Location: Barcelona, Spain
Summary: A frustrating hotel breakfast, exploring Barcelona from the beach to Las Ramblas, an overpriced tapas stop, failed attempts to find new accommodation, a visit to Montjuïc Castle by cable car, and an unexpected reunion with Paul on a bus before returning to Poblenou for dinner.
Hotel Breakfast
I got up around 9:00 am, which is late for me, after a relatively good night’s sleep. I went down for breakfast in the hotel restaurant and was immediately unimpressed by the man on the door. I was first in the queue, yet he let every Spanish person behind me in before finally asking for my room number. When I gave it, he told me breakfast wasn’t included. I explained that it was part of our deal, but he insisted I go to the lobby to pay. I refused and made him check again. To his surprise, there was another sheet under the one he was reading with five or six names on it, including mine.
I soon wished he hadn’t let me in. The bacon was all fat, the cheese was sweaty, the cheap ham had bits of bone in it, the yoghurts were furry, and everything else looked too unappealing to try. I passed Paul on my way back to the room, and he returned just as quickly. We decided it was time to look for somewhere else to stay.
Exploring Barcelona
We caught a bus from the beach at the end of the Poblenou Ramblas and walked around for a while, checking out the restaurants and bars we’d been recommended. We walked away from the Columbus statue towards a new shopping centre built over the water and stopped at a bar called Tapas Tapas. I enjoyed my food, though it was expensive. Paul, who doesn’t like prawns, ordered fried prawns and squid, and unsurprisingly didn’t enjoy it.
After leaving the restaurant, we looked for a shop where I could buy some cheap sandals, but everything nearby was an expensive boutique charging ridiculous prices. We headed back towards the Columbus statue and Las Ramblas.
We walked through Las Ramblas but only found tacky tourist shops, junk stalls, and overpriced tapas bars. Paul suggested looking for a new hotel, so we checked one out, but it was extremely expensive. I wanted to see the room before agreeing to pay extra to move to Las Ramblas, which I didn’t even like. The room we were shown wasn’t much bigger than the one we already had and had no extra amenities. I think Paul was upset when I said I wouldn’t move, I wasn’t paying more for something no better.
We continued walking around Barcelona, through Parc de la Ciutadella, and then took a cable car up to Montjuïc Castle near the harbour. Strangely, the cable car cost €7, more than the €5 entry to the castle. The castle itself was interesting and had great views of the surrounding area. We stayed for a beer in a lovely outdoor bar inside the castle grounds.
After leaving Montjuïc Castle, we walked to the other cable car station, the one that goes down over the docks and then to the pier and beach area. I decided to take it down, but Paul preferred to walk. We agreed to meet back at the hotel, and I jumped on the last cable car of the day. It was a much better ride than the first, with great views of the docks and beach.
When I reached the bottom, I walked along the beach for a while, watching girls play netball, before heading to the main road to catch a bus as my feet were aching and legs swollen and in pain. After about 15 minutes, a bus arrived, and I got on, only to find Paul sitting at the back. Of all the Metro trains and buses in Barcelona, he had to end up on mine.
We walked back to the hotel, had a quick wash, and went out to try last night’s restaurant again. Paul ordered chicken, and I ordered the rib‑eye with peppercorn sauce again. I was served a giant T‑bone, but this time I ordered it rare and got it exactly how I liked it. While we were drinking a beer, we heard a marching band go by and ran outside to watch, but it was only one band, not a parade. We finished our drinks and headed back to the rabbit hutch, as we had an early trip to Montserrat in the morning.
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