Day 2, part 2

Montjuic.

Montjuïc is a wide and low hill (173 m above sea level) located in Barcelona. The hill used to be the seat of various fortifications, the latest of which (Castell de Montjuïc) is still there. To reach the hill you need to use cable car. So we did. The queue was quite long (about 30 minutes waiting in the sun;(), but it was worth it. First, we we took the lift up, then we entered…sth and that sth took us through the sea (which looked amazing from the above). I took a lot of pictures, but can’t find any of them:P You just have to believe me;).

When we went over the sea and safely reached the other side, we took a break for pizza and beer (I know, a great diet:P). Full and happy, we went to look for cable cars. As I remember, walk took us about 10 minutes (but I’m not good with time measure;)). After that we entered another queue, but that wasn’t too long. Finally, in a cable car we could enjoy the view. I must look for the pictures, they must be somewhere..

Actually, the way to the hill was much more interesting than visiting the hill itself:P Maybe because we are not big fans of history. However, the way down was quite cool as well. We went by railway and could sea tracks so well, while sitting on the very transparent front of the machine. I recorded the whole way down.

The railway took us to the city centre, where we did some shopping.

After nice moments in sauna we went for a supper with sangria to our restaurant. And we played chess like good old couple:))

Day 2

Morning – without grapes, but still great beginning of the day;)

Then – jogging. It was a very quick jogging (my endurance is not very high; the lack of bra didn’t help as well:P). But we had a very good time – ended up in the sea (we are winter swimmers so it wasn’t a big deal for us). We were almost alone on the beach (except for a dad with two kids who were enjoying hitting stick in the sand…). Yeah… we both agreed that they looked even stranger than we did…).

After our lazy jogging we went to a gym in our hotel and I must admit that it was a hell of a training. I used all the equipment available (including ladder) and M was sweating as usual;).

Later, we went for a well-deserved breakfast to a small restaurant in front of the hotel. I had a pleasure to chat a little in Spanish but the waiter was kind of weird to me, I don’t remember why:P. I ordered sth vegetarian and coffee, and M got an animal again;(.

Then we got to the pool on the top of the hotel. It was so cool (literally)! Morning March air on 23 floor, in bikini… Yep, that was much cooler than swimming in the sea. But I shouldn’t complain – M experienced that much more than me, while posing to photos. Anyway, it was worth it – that photo jus rocks^^ Even my 2-year-old nephew confirmed!

[Just look, doesn’t he have great legs;)?]

In the pool there were two “couples” except for us. Ok, probably they were just two male and two female friends, but there was a time when I suspected our hotel was an LGBT hotel and that we lived in LGBT district ;D As it turned out, Princess Hotel only sounded that way;)

 

….to be continued….

 

The first day.

1. Avinguda Diagonal – one of the broadest and most important avenues in Barcelona.

M is a big fan of FC Barcelona so the first direction we took was the official shop of the club. I’m not sure if we bought anything cause the prices were quite high. I suppose the first day we just took a look (and pictures ;)).

 

2. University of Barcelona

As a Ph.D Candidate I had to visit University of Barcelona. Actually, we just “visited” outside because it was closed, but it counts, doesn’t it?:P

 

3. La Principal and the best mojito in Barcelona

La Principal was a place where we had our first meal in Barcelona. The restaurant is popular among locals so it was an interesting cultural experience. We ordered “menu del dia” which consisted of two meals plus a desert and a cup of coffee per person, and price was really affordable – around 14 euros, as I remember. It was really tasty. I can’t recall what exactly we had, but I remember the way M ordered:D. As befits a scout, M had read a lot about the city itself and the culture as well. Then, willing to behave like a typical Catalan, showed that nice waitress two fingers and imitated a gesture of cutting his throat (it was supposed to mean he wanted two “cafes cortados”). Surprisingly (;)), the young waitress had no idea what M had in mind. When he explained her, she laughed and said that it’s better not to do it if you don’t want people to get scared of you ;D.

 

4. La Rambla and Barri Gotic

For those of you who have never been in Barcelona, la Rambla is a one kilometre long street composed of six shorter streets (Rambla de Canales, Rambla dels Estudis, Rambla de Sant Josep, Rambla dels Caputxins, Rambla de Santa Monica and Rambla de Mar). It’s situated in a ghotic quarter (Barri Gotic) and leads to the sea. It’s a very touristic spot, full of local musicians and artists.

On the street we stopped by Mercat de la Boqueria – a big bazaar with lots of food: meat, fish, vegetables, sweets, drinks and so on. We were about to buy some delicious snacks but eventually ended up window-shopping:P.

Later on, when we got hot after sightseeing Barri Gotic, we decided to have a rest and drink something refreshing. It wasn’t very wise to visit a pub which was in the exact centre of the quarter, but “the best mojito in Barcelona” on the signboard was too tempting;)). As it turned out, mojitos were just regular, but at least large (in proportion to the price…). Anyway, good marketing.

5. Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya

The palace is located in the district of Ciutat Vella in Barcelona, in Barri Gotic. It houses the offices of the Presidency of the Generalitat de Catalunya. We couldn’t enter the President’s house, but at least I had an opportunity to practice my Spanish with a guardian (and impress my beloved;).

 

6. La Barceloneta – a seaside district

In the evening we decided to have a romantic supper at the seaside. Well, maybe supper is not a perfect term for grapes and beer (ok, I also ate a kind of sandwich), but about the romantic part I haven’t lied;). We enjoyed the view, sitting on the sand and fantasized about common future plans:]].

 

 

Una pajita, por favor

Ok. My previous description of our arrival was not the exact reflection of the reality. After consulting mr. M, it turned out that we actually landed in the evening and the beautiful picture I showed you was taken the morning after. Who cares, anyway…:P But one thing which I forgot to tell you about is worth mentioning.

On our way to hotel we had some problems with entering the metro station.  Yes, technology is complicated… When we finally did it, the metro was already gone. What pissed me off was that we could’t go back the moment we entered the station, and the next metro was in half an hour! Luckily, there was one (kind of) restaurant.

It didn’t look fancy but we really spent those 30 minutes pleasantly there. Firstly, the food was really good.

In the picture above you see my boyfriend’s meal – sth containing a dead animal. Yep, he still refuses to become vegetarian, but we are working on it;). I don’t remember if I ordered anything more than olives but the olives they served us with were amazing!!!! Never have eaten olives that tasty before, believe me. In a moment the picture was taken we were still waiting for them. I also didn’t have my indispensable drinking accessory yet. I went to ask a waiter for that: “Tiene usted una pajita?” – I asked him kindly. In a moment a “pajita” word came from my mouth he burst out laughing. I knew I would say it wrong! “perdon, una pajilla” – I corrected myself quickly. He kept laughing and gave me a straw that I asked for. I have never been sure should I call it “pajita” or “pajilla”, but as it turns out probably both versions mean a straw and sth connected to male pleasure at the same time…  Anyway, I’m glad I made that nice waiter laugh at the end of the day;).

We barely finished our meals when the next metro arrived. We had to make it that time! We took our things as fast as possible and got inside.

Just arrived.

Have we really landed? – asked M. when the plane’s wheels touched the grand. The weather was amazing – warm and sunny – totally opposite to what we had in Poland.

After a mandatory photo session, we headed to our hotel. It was quite a long way – as I remember, we had to change means of transportation several times. But it was worth it – the hotel was perfect. I don’t remember how many floors it had but about 23, I guess. On the last floor there was an outdoor pool, another was an indoor one. What was important for M., there was also a sauna (actually two) and, of course, restaurant and bar.

When we got to our room, which was almost on the last floor of the hotel, we were amazed by the view we saw. A large window was directed to the sea, showing an indescribable view.

 

What is more, there was also a gift waiting for us – a bottle of Cava and sweets. As it turned out, my boyfriend lied a bit making the reservation – he said we had our anniversary – which was not exactly the truth, but who cares;). I couldn’t imagine a better start of our holidays.

The departure.

 

 

It was our first serious trip – only two of us during a week in a foreign country. That’s a challenge.

Ok, let’s start from the beginning. The flight. It was the first flight of my beloved. Really. He was literally terrified. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but he was really scared;). And the weather conditions weren’t helpful at all. It was March, and in Poland it was extremely cold that time. I remember waiting for the train to the capital. I was freeeeezing;x! I recall it well, especially that I didn’t have my gloves…

The airport. While waiting for the check-in, we managed to buy an insurance. Quite cool that you can purchase it like that, by several clicks on the Internet. Feeling well-prepared and secure, we continued waiting. When the time came, we entered the queue. My (almost)always-perfectly-prepared-boyfriend surely had his ticket printed. Unfortunately, I can’t say it about myself. Trying to find the online ticket on my phone, I started to get more and more nervous. Then the phone battery discharged… Our turn was coming and I kept struggling with my phone. When the battery charged up a bit, I realised that I was not able to find the saved ticket on my phone. Yes, I got panicked. As my bae told me later, I was red with emotions even on my chest.. Luckily, the staff didn’t make much trouble with the situation and accepted the confirmation of purchase on the website. Uff..!

After that stressful experience we managed to go through other check-in steps more or less smoothly. When we were already sitting on the plane, Mr. M became anxious. The flight was delayed due to the weather conditions. Although I flied over a dozen times before, I hadn’t experienced the process of de-icing the plane until that day. Even I got worried a bit. As it turned out, it’s a standard procedure in those weather conditions. When we finally took off, I could notice how M stiffened. I held his hand tightly.