Finally Barcelona

Gaudi Park.

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  Of all the big cities in Europe, Barcelona was the one that had always managed to escape my travel itineraries. It wasn't on purpose however. So it was only a matter of time before I got there. After four flawless days on Sardegna, I was finally on my way to Barcelona.

  That Friday morning was the epitome of breakfast on the go. We had, at the last minute, decided that the best way to get our bearings in the city and see a few major sites, was to join a bike tour. But in order to make the bike tour, Linda and I needed to be in the city center by 10 am.

  We grabbed a few things at the market below our hotel, and made our way to the subway.

  Little did we know, however, that we needed to make a reservation for the bike tour. So when we got to the meeting point, there was no one from the tour company to be found! The bike tour was supposed to last for four hours, so we had planned for our morning and afternoon to be occupied riding bikes and learning the lay of the land in Barcelona.

Beautiful boat in the harbor.

  Guess we had to go with Plan B. Plan B that we didn't have! Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket.

  We had to adjust on the fly, and come up with something to do without really knowing where we were, or where we were going. So we started walking, to see what we would come across.

  We ended up at the Port (I guess we couldn't get enough of the beach, after all), and made our way through Barceloneta.

  There was a lot of action in Barceloneta. Hoards of guys working out on bars on the beach, roller-bladers, runners, fishermen, boats coming in and out of port, and of course, tourists. But we had just spent four days on the beaches of Sardegna, so it was time to see something different.

Barceloneta.

  Linda and I planned to go back before our time in Barcelona was up though. Because both of us needed one more relax day at the beach before our vacation was over.

  We decided La Sagrada Familia would be our first stop.

  We must have taken the wrong exit out of the subway, because when we set foot onto the street, there was nothing in sight that resembled anything as breathtaking as La Sagrada Familia was supposed to be.

  OR, we were just facing the wrong direction. After looking at our map, and trying to figure out which way we were supposed to go, Linda looked up behind us, and said 'whoa, what is THAT?'

  There was La Sagrada Familia!

La Sagrada Familia.

  You can call that our American tourist moment. Not knowing where we were, what we were supposed to be looking for, or what it even looked like.

  The temple was crawling with sight-seers and tourists. And with good reason. The cathedral, designed by Antoni Gaudi in the late 1800s and early 1900s, is incomparable to any other church I've ever seen. A very spectacular sight.

  La Sagrada Famlia actually, remains unfinished. It was less than a quarter complete when Gaudi died in 1926. Then, construction was interrupted during the Spanish Civil War. Now it's progressing slowly towards completion, and the year 2026 is the target date -- the centennial of Gaudi's death.

  Don't get mad, but we didn't go inside the church. Too many people, and too long of a line for my liking. But it certainly was amazing to see.

  After a quick bite to eat, our attempt at being tourists continued. So we walked, and walked, and walked. First to the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, and then on up the hill to Gaudi Park (Parc Güell).

Kids playing hoops in the Gràcia district. 

  Since there didn't seem to be a subway stop that was very close to the park's entrance, we decided to walk the entire way. About two miles (mostly up a steep hill) and an hour later, Linda and I finally arrived at the entrance of the famous park, sweaty, hot, and tired.

  Through our walk, we did get to see a different side to Barcelona. We were definitely off the beaten tourist path. It was where locals lived, and where kids were walking home from school. They probably wondered what we were doing walking through their streets. It was a long and tiring walk. Both Linda and I were hoping the park would be worth it.

  Gaudi Park was worth that long, tiring walk...and then some.

  What a spectacular place! Another design by Antoni Gaudi, the 42-acre park is made up of gardens, unique structures, fountains, and since it sits atop the hills of the Gràcia district, incredible views of Barcelona.

Gaudi Park.

  We walked through the grounds of Gaudi Park, though we hardly covered it all. It's the kind of place that you could go to every day for a month, and still see something new every time you visited. Something unique and beautiful at every turn.

  After exploring the park, Linda and I were in desperate need of a little rest before heading back out for some famous Spanish tapas. So we made our way back to our hotel in the Sant Martí district.

   For tapas that night, we took a friend's suggestion and went to Princessa 23 in Barri Gotic. While we were there a little earlier than the Spaniards usually eat dinner, the atmosphere was still fun, and the food was good.

Tapas!

  I tried salmon (smoked) for the very first time (and was surprised when I actually liked it). Of course, Linda and I tested out the sangria as well. One fun thing to note: though there is music playing, old cartoons are shown on the TVs throughout the restaurant.

  Though we were unprepared, day numero uno in Barcelona turned out to be a pretty good one, thanks to the brilliance of architect Gaudi! La Sagrada Familia and Gaudi Park can make any day a productive one as a tourist.

  Stay tuned for the rest of our trip to Barcelona! Enjoy more pictures from day one below!

Hanging at Barceloneta.

Linda at Barceloneta.

Me at La Sagrada Familia.

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau.

Gaudi Park.

Barcelona from Gaudi Park.

Barcelona from Gaudi Park.

Me in Gaudi Park.

Barcelona from Gaudi Park.

Barcelona from Gaudi Park.

Looking the backside of Gaudi Park.

Looking into Gaudi Park, with Barcelona behind.

Gaudi Park.

Gaudi Park.

Gaudi Park.

Gaudi Park.

Gaudi Park.

Entrance of Gaudi Park.

No, I'm not in Paris.

Arc de Triomf.

From Alghero to Barcelona

Last day to enjoy that beautiful view!!

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  Day four, sadly, was our last in Sardegna. Linda and I would be moving onward to Barcelona, a city I had had my eye on for several years, that evening. Even though I desperately wanted to visit Barcelona, I had thoughts of ditching the Spanish city, and staying in Alghero a few days longer.

  Sardegna had been prefect. And there was still so much to be seen on the island (and so many more hours relaxing on the beach!). But we stuck to our itinerary, and would be getting on an airplane back to mainland Europe that night.

  In a perfect world, we would have visited Barcelona first. Done the sight-seeing, the walking, the 'touristy' things, exhausted ourselves, and THEN gone to Sardegna for some R&R. But the schedules just didn't work out that way (when Ryan Air has flights for 7 euros, you kind of have to go when they say to go)! So we had to bite the bullet, and leave paradise when we really didn't want to (but then again, when do you EVER want to leave paradise?).

  We wanted to soak up every last second on the beach our last day, so we stayed out extra-long for our after-breakfast coffee on the sand. And even though we had to check out at noon, we planned to hang at the hotel a while after that, playing in the water, and relaxing on the beach.

Linda and our delicious focaccias from Bar Milese.

  We didn't have to be at the airport until almost 6pm. So our plan was to have lunch at Bar Milese again (the focaccia was too good NOT to have it one more time!), and then spend some time in Alghero, shopping, and seeing the old city sights: the ancient city walls, the harbor, and the scenic narrow streets.

  The weather that day was the warmest we'd had. Roughly 80 degrees, and you could really feel the difference. Both in the air, and in the atmosphere. Everyone was out on the water, or at the beach.

  In fact, when we ventured into Alghero for our focaccias, followed by an afternoon of souvenir shopping, we found nearly every store closed. And it was a Thursday! I chalked it up to the first really warm day of the season. So everyone closed up shop, and headed for the water. But I could have been wrong.

  None the less, I found a few things to take with me from beautiful Sardegna. With the stores closed we had nothing but the streets to walk and the old city to see.

Sardegna, Italy, and Alghero flags.

  Because of its location on the Mediterranean Sea, Alghero was a fortified port dating back to the 1100s. In the 1300s, Alghero was taken by the Catalan colonists, explaining why you see such a strong Catalan influence in the city.

  We walked around the harbor and the city walls, and enjoyed the last views of Alghero (for the time being, anyways!).

  I hope to visit Sardegna again soon, revisit some of the beautiful sights we already saw, and see even more of the island: Costa Smeralda, Stintino, and any other place that is suggested!

  I can't stress enough how perfect a May visit was -- few tourists, and beautiful weather. I can imagine August on the island gets a little dicey. All of Europe goes on vacation in August, and I'm willing to bet many of them have Sardegna circled as a potential destination.

  I recommend Sardegna 1000 times over. It is, without a doubt, a hidden gem. For those of you in the US, if you get to Europe, make the extra effort and visit Sardegna. You will not be disappointed. And if you're already in Europe, what are you waiting for?!? Get to Sardegna!
 

Me at the Alghero Harbor.

  But onward to Barcelona! As sad as I was to leave Sardegna, I was excited to finally get to see Barcelona. I had heard so much about it over the years, from friends who had been lucky enough to  visit. Many said Barcelona was their favorite European city. So how could I not be excited?

  By nightfall, we were in the hustle and bustle of the Barcelona city center. While it was merely 400 miles across the sea, Alghero couldn't have felt further away. Linda and I were in Barcelona, but it's safe to say our minds were still on the beach at Hotel dei Pini.

  Ci vediamo presto Sardegna ...  see you soon (I hope)!

RELATED POSTS:

Alghero Day 3: Kayaking & Focaccia

Alghero Day 2: Neptune's Grotto & Capo Caccia

Alghero: Day 1

Alghero & Barcelona Teasers

From Hotel dei Pini

There's Capo Caccia again. From Alghero.

Alghero.

From the old city walls.

Alghero Harbor.

Linda at the Alghero Harbor.

Alghero Harbor.

Alghero: Day 3 Kayaking and Amazing Focaccia

Just south of Alghero.

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  Day three arrived in Sardegna, and it was time to get active. Linda and I had talked for two days about renting bikes, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, and so on, but we had nothing to show for it.

  Our morning went just as it had the previous two days: breakfast at Hotel dei Pini, and then coffee on the beach. A nice, relaxing way to start the day off, and a great place to game plan for the day.

  The weather was a bit cloudier than it had been, so we thought kayaking would be perfect. With a light cloud cover, we wouldn't roast in the warm sun, and it wouldn't be too hot to sit out on the water for a couple hours. The waters were calm, so it seemed to be perfect conditions for hanging out, kayaking, in Alghero Bay.

  We found two hours of kayaking for 20 Euros at a place called Ocean Tribe. So we headed towards Alghero to start our adventure on the water. Once we got our 'sea-legs' (I was sure I'd get flipped into the water at some point -- I'm not the most graceful thing on the water), and figured out how to paddle in sync, Linda and I had a good time seeing the sights from the other side of the water. We saw a school of jumping teeny-tiny fish (sardines, in Sardinia maybe???), but nothing else too Earth-shattering.

The boats sporting red flags outside our hotel.

  One interesting thing we did come across were two seemingly remote controlled boats, out in the middle of the bay. They had red flags above them and moved in tandem. Linda and I had no idea what they were (though a CIA spy bot did cross my mind), so we quickly paddled in the opposite direction.

  The following day, we actually saw the same boats in front of the beach at our hotel. Only that time, a diver surfaced on occasion. I suppose he was collecting some kind of data, but thought it was interesting that he was so far out in the bay when we saw him from our kayak.

  Ocean Tribe also had stand up paddle boards for rent, which I contemplated giving a whirl. I have seen paddle boards non-stop the past few years: on Lake Oswego, all year on the beach in Dunkerque, and here was my opportunity to give it a try. But I was in such a good mood, and knew the first couple tries at paddle boarding would probably result in me spending more time in the water, than on the water, so I passed. Maybe I'll try it out this summer while I am home!

Another beautiful day!

  Linda and I had worked up quite an appetite paddling our kayak around Alghero Bay, and it was well-past the lunch hour, so we were starving! I had gotten a recommendation for a good lunch spot that I had been wanting to try out called Bar Milese, which specialized in focaccia sandwiches.

  When we were turned our kayak back in at Ocean Tribe, we asked if they knew Bar Milese. They knew right where it was; always a good sign!

  We found the focacceria, located right in the harbor, and it was jam packed. And it didn't seem to be packed with tourists -- even better! We managed to grab a table outside, and ordered. I tried the Melanzane (eggplant) focaccia, and it was to die for: garlicky goodness. In my opinion, the only way to have eggplant is with a heavy dose of garlic.

  We even spotted one of ladies that worked the front desk at our hotel at Bar Milese. If the locals frequent it, you know you're in the right spot! Linda and I promised to go back the next day for another focaccia sandwich.

  Before we ventured back to Hotel dei Pini, we stopped in for a quick gelato on the go. This stop provided us with one of the funnier moments of our trip. As I mentioned before, while I'm not fluent in Italian, I do understand a quite a bit. After we ordered, and went to pay, the woman who scooped our gelato hollered at the man taking our money at the register: and for the 'ragazze piccole' (little girls)...or not so little girls since Linda and I both stand over six feet tall.

  I burst out laughing, and went on to enjoy my gelato. What people will say about you when they think you don't understand!

Where the wild things are?

  After lunch and gelato, I hit back roads again for an afternoon run. Only this time I was solo. About five minutes into running, I started thinking (too much) about all those critters and animals that were surely out there. And for the first time ever, I ran with a rock in my hand. Though, I'm not exactly sure what a rock would do, but it was better than nothing, I suppose! I managed to have a nice run, and avoided any unfortunate encounters with any wild critters.

  Since it was our last night in Sardegna, we wanted to find a great place to have dinner. Linda wanted to find some fresh seafood, and I wanted to try some of the local fare (not much of a seafood eater). After researching some places online, we headed back to Alghero with a list of potential restaurants.

There's Capo Caccia again.

  Before dinner though, Linda and I wanted to see what the coast was like south of Alghero. So we decided to drive for a bit, and see what sights were on the other side of the city: beautiful countryside, rolling hills, and surprise, surprise, more gorgeous views of the sea.

  You could look back into Alghero, and also see across onto Capo Caccia. Again, it was nice to see the island from a little different perspective!

  For dinner, we chose La Botteghina. It seemed like a fairly new restaurant, or at least, a newly remodeled space. It had a small dining area, but a nice atmosphere, and great food. Linda found her seafood, and I tried the gnocchetti (pictures below). I also tried the local digestivo Mirto (at the urging of the hostess), and introduced Linda to Limoncello. Sorry to those who enjoy Mirto, but I think I prefer Limoncello.

  Our time on Sardegna sadly, was winding down. With only one more day to go on the beautiful island, we wanted to make the most of it! Our final day in Alghero, coming soon!

RELATED POSTS:

Neptune's Grotto and Capo Caccia

Alghero: Day 1

Alghero & Barcelona Teasers

The views south of Alghero.

Linda finally got her seafood!

Gnocchetti with Pane Carasau. Two specialties of Sardegna.