My trip report of Barcelona. I will add pics in a bit, edited from another forum. Currently working on Rome/Florence

We were in Barcelona June 7 -11, when it decided to rain in Spain even though we were not on the plains:-).

Day 1- We arrived early from Vienna and got going. For ease and comfort we decided to take a cab (more on the later). After getting set-up in our lovely apartment, we headed to the Las Ramblas. Yeah, I know this is a tourist trap but I am a tourist. It was crowded with people everywhere, but I liked the feeling I was some place different. It was a great place to people watch, enjoy an ice cream, check out the market, performers and artists. . Before long we got back to Placa de Catalunya to catch the HOHO tour. With limited time, we thought this was the best way to see more of the place and take tons of pictures. We loved the top deck and looked forward to going on the second day. We bought ticket for the 2-days tour. The rest of the evening we went grocery shopping and Oh yes, it rained.

Day 2 - Oh this did not go as planned. We got to Sagrada Familia without tickets, but at a time I thought the line would be short. At 9 am the line went on forever. With rain in the air, we decided to take a cab to Parc Guell. We would try to buy the SF tickets on line for another day. We spent a few hours enjoying and exploring the park, which was wet from the rain from the pervious day. Later we took bus # 24 to Passeig de Gracia and visited Casa Mila, then enjoyed lunch. The kids were tired so we headed back to the apartment to rest before going to Casa Batllo. I was not sure about this excursion because of the price. Gladly I got great advise and was so glad we did. We really enjoyed spending time here. From there we did the second part of the HOHO tour, you guessed before the rain.

Day 3 - Trip to Figueres and Dali Museum. We really looked forward to the Dali museum. My hubby is a huge Dali fan and I promised to the open minded. I am not sure if I get Dali but I was impressed, and his work has left an impression (heart pendant and Mae West). We spent most of the afternoon strolling and enjoying the town of Figueres. No plans to see anything, just sat, enjoyed lunch, drank a beer, and watched the kids played in the park. We later returned to Barcelona to stroll Las Ramblas before exploring the Gothic Quarter, which I loved. Late in the evening we went to the fountain for the magic show...lovely. Today, no rain.

Day 4- we decided to order ticket on line for Sagrada Familia and started our morning here, in the rain. We had read reports about construction but to our delight there was none. We got there early before the tour buses and have a real feel of the place before the crowd came pouring in, like rain. Next, in the rain, we headed to the Picasso Museum. While there it rained heavily, but we ventured out to look at the very narrow streets and shops, in the rain. We spent the afternoon napping and planning the next leg of the trip, which was Rome, after returning to Vienna. In the evening, after the rain, I strolled down Passeig de Gracia, and Diagonal, taking in the beautiful buildings, café, boutiques and the wonderful feel of the neighborhood. We walked down 30(?) Passeig de Gracia to Paca Vaca, a buffet, for dinner. It was 10 euros with a small drink included. It was beautiful to seeing the avenue lit up and glowed from the lights.

Day 5 - Time to head back to Vienna for down time before Rome/Florence. We planned on using the train to the airport but got a late start. We got to the train station but ended up catching a cab to the airport. Maybe it was my suspicious mind from our previous experience with the cabby, but I swear this guy slowed down at every light, even thought it was early in the morning with NO traffic. We had a barely used T-10 card and gave it to a passenger at the station, since it would have been of No use to us.

Mishaps - We were ripped off by the cabby taking us from the airport . I got out of the cab, focused on getting my bags and keeping an my eyes on my kids. I trusted, as I have done on previous vacations, to get the correct change back, but I didn’t. Later, we got pickpocket in the Metro. An older gentleman blocked my hubby and took the train tickets out of his pocket then dropped them. After deciding I was too stupid to keep an eye on my surrounding, the next stop, my kids, my pocket book, enjoy the train musicians, and hold on to keep my balance, I resorted to carrying a few euros and a credit card in my bra. All went well until the items shifted and I panicked. Yes, I went digging in my bussom , in a crowded metro for my valuables. Now, I know why the musicians stopped playing, the trained slowed, and passengers stared. I am pretty sure the possible pickpockets were thinking whatever we did to her, for her to resort to that, was not worth it:-).

We enjoyed every bit of the reasons we chose Barcelona as a part of our first Euro trip. We were mesmerized by Dali, blown away by Gaudi, smitten by Las Ramblas, and taken in by the tree lined and narrowed streets . I enjoyed Barcelona and look forward to returning. However, I was happy to be back in a city where being on such state of alert was not necessary. Despite the rain, we did most of the things we had planned. We missed out on the aerial tram to Montjuic, a few museums to get my moneys’s worth from the articket and just strolling around.

LINK TO ALBUM

http://travel.webshots.com/album/580423778YLJuHs

Sagrada Familia at night: