Bonita Barcelona

Barcelona is all curvy and round and organic. It is Gaudi and it is wonderful. The weather is mildly warm after chilly Belgium. It reminds me of Northern California and its almost perfect climate. We have once again walked and walked and walked, but this week, my legs, shins, have become used to the constant motion and they no longer ache.

Getting in and out of Barcelona, we took 2 different budget airlines. Ryanair flew us in from Charleroi/Brussels and Easy Jet flew us out to Lyon. Both flights were on time and flawless. There are a few ways to get into Barcelona Center. We rode the Renfe train. The directions to find the train are not readily seen, but we found the 2nd floor walkway at the end of Terminal 2 – B (T2B) with the help of an American speaking person. We purchased a T10 card for about 8 Euros, which gives you 10 rides on train, bus, metro or tram anywhere in the city and can be used by more than one person. We swiped the card 3 times and then waited for the train. Our stop was the 4th one and we walked about 4 blocks to the hostel.

Getting off the metro and walking to our Barcelona’s Central Garden Hostel (www. barcelonacentralgarden.com) we stumbled upon the Manzana de la Discordia or Block of Discord with three mansions designed by the most prominent Modernista architects of the early 20th century, Antoni Gaudi, Joseph Puig I Cadafalch and Luis Domench i Montaner.

At the hostel we were greeted by one of the owners, Elisia, who quickly educated us on all of the must see sites. The hostel itself is one of the best I have ever stayed at and is reasonably priced, in a great neighborhood and near a metro. We were able to walk or hop on a tram or bus to see most everything we wanted.

I love Barcelona and it beckons me back.