Barcelona Travelogue

O.K., gang, here's the deal...

Unlike with previous vacation recaps, I'm going to paint with a broad brush and concentrate more on generalities than specifics.

This isn't to say that I won't give details and provide links (as always!), but rather than pen my usual chronological discourse, I'll be writing this post more as a "stream of consciousness" travelogue.

First...

Barcelona is not Spain.

Barcelona is in Spain... she's part of Spain... but she's not Spain - Barcelona is the capital of Catalunya!

In Barcelona - and Catalunya - Catalan is spoken. Spanish is spoken as well - I'm guessing by all - but Catalan is the language of Barcelona as French is the language of Quebec.

Of course in Barcelona and throughout the surrounding region English speakers can get along reasonably well with just a bit of Spanish and plenty of gesturing (many Catalans speak English to one extent or another, at least in the very metropolitan city of Barcelona), but knowing the following phrase...

VISCA CATALUNYA...!!!

...comes in handy as an ice breaker.

(Just be careful how and to whom you share the salute with! It's politically charged; "visca" isn't simply another word for "viva"; rather, the salute "Visca Catalunya!" demonstrates solidarity with the Catalan People in terms of their own sense of historical and cultural uniqueness.)

Mary and I got along well in Barcelona. We did have a bit of an edge, though, since our good friends Jared and Dana actually live in Barcelona along with their two beautiful, bright, and affectionate children, LoRae (just a bit shy of her third birthday) and Davis (14 months old).

Jared is my "adopted" little brother. He was my middle sister-in-law's high school sweetheart "back in the day" when I was a cocksure, strutting 20-something year old. All these years later... we're still in touch... still friends some 20 years after Jared and sister-in-law Eileen parted ways!

Jared's family moved to the west coast sometime around 1990 and Jared went with them. We kept in touch however! One year during the early '90's Mary, Kim, and I vacationed in California and we met up with Jared and a friend of his in San Diego.

When Jared married the lovely and talented Dana, we were invited; that was the trip we flew into San Francisco and spent a week slowly working our way down the coast on our way to Jared and Dana's San Diego wedding.

When Kim turned sixteen, Jared and Dana flew in for her Sweet 16 bash. (Macallan Cask Strength was the "bar scotch" and we finished up with Johnnie Walker Blue!)

Jared and Dana had their first child - Logan Rae (LoRae) - nearly three years back and Mary and I had planned to visit to meet the new addition, but before we could finalize plans, Dana was offered an amazing professional opportunity to transfer from her company's West Coast U.S. operations hub to an expat posting in (greater) Barcelona, Spain. Needless to say she took the job! The got pregnant while over there and Davis was born 14 months ago.

With Davis' arrival we knew it was time to "fit" a visit to Barcelona into the Barker travel schedule. We hadn't met LoRae... now they had Davis too... we just had to make the trip.

So... we did!

This trip was a combination "visit the Kowals" and "see Barcelona and the surrounding area" vacation. And a great vacation it was!

We ate... we drank... we strolled the city... we drank... we visited Montserrat... we drank... we visited Sitges (Jared, Dana, and the kids came with us!)... we ate... we walked La Rambles... we drank... we took the double decker tourist bus... we drank... we mastered Barcelona Public Transportation...

(*GRIN*)

Bottom line... we fit a heck of a lot of activity into less than a week spent in Spain!

Walking La Rambles is a must, as is strolling Diagonal. Barcelona is a big city and since we're talking Spanish street and neighborhood names (as well as landmarks) as well as different elevations, my advice to the first-time tourist there is to immediately head for the double decker tourist buses. In fact, spend the extra 7 euros and buy yourself a two-day pass! This way, day one you can get your basic bearings; day two you can avail yourself of the hop-on/hop-off feature for more leisurely exploration of the city and its neighborhoods.

Dining... just go with the flow. You can of course refer to my list of dining/drinking/snacking establishments (found here) but as I myself found out, unless you're going to literally map out where each establishment can be found in relation to... er... wherever you happen to be at an particular time... but as Mary and I found out, the best way to "find" a restaurant, bar, or pastry shop is to simply walk into any place which is fairly crowded and where it looks like everyone is having a good time!

(One place I will recommend though is Cerveceria Catalana. You just can't go wrong...!!!)

If you're going all the way to Barcelona you've got to visit Montserrat. Period! Likewise, if you're traveling all the way to Barcelona another day trip you've got to take is to the "half quaint, half chic" beach town of Sitges.

(Montserrat is an hour out of town by train; Sitges 35-40 minutes.)

Another place you've just got to visit is... er... the Tibidabo area where I stayed. The only problem is... getting up there isn't as easy "out of season" as it is "in season" - in summer.

Here's the deal: In the summer months all the public transportation options to get up there are open. "Off season" your options are more limited.

Basically, here's the way to get from "town" to the top of Tibidabo where the amusement park, cathedral, and most spectacular views of Barcelona and the Mediterranean can be found:

Find your nearest metro stop. Check out the system-wide map. Look for the the FGC S1 and/or S2 lines and if they're not available directly from the metro stop you're at, take the most convenient (other) metro line which will get you to the FGC S1 and/or S2 line.

With me so far...??? Basically what's complicated is that while the Barcelona transit system is integrated, its component systems are labeled individually. More on this later...

Anyway... continuing...

Once you can hop on the FGC S1 or S2 train take this train in the direction of the Peu del Funicula stop and get off there.

Get off the train... follow the signs for and proceed to the Funicular - specifically the Vallvidrera Funicular.

I know what you're saying... you're saying: "Bill, what the hell is a funicular...?!?!" Allow me to explain...

A funicular is a cliff railway, a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.

A funicular is not a cable car. A funicular is not a tram. A funicular is not a subway car. A funicular is... er... a mode of transportation in and of itself.

So... anyway... hop on the funicular (which is located at the top of the same structure which serves as the metro stop - it's all the same building; you're never leaving the building!) which will take you up the mountain to Vallvidrera Superior.

O.K. Allow me to make this easy for you. The funicular goes up and down. Period. There are no intermediate stops. The lower stop is Vallvidrera "Minor" (though they don't label it as such; rather, it simply coincides with the "Peu del Funicula" metro stop) while the upper stop is Vallvidrera Superior.

(*ROLLING MY EYES*)

It is confusing, folks. And to add to the confusion, there are actually two distinct and separate funicular lines both heading up Tibidabo mountain - located some distance apart geographically - with the other funicular line reached via a different FGC line (L7) and involving taking what's known as "the Blue Tram," which runs between the metro station "Ave. Tibidabo" and the other funicular! This, however, is the route that's only open regularly during the summer months and other peak times. Just FYI!

Oh... and when the amusement park is open... there's also an express bus known as the T-2 which runs between center city's Placa Catalunya metro station and... er... a bus stop adjacent to Gran Hotel La Florida. (Again... the key determining factor on whether this bus exists is whether the park is open or closed; open means bus, closed means no bus.)

O.K., now where were we? Oh, yeah... we've now made it up to Vallvidrera Superior via the open and running all year-round Peu del funicular.

Exit the funicular. Walk out the funicular station doors and emerge facing the street. Turn to your right - to the cross street; the main avenue - and you'll see a red bus stop sign marked "Barre Bus 111." The Barre 111 bus (a "local" minibus) makes its stop there at 20 minute intervals and it will take you on a five minute drive further up the mountain - directly to the amusement park (or alternately to the Gran Hotel La Florida).

Got all that...?!?!

Seriously... here's all you've gotta know: Off-season, to get from anywhere in Barcelona city proper to the top of Tibidabo and back, you simply need a single metro ticket or a single ride's worth of of a multi-ride ticket. Your ticket will be read by the entry/exit turnstiles you'll pass going on the metro to the funicular to the bus as one uninterrupted ride. The entire trip should take you no more than 40 minutes from city to mountain summit or reverse.

Well... that's about it. Had we had more time we would have traveled further abreast of Barcelona city proper. Considering the limited time we had available, though, I'm confident that we packed a lot of sightseeing and various experiences into our trip.

Thanks to the People of Catalunya for their hospitality...!

Thanks to the People of Italy for their hospitality...!

(Screw the French...)

Thanks to our good friends Jared and Dana...!!!

(And thanks again for that outstanding dinner with the fresh pasta and the homemade garlic bread, guys! Thanks for taking us out for our last meal in Barcelona on Friday, Dana! Thanks for all the research and "errand running" Jared! Thanks for the wine... thanks for the cava... thanks for the deli goodies which we stocked our mini-fridge with... thanks for coming with us to Sitges... and finally... thanks for giving us the opportunity to "bond" a bit with LoRae and Davis. We love your kids...!!!)

Thanks to the owners, management, and staff of the Gran Hotel La Florida for providing outstanding value and the makings of a wonderful vacation and beautiful memories.

VISCA CATALUNYA...!!!