24 hours in Barcelona
No matter how high the mercury climbs, Barcelona oozes culture and cool, writes Stacey Kirk.
Aheady mix of dynamism and insouciance can be found on the streets of Barcelona. In a city that waits for no one, going at your own pace is the remedy with a side-prescription of sangria for the heat.
What’s fuelling Barcelona right now? Politically, it’s fierce independence. Or, depending on how you look at it, a fierce patriotism that’s not always focused in the same direction.
When I visited Barcelona, courtesy of Trafalgar Tours, we were five months out from the referendum for Catalan independence that sparked riots, protests and most recently a warrant for the arrest of the autonomous region’s leader.
But the beat of Barcelona was unmistakably one of peace, progression and ‘‘live and let live’’. It’s a packed city and frustrations exist over the number of tourists, but only because it’s so good.
It’s Spain, no one’s up right now. Sleep for another hour. All right, all right, you’ve only got 24 hours and this is a city to get lost in, so best get cracking. Have a light breakfast at the hotel. You’ll need to eat, but it can be tough finding a place that’s open at this hour. Spaniards eat late and don’t usually start before 10am.
Your first port of call will be Park Guell, architect Antoni Gaudi’s masterclass, designed to for walking through and taking in his unique style. With flamboyant curvature and an intense display of detail and colour, the park is something to behold and when the sun is low and the light warm, the landscape views of the city seen from the park are picture-perfect.
Tickets prices: 7 euro a person if pre-purchased online, 8 euro at the gate. You pick a scheduled time to visit the packed-out park, the earlier the better.
Gaudi is an intrinsic part of Barcelona; his architectural stamp is everywhere and to really get a sense of the city, and why he and other artists were so drawn to it, a reasonable amount of Gaudi must be consumed.
So the next stop is Sagrada Familia: Gaudi’s personal testament to vision, faith and (no one seems to admit it but) a major dose of ego. The twisting, multispired church has been under construction since 1882 and Catalans are hopeful it will be finished by 2026.
It’s jaw-droppingly impressive and for the travelling Kiwi, it’s a particular point of pride to note lead architect is New Zealander Mark Burry.
Booking online for Sagrada Familia in advance is a must. Ticket prices range from 14.80 euro for the basilica, to 19.80 euro for the basilica and towers. Lunch time (for most tourists, GUSTAU NACARINO Spaniards eat about 2pm). Catch a cab from Sagrada Familia to La Rambla, a tree-lined pedestrian mall stretching for more than a kilometre between the central Plac¸a de Catalunya and the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell.
It’s a vibrant arcade filled with stalls and food, but your destination is a twisting iron gate about half way up. It’s the gate to La Boqueria, a sensory overload. The sights, smells and colours on offer at Barcelona’s largest food market are an overwhelming, sensory experience.
It’s a tourist magnet, for obvious reasons, andperfect for capturing one of those vivid Instagram shots. But leave with some produce in your hand. Gawping tourists wandering idly through and snapping pictures must frustrate the heck out of vendors trying to make a living. There are bars all around La Boqueria and by now, you deserve a beer. Find a bar, sit, and rest for a bit, preferably outside. Nearly all the bars in this area are hip enough to ensure you can’t go wrong on atmosphere. Order some tapas and watch the world go by.
Don’t miss Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter – it’s a maze of stonework, towering walls, narrow cobblestone alleyways and gargoyles. History in every stone crack and one of the most important Picasso exhibitions in Europe that I managed to find, hidden somewhere in the middle. Beautiful shops scattered throughout, the Gothic Cathedral in the centre and a mire of performers and artists on every corner.
All that man-made history is really what makes any part of Europe so special. There’s just something about a 700-year-old church that makes a travelling Kiwi feel so juvenile and all the more of an explorer. GONZALO FUENTES ISTOCK
New Zealand’s beauty is that it’s rugged, natural and untouched; strolling past a building that predates your country’s European settlement by at least half a millennium never gets any less humbling.
Beach time! Plenty of buses head to the beach, but a cab in Spain isn’t expensive and is quite convenient. Pay the minor amount it costs to rent a beach chair (and an umbrella) and park yourself near one xiringuitos – a beach bar – with a good cocktail menu.
There are many good tapas and bars around the beach areas too, so you can stay on until dinner or head back to the hotel and freshen up for some nightlife.
This is when Spaniards think about dinner. Restaurant 7 Portes is one of the oldest restaurants in the city and was a favourite of Ernest Hemingway. They do a good paella, although it’s not a dish the Catalans eat typically for dinner. From there, Barcelona is renowned for its night-life. Your night ends whenever you want. ● The writer travelled courtesy of Trafalgar. 123RF