Day 4 – Finishing touches

When booking our trip to Barcelona, we couldn’t decide on our accommodation and were torn between 3 places. Eventually cutting it down to two, we decided we could just stay in both. Therefore, today is moving day. We packed, cleaned up and left for our next hotel, leaving our little apartment behind.

Ophelia’s Hotel was very swanky and even had a rooftop pool, although the water was far too cold to get in…yet! We checked in and got ready to finish exploring Barcelona.

A stroll through the Torres Venecianes, past the magical fountain – which of course was closed for refurbishment so no water for Anna – and finally the olympic park gardens, where we managed to get a peak into the olympic stadium.

As we made our way towards ground level again through the cascading gardens and paths, we stopped for our lunch with baguettes again and continued our long walk to the nearest metro.

Our ‘hike’ took us most of the day and we now had to take the metro to Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau – a former hospital that had now taken on the role as a museum/historical area. Luckily for us, it was pretty empty and we were the only tourists for a large part of the self-guided tour. Despite the eeriness and something resembling The Walking Dead, it was quite cool and it impressed Anna.

It was finally time to tick off the final tourist attraction in Barcelona, saving the best for last, Sagrada Familia. Yet again, we booked our tickets online and this time it actually worked! The unfinished Basilica is due to be finished in 2026 and as we entered, the hammers and drills echoed famously around the large interior, a bit like listening to a basketball match in a gym hall.

Although the exterior was brilliant and impressive, the large empty interior was too modern to match the outside. Gaudí designed everything from the walls to the pews and by looking at the pews he designed in the 1900’s, he would be rolling in the crypt at the current pews. The mosaic windows were beautiful however so fair play for that.

We had enough time to catch the metro back to our hotel to freshen up and change before heading out for dinner. Anna had found 2 restaurants that we should go to and so we headed to the marina. We were entertained by a start up rapper on the metro who serenaded the carriage with his Spanish rap and we even witnessed a tv show/movie being made. Rain machines and a red ferrari, we watched a couple of scenes before finding our restaurant.

Anna’s first choice was a very high end restaurant with a piano player, very high prices and a strict dress code. On to the next one then. Jai ca is a local cafe-like tapas restaurant and we were the only non-locals there. As with local places like this though, it was really nice!

A few drinks later to pass the night as we explored the marina, it was time to get the metro back home, only that it closes at midnight. After waiting for almost 20minutes and downloaded bus timetables just in case, we finally got a taxi home to our hotel, ready for bed after yet another long day of walking and sightseeing!