Barcelona for one more day

 April 22.

The day began with rain. Since we had little on our agenda until early afternoon (timed tickets to Parc Güell), after breakfast we did laundry. OK, Susie did the laundry but I went along for moral support.

On our way back to the hotel yesterday we noticed -- actually I noticed -- a laundromat right around the corner from our lodgings. And since it was open we popped inside to check it out. It was entirely automated, three washers and three dryers, and so we planned to return the next morning.

Talk about one slick operation: you choose a washing machine, place your laundry inside, close the door (no soap required - the machine automatically dispenses it!), stick your card in the chip reader, choose the machine number and hit start on the machine. That's it! Once the wash was done we repeated the process with the dryer. After a total of about 50 minutes and some €7.00, laundry that would have cost €80 done through the hotel was finito!

washers and control panel

the dryers

Back at the hotel we worked on our blog notes until time to head out for the Parc Güell, designed by Antoni Gaudi. (Go here for more information.)

Looking for the Entença Metro stop near our hotel, we somehow got turned around and eventually decided to backtrack one stop to the train station. There we boarded the no. 5 and changed to the familiar no. 3 at Diagonal. Getting off at the Lesseps station we went off in search of Parc Güell. Of course we got lost. We made the mistake of following signs for the parc that were apparently pointing to the bus and car parking areas. We turned to Google maps and soon found our way, a way that was all uphill. In fact most of this particular outing involved going uphill, every single step of the way.

Although we arrived slightly ahead of our time slot the staff kindly let us in. Once inside the park we strolled the gardens with little direction other than following altitude: heading upwards to the views of the city. We passed a series of viaducts that were originally intended for carriages to make their way upwards to the homes that were planned but never built. But the viaducts also provided lots of shade for walkers beneath them as well as many built-in seats to stop and enjoy the moment. Which we did, often.

So, for the next hour or two we simply meandered through this rather fantastic bit of green space, continuing upwards. But the climb was worth it for the views of the city. 

looking across to the fort on Montjuïc where we were yesterday

Near the very top we ran into a couple from Grand Haven, Michigan who had just arrived in Spain the day before. They planned to be in Barcelona for just five days and then back to the US.

across from the top of the park was a view of the Calvary Cross

which was just a short walk away

for even more incredible views of the city

the white house is a look back to the top of the park

Leaving Calvary we made our way down to the park entrance passing some of the more popular tourist spots in the park with the Gaudi designs.

the terrace

the portico

beneath the terrace

the main entrance to the park

looking back to the terrace

From the park we made our way back to the hotel to relax until dinner. A little after 7:00 pm we walked a couple of blocks to El Bierzo, a traditional Catalan restaurant. Susie had a cod omelet and I had a starter of tempura veggies followed by hake with potatoes.

A quick walk back to the hotel and Susie finished packing us up for our morning departure for France.

Next: Off to Bordeaux!