2 posts tagged “barcelona”
We were very slow getting ready this morning. The mummies all had their first lie in in about 5 years! People were again seen reading magazines and a threat was made to hide them all.
We caught our obligatory cabs into Barri Gotic (the older part of the city). We headed off down La Rambla, which is the main strip full of stalls selling animals and flowers and living statues (people dressed up as things). Terrible place for pick pockets but we were fine.
We took a detour into Mercat de La Boqueria which was just mind blowing! It is a market selling everything you can imagine (yes I have photos!). There were fruits I have never seen before in my life and my parents used to own an exotic fruit nursery so that's saying something! We all did an about face when we got to the fish section. Glad it wasn't a hot day......
We headed down the side lanes looking for the fecking espedrille shop. Apparently it has been operating since the 1940s and is quite famous. I got to read their brochure (yes the girls did bag some espies, well except for poor Bex) and the guide to caring for your shoes is hilarious. Guess that's why they aren't popular on the coast.
The buildings here are beautiful. No idea what architectural style we are talking - possibly a mix of a few different influences, but some laneways wouldn't look out of place in a film.
**laneways
Given the size of our group we did surprisingly well to not get lost. Michelle bought some expensive sunglasses and it came with a lunch recommendation, so off we went to Talle de Tapas for the real thing....
This time we got the waiter to pick for us and the food was delicious! Real tapas (I think?) Certainly no safe vegetables! This lunch cost us pretty much the same as yesterday too - go figure. Not sure if I mentioned this before but everyone eats very late over here - lunch no earlier than 2 and dinner no earlier than 8. You'll see tiny kids out till all hours at a restaurant with their parents.
On our way back to the penthouse we decided to organise a dinner booking at Port Olimpic. This is obviously where the Olympics were held back in (1992?) and there is a huge harbour with restaurants and clubs around it. I left the girls to organise a restaurant and stayed up on the boardwalk watching the beach vollyball games. It was about 6.30pm but still warm enough for the beach to be full.
(**port/beach photos)
We headed back to the Penthouse to change. There was a bit of fun on the way back out when unnamed parties in our group cottoned on to a couple of young (Swedish) bucks on level 16. One of them was even brave enough to leave his number with us. They looked about 16 and it was only 1 of the 3 that everyone took a shine to. Oh how shallow girls can be!.
When our new cab drivers came to pick us up the swarthy one driving ours played the whole 'you are eating at a place that sells the equivalent of a McDonalds Fish Burger!' So by the time we had travelled 5 mins to the venue he had organised us an instant booking at a much better restaurant - we were even met at the door!
The meals were beautiful but we made the mistake of ordering starters (as well as cava and rose....). Few of us were able to finish our beautiful (and expensive!) meals. We also had some frisky waiters who thought photos we were taking of each other were actually opportunities for them to pose behind the table. There was a huge table of people behind us that we later found out were Hells Angels from Holland, but our favourite restaurant patrons were 2 old nutters dressed up as young lambs. One was a dead ringer for Sylvester Stallone's mother in every way! We all desperately tried to get a photo (without being too obvious) but alas.....
After dinner we didn't stagger very far to a club bar along the walk called Celebrities. A bit of an eye opener! Scantily clad girls on poles and a half naked podium dancing man. Oh and what looked like a lap dancing room!
What happens on tour stays on tour, but what the hell! Before the night was over we had danced and touched the half naked greasy dancer (someone also gave him roses!), had him seductively pull down his pants for us (thank god for the male g-string!), done tequila shots (someone even passed out for a bit - not sure who!), tongue pashed Elvis, danced in front of the lap dance room and had photos taken with strange men (refer to evidence below):
**
Half of us got home at 2 and the rest about 3. The latter half of the group apparently went looking for the boys on level 16 before making it to our penthouse suite!
My funniest memory of the night was hearing an aussie classic in a Barcelona bar -
(**Love is in the air)
Having all kinds of computer problems at the hostel here. I am now down to 20 min log on sessions and no option for uploading photos or videos. Typical. And Shane, I swear I had a much nicer email drafted to you. Hopefully you'll cope.
So just to mess with your heads, we take a step back in time......(I'll add photos down the track and have to save and edit in case my 20 mins runs out so bare with me!)
Barcelona 20/4
We were very slow getting ready. The mummies all had their first lie in in about 5 years! People were again seen reading magazines and a threat was made to hide them all.
We caught our obligatory (I have forgotten how to spell since I've been away - forgive me) cabs into Barri Gotic (the older part of the city). We headed off down La Rambla, which is the main strip full of stalls selling animals and flowers and living statues (people dressed up as things). Terrible place for pick pockets but we were fine.
We took a detour into Mercat de La Boqueria which was just mind blowing! It is a market selling everything you can imagine (yes I have photos!). There were fruits I have never seen before in my life and my parents used to own an exotic fruit nursery so that's saying something! We all did an about face when we got to the fish section. Glad it wasn't a hot day......
We headed down the side lanes looking for the fecking espedrille shop. Apparently it has been operating since the 1940s and is quite famous. I got to read their brochure (yes the girls did bag some espies) and the guide to caring for your shoes is hilarious. Guess that's why they aren't popular on the coast.
The buildings here are beautiful. No idea what architectural style we are talking - possibly a mix of a few different influences, but some laneways wouldn't look out of place in a film.
Given the size of our group we did surprisingly well to not get lost. Michelle bought some expensive sunglasses and it came with a lunch recommendation, so off we went to Talle de Tapas for the real thing....
This time we got the waiter to pick for us and the food was delicious! Real tapas (I think?) Certainly no safe vegetables! This lunch cost us pretty much the same as yesterday too - go figure. Not sure if I mentioned this before but everyone eats very late over here - lunch no earlier than 2 and dinner no earlier than 8. You'll see tiny kids out till all hours at a restaurant with their parents.
On our way back to the penthouse we decided to organise a dinner booking at Port Olimpic. This is obviously where the Olympics were held back in (1992?) and there is a huge harbour with restaurants and clubs around it. I left the girls to organise a restaurant and stayed up on the boardwalk watching the beach vollyball games. It was about 6.30pm but still warm enough for the beach to be full.
We headed back to the Penthouse to change. There was a bit of fun on the way back out when unnamed parties in our group cottoned on to a couple of young bucks on level 16. One of them was even brave enough to leave his number with us. They looked about 16 and it was only 1 of the 3 that everyone took a shine to. Oh how shallow girls can be!.
When our new cab drivers came to pick us up the swarthy one driving ours played the whole 'you are eating at a place that sells the equivalent of a McDonalds Fish Burger!' So by the time we had travelled 5 mins to the venue he had organised us an instant booking at a much better restaurant - we were even met at the door!
