What better way to start the morning than with a fulfilling breakfast? Actually, we weren't sure what to expect but we figured it would be more troublesome to find breakfast outside of the hotel anyway, so we dealt with it at Live&Dream. Surprisingly, it was better than I expected. Though they didn't have a large selection, the tiny breakfast lounge catered the necessary: toast, tea/coffee, sliced sausages, fresh fruits, cereal, and a mini fridge with fresh milk, juice and several cups of yogurt. As usual, we took a little bit of everything, filling up the table to the maximum. But no worries, nothing was wasted except that weird hot chocolate which tasted so funky no matter how much water I put in it- or maybe I put too much. Anyway, summary: don't try their hot chocolate powder.
(such a cute & simple set up- love it!)
("That's where we're going tomorrow!" said le sister)
(Yes, we finished ALL that...)
Following what we decided- to purchase the Barcelona Bus Turistic- we headed straight for the nearest bus stop, which luckily was the Barcelona Sants Station. This ticket would allow us to hop on and hop off their looping buses to visit all the must-see destinations. The only thing I didn't particularly like was the fact that it only goes in one directly, so you may have to go through the whole city loop in order to get to the station before- yes, some stations aren't exactly walking distance, so it's not because we're lazy! But anyway, staying near this station was such a brilliant idea because it was close to all kinds of transportation- the train, the metro, and now, our Barcelona Bus Turistic stop. Even better, we were able to pick up tickets for Casa Batlló to skip the line at a cheaper price too! Definitely recommended to do so as the line at the door can be extremely long and, I'm sure you'll agree, there are better things to do than wait in line.
The weather, beautifully sunny without the intense heat, was much appreciated while we cruised on the second deck of the bus. With the signature turquoise headphones plugged in, we toured the city with our very own narrator telling the stories behind that building and those street lamps. It was definitely a good idea to have gone with this so we could learn a little bit more about the city while we save energy (less getting lost while walking) and spend it on the places that we would enjoy a closer look. Upon circling a roundabout centering a decorated fountain and a palace-looking building not far from there, we hopped off to check it out. This fountain held the name Plaça d'Espanya also functioned as the gateway to Montjuïc Park, which we didn't venture into. Instead, we turned to the direction of the Palau Nacional that housed the MNAC (Museo Nacional d'Art de Catalunya). Passing the two gigantic Venetian towers, we couldn't help notice how empty the street was and how perfect the picture would be if taken from the middle of this 6-lane road. So, in the name of tourists, we did what any tourists would do for a nice picture- wandered in the middle of the two-way traffic while taking tons of photos of this majestic building that stood tall on the hill.
(thought: just take the picture first, then find out what is it after :P)
(the two Venetian towers!)
(whoo, that looks cool~ let's go there!)
When I said hill, I meant hill. It was a good 15 minute climb to the entrance with escalators! Yes, there were escalators built on the left hand side of this mini mountain for those who were afraid of stairs- me included after doing I can't remember how many flights. Then, what do you know? It's closed on Mondays. Guess what day it was? Monday. Brilliant. After all that climb, you no open! Fine, at least the view from up top was pleasant. Except, you would think with all that exercise just to get up here, there would be less people. How wrong. Apparently, there was another stop behind the building for this MNAC stop. Go figures! No worries, we could do with more exercise.
(not sure why, but I quite like this picture)
(Thanks to the stranger who tried so hard to cut out that pair of legs...)
(WHY U NO OPEN?!)
Around back, there was a sign that directed to the Montjuïc Anella Olímpica site, where the main stadium, swimming venue, and pavilion for the 1992 Barcelona Games were! (At this point, we realized the items on the map weren't that far apart from one another, but meh, it wasn't a horrendously long walk anyway). Maybe it wasn't such a big deal for my sister, but for someone like me, it was such a goosebump experience. Not sure why, but the Olympic Games always had such a glow for me. It is just as tempting for me to take part as an organiser as it is exciting for athletes to take part as an Olympian. After London 2012, it only leaves me wanting more, but that's another story for another time. Anyway, as I was saying, the thrill couldn't have been more inspiring, and once we soaked up enough excitement, we hopped back on the bus loop, wondering where to stop next.
(not even sure if that was the flame, but meh!)
(where the Olympians battled)
The next section of this loop was not particularly interesting for us, so we relaxed for the next half an hour or so until Pla de Palau. Basically, this was the beginning of the pedestrian shopping district, alongside several Medieval buildings that were sprinkled in the area. Most of them are now museums, hosting various art displays. Definitely a place for the art minds to wander. For Ivy, this was where she began her hunt for some souvenirs. Just as I found a place to have a couple of scoops of gelato, she found a pair of darling earrings locally made by the daughter of the shop keeper. Usually, I would be the nagger when it comes to buying things, but a part of visiting a country is about enjoying all things local, including local cuisine, local art, and local people. So of course I agreed to her splurge. We also popped by a very important place that I would always have on my itinerary for any city- the post office- to buy some stamps. Mind you, I had my eye out for them for the last couple of days, and they didn't seem to be that readily available, so we hunted for a post office instead.
(this had got to be the nicest post office I've ever been to!)
(le Sister wants seafood Paella, le Sister gets seafood Paella)
(remains of Roman defense...still quite the scene as you can feel the power of the Roman Empire extending to various ends of what is now Europe)
As we were cutting short of time, we had to give up on the handmade shoes that le sister was so eager to get. (Sorry babe, maybe next time!) From Barri Gotic straight to Casa Batlló, we skipped the line like a boss, grabbed headphone guides, and walked right into the mysterious world of Gaudi. Why would I use such a word as mysterious? Because that's exactly how the architecture would lead you to feel about him. As if he lived in a whole other world, where his reality was completely different from ours, to have such bizarre stimulants for his creations. Actually, to be exact, it felt like he lived in the sea world. From the windows to the doorways to the staircases to the pieces of furniture, it had an easy flow of waves, just like the water. It's no wonder being in his magical world felt so relaxing, as if all your worries had been washed away. This building also had one of the oldest elevators in the whole country- still functional. How did we know? Because some Chinese mother-daughter pair somehow got their way with using it to travel up the building. (Eh hm, the mother looked completely capable of doing stairs, as she did for the next three flights). But anyway, why should I be at all surprised. Anyhow, they didn't stop me from breathing in all of the atmosphere that Gaudi had created for the Batlló Family- that peacefulness.
(the whale-bone staircase at the entrance of this enchanting place)
(we could cuddle here next to the fireplace when it gets cold...)
(I would like to order a house set of these doorways plz)
(looking out from the front of the building, you could see the details of what makes this particular building almost magical. Gaudi didn't seem to like straight lines, so even his walls were wavy- see next photo. Le sister taking a photo of the cool ventilation system where you simply slide to open or cover the tiny windows)
(possibly what fascinated me the most was how he made things that were traditionally believed to only be a certain way take a whole different form- wavy walls!)
(my picture couldn't reflect the cool design of this hollow column in the middle of the building where looping staircases were built, but the genius part of this is that the tiles darken in color as you move up, so looking up from the bottom, it looks in unison. still haven't figured out why that works...)
(the catenary arches with the sides specifically designed for ventilation- you can't imagine how nice the temperature was even though we were at the top of the building)
(the iconic chimneys of Casa Batlló- don't they look out of this world?!)
(Suppose the tour started from the roof top down, so we took about 8 floors of stairs before we saw the light of day, and guess what? there was actually a life we could have used...OMG. Oh right, about the rooftop, the scene would have been perfect without all the metal fences, but true enough, Gaudi didn't exactly make this the best place for kids to roam around because a simple misstep would have been a straight 8 or so floors fall all the way to the bottom @@")
(it just SCREAMS Gaudi~)
(the rooftop of Le Pedrera, quite similar to Casa Batlló's- duh of course, all by the same master!)
(I want a gate like this! It's so "You Shall Not Pass")
(from the bottom up! Suppose there were only elevators built on every second floor so tenants would have to walk up or down a floor- allowing a more social environment to take place)
The night was upon us and by the time we exited Le Pedrera, I was beginning to get hungry. Initially, we had planned to cover another one of Gaudi's work today- Srangrada Familia. Unfortunately, it takes forever to get in and most people begin to line up an hour before the doors even open, so in light of that, we had decided to head there first thing tomorrow morning. For the rest of the day, we spent wandering the popular streets near Plaça de Catalunya, and had a delicious tapas dinner at Cerveceria. Though, I do have to say, at the beginning I was very disappointed with their services as no one would place our orders for us, but after catching the attention of this grandpa (who seemed to be the owner), we finally got some service. It was all good from there on.
(so many to choose from, omg. one of each plz :) )
(the combinations were endless, and sometimes, you would be surprised what was actually put together in the same collection!)
(that's the grandpa! he just socials with people walking by and then somehow talks them into grabbing a seat~ brilliant marketing!)
(this is a little overwhelming for a vending machine, no?)
It had been a long day indeed, but that's what being an explorer is about! Going places at random, tasting local food, and just going with the flow- like Gaudi did. Next stops: Sagrada Familia and Park Güell!