10 to 20 meters! I would say that nowadays, there really are too many tourists in Barcelona and the numbers do need to be regulated better.

Sweet baby blue wallet at Pretty Ballerinas

I was just passing a little boutique-like store called Pretty Ballerinas on Passeig de Gracia and saw a very cute, black, patent leather belt with a bow in the window, and thought it could be nice for my niece. I went inside taking my big suitcase with me as carefully as I could, onto their plush pink carpet. Luckily, the store assistants did not mind. In the end, I did not buy the belt as it was quite expensive and not really for a teenager, but I found a very cute, baby blue wallet, which I had to get for my little niece.

La Pedrera/Casa Mila

image credit: http://www.barcelona-tickets.com

At this point, I was getting quite hungry and needed to find somewhere to stop and have a quick lunch before heading to the train station. Without realizing it, I had already passed the point where I should have gone down a side street to see Casa Battlo, but instead, I went down a side street that was right next to the Antoni Gaudi designed building, La Pedrera/Casa Mila. A beige, curvy building with artistic curls of twisted black metal forming the balcony railings. Some way down the street, I came across a refined looking restaurant called Dora Tapas Bar.

Dora Tapas Bar

image credit: Tripadvisor

It was very green inside, with a well-stocked bar and lots of lamps and plants hanging from the ceiling. The waiters were polite and helpful. I had a simple lunch of a nice house salad, some bread with olive oil, and some sparkling water with lemon, then headed off to look for a taxi. As I could not find a taxi, a girl at the tram stop kindly gave me directions to a bus stop where I could get a bus to the train station. However, on my way to the bus stop, I got a bit lost and found myself in front of a five star hotel called The One. (I realized only while writing this post and looking at the location of the hotel on a map, that it was literally across the street from the Dora Tapas Bar where I had had lunch only a short time earlier. So basically, I had done a circle and come back to where I had been without realizing it!)

Anyway, the manager of The One was very polite and helpful and despite me not staying at the hotel and not even ending up having a coffee there, which had been my plan, he very kindly arranged a taxi for me and off I went to the train the station.

Actually, I would say this quite a good thing to do if you find yourself stranded. Head to a five star hotel and they will help you whether you are staying there or not! The staff tend to be trained well and know that it´s important to be friendly, helpful, and professional, no matter who you might be as 1) it reflects well on the hotel and 2) who knows, you might come back there and stay there one day.

In fact, earlier in the day, after leaving Vincci Gala, I had gone to another hotel close by where I had thought of staying for one more night as it was just slightly less expensive. I didn´t have a booking there and as soon as they heard this, the reception staff instantly became unhelpful and aloof. I left and crossed the street to a five star hotel directly across the street and guess what? Despite knowing that I would not be staying at their hotel, the lady at their reception helpfully looked up the way to the train station on a map on their ipad and offered to call me a taxi. (I really should have taken a taxi to the train station at that point, but I suppose I didn´t feel quite ready to leave the city, plus I was getting a bit hungry).

This is the difference between good customer service and zero customer service and unfortunately in Spain, there is just no consistency from one three or four star hotel to another, but in general, I´ve found that the five star hotels usually have good customer service and ofcourse, it all comes down to training which is badly lacking at many service-oriented businesses in Spain.

At Barcelona Sants station, I took a number from the machine (make sure to do that or you will never be able to reach the counter to speak to anyone!) and then spent a full hour waiting for my turn to go up to the counter. During this time, I had no idea whether I was going to head back to Alicante or go on to Madrid, a city I had never been to. However, when my number was finally called and I got to the counter, I found myself saying, ´one ticket for Madrid please!´ Right, I thought, so you are continuing your trip. Yes, let´s go see Madrid!

I decided to wait another hour so that I could pay around 50 euros instead of 70 euros and was able to get a seat in the silent carriage. That gave me time to wander around in a store inside the station called Divers, where I got some souvenirs and gifts for my niece and nephew and a well-made egg sandwich for the trip. The ladies working in the store were very friendly and helpful, which was nice after the horrible experience I had had at the store on the Diagonal.

Onwards to Madrid!

The train journey to Madrid was great. I was impressed by the clean and quiet carriage of the AVE train, its spacious and comfy black leather seats, nice carpeting, wifi access, tray table, and charging points at each seat. I especially liked how smoothly it travelled and that quiet darkness when it goes through tunnels. It felt a bit like being in first class on a plane, except better, as no turbulence!

It was peaceful and ideal for doing some work as there was not that much to see out the window as most of the terrain on the route from Barcelona to Madrid is either flat and just fields, farms, and agricultural land, or lots of low mountains as you get closer to Madrid.

Train route from Barcelona to Madrid

image credit: Google Maps

Just as we were approaching Madrid Atocha station, I asked the young lady sitting next to me working on powerpoint slides on her laptop, whether she might have any suggestions of where to stay and what to see in Madrid. She was very kind and had actually helped me with my suitcase earlier when I was boarding the train, and then just after that, it turned out that our seats were right to next to each other! As it was a silent carriage and she was working on her laptop, I had not wanted to disturb her during the journey (though at one point, I did mention to her a very stange, small, and darkish cloud that was hovering all on its on in the sky above the rolling farmland that we were hurtling past at high speed – she agreed that it did indeed look quite odd!)

The lady told me that she was from Valencia, but that she had been living in Madrid for many years. In the five minutes left of the journey, she very kindly showed me all the main areas of Madrid on a map on her phone and suggested which sites to focus on and where to stay. I´ll tell you all about my three days in Madrid in my next post!