Barcelona Cruise June 21, 2011
Planning
We knew how many of our friends felt about cruises. Why rush from place to place without really being able to take the time to enjoy each one of them. These were valid points, but we had a different perspective on cruises. For us, the cruise provided the opportunity to sample a number of destinations in a single trip. If we enjoyed the location, we always have the option to return at a later date for more dedicated time there. We could also make the port of origin the main focus of the trip, spending additional time there before the cruise departs.
We found a website called Vacationstogo. It has a really well structured interface that allows searching by region, departing port, number of days, and many other useful filters. As you peruse a specific cruise, the site provides a map of all the stops with a description of each destination. We found the website invaluable for helping to choose the right cruise for us. We eventually chose to book our trip directly from Vacationstogo. Their prices were competitive with the cruise company’s, while offering additional perks as well.
The number of cruises to choose from was daunting! We settled on the Mediterranean as the area to focus on. We decided to choose an 8 day cruise so that we could include a few additional days of sightseeing at the start and end of the cruise, while still keeping within the boundaries of a 2 week vacation.
Our 8 day cruise on the MSC Splendida departed and returned to the port city of Barcelona. Barcelona had been on our list of places to visit, so this gave us the opportunity to see the city while also allowing us to visit a number of other ports on its itinerary. In total, there were 5 other ports, Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Palermo and Palma de Mallorca. After choosing our destination, we scrambled to find a flight to Barcelona, and ended up paying a premium due to the summer rush to Europe. We then studied the cruise excursions being offered for each port so that we could quickly decide and book before they sold out.
Barcelona
Lodging
We decided to stay somewhere in Old Town where we hoped to find great places to eat and enjoy the history and architecture of the original city. This area is close to La Rambla, the famous pedestrian street known for it’s shops and cafes. We settled on the Hotel Barcelona Catedral, a reasonably priced hotel in the Gothic Quarter and a few minutes walk to the Cathedral. The rooms were a decent size, especially for European standards, and it had a rooftop lap pool with views of the neighborhood.
The Gothic Quarter
Our hotel was located in the Gothic Quarter. We loved the convenience of this area for its large selection of cafes, restaurants and small shops. In addition, we loved the narrow streets that gave us a glimpse of what life in medieval times must have been like. The hotel was directly across the plaza from the Barcelona Cathedral, so we made that our first sight-seeing stop.
Barcelona Cathedral Altarpiece
Gothic Quarter – Pont del Bisbe (Bishop Street Bridge)
La Rambla
La Rambla was a 5-10 minute walk from our hotel. We followed a narrow pedestrian street lined with buildings containing shops and cafes on the street level and small balconies on the residential upper levels. Many of the narrow streets and alleys in this area are pedestrian only. As our alley opened up to La Rambla, we got a much different perspective of Barcelona. Shops and restaurants on either side of the street, with the center strip of the street reserved for pedestrians only, plus small vendors selling mostly touristy stuff. People here can be shoulder to shoulder, and we realized why all of our tourist information warned us to watch for pick pocketing in this area. I moved my wallet to my front pocket as we merged into the crowd of people. This vibrant street is an absolute must experience not to be missed while in Barcelona!
The center section of La Rambla is for pedestrians only
The Sites
Sagrada Familia
We knew that Barcelona was known for its Gaudi designed buildings, and that the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is the most famous, as well as being part of an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Basilica was an easy 30 minute walk from the Gothic Quarter. The line to get inside was extensive, wrapping around the block. It was an intensely hot day, so one of us dashed off to a nearby market to purchase a couple of cold water bottles. Go early to try and avoid these crowds, especially in the summer. The wait to get inside was well worth it, as the interior architecture is just as stunning as the outside. The stained glass is beautiful and the tree like pillars and arches are truly breath taking.
Incredible detail throughout the exterior facade of The Basilica
Beautiful tree like columns and stained glass detail inside La Sagrada Familia
Parc Guell
Parc Guell, a large 42 acre public park and another Barcelona UNESCO World Heritage Site designed by Antonio Gaudi, was only an hour walk from our hotel. The park contains several buildings and structures designed with the distinctive Gaudi architecture. There are several photo worthy spots along the colorful mosaic serpentine benches, or next to the mosaic creatures along the way up the hill. You can hike up above the covered market, with fluted palm tree columns, to reach the terrace that provides a spectacular view of the city below. On the walk to or from Parc Guell, consider stopping to admire or tour one of the famous Gaudi designed buildings like Casa Batllo, Casa Mila (La Pedrera) and Casa Vicens.
Continuous and undulating mosaic tile bench/balustrade with a view!
Famous Gaudi mosaic lizard/dragon in middle of divided stairway up the hillside at Parc Guell
Palace of Catalan Music
The music hall is beautiful both inside and outside and is definitely worth a visit. Many describe it as one of the most beautiful in the world. If you are short on time, a quick view of the exterior facade is highly recommended. The building contains beautiful mosaic columns in spectacular colors and ornamentation, along with stunning stained glass windows, all of which provide a great backdrop for your pictures. We took the paid tour and the inside of the building is spectacular! There are beautiful arches, glazed ceramic moldings, and a grand marble staircase. The concert hall itself is the only auditorium in Europe that is illuminated during daylight hours entirely by natural light from it’s stained glass windows and a large spectacular stained glass skylight. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed inside the building during our visit.
Museum of the History of Catalonia
We enjoyed exploring the underground Roman ruins in a self-guided walking tour. This archaeological site was very close to the Barcelona Cathedral, and to our hotel. The underground excavation provides a fascinating look into Roman history and an interesting view into the daily life of citizens in this time period. These ruins, along with parts of the original Roman wall a few blocks away, gave us a fascinating snapshot into the Roman history of Barcelona.
Underground excavation of a Roman City
Placa d’Espanya
The square was built for the 1929 International Exhibition. It sits at the foot of Montjuïc hill, in the Sants-Montjuïc district. The square has a metro station so we were able to easily get to it from our hotel. Next to the square you’ll notice a large round building. This is the Arenas de Barcelona, where they held bull fights in the past, and now has been converted into a trendy mall. If you walk up the hill toward the National museum of Catalan Visual art, you will pass by the Magic Fountain. The enormous fountain is best enjoyed at night for one of the most amazing water, light, and music extravaganzas! It lasts for about 20 minutes and is completely free! Beware of the large crowds on the subway to get here and come early to find a good viewing spot.
Placa d’Espanya
Arenas de Barcelona
Walk up toward the museum at night to see the Magic Fountain
Arc de Triomf
This arch was built as an entrance to the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition which was taking place in Ciutadella Park. As a reference, it is about half the size of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It’s worth the trip to view the Arc since you can also plan to enjoy a nice afternoon wandering through the beautiful park.
Arc de Triomf just outside of Ciutadella Park
A quick note about travelling around the city. The metro system in Barcelona is very efficient and it will take you to plenty of areas around town. However, we would encourage you to walk to as many places as you can so that you can better enjoy the amazing architecture throughout the city. We already mentioned the Gaudi buildings designed in the Catalan Modernism style, but there are many other beautiful architectural details to be enjoyed around the city, such as the balconies and murals that can be found in varying styles.
The Food
Without question, the food to try during any trip to Barcelona is the Tapas. Tapas consist of small plates that can be enjoyed as a snack or as a full meal and are meant to be shared. They can be found throughout the city. Ordering Tapas allowed us to sample a variety of plates and it allowed us to keep ordering more if we were still hungry. We also loved the paella which is a hearty dish that comes in a variety of choices (meat, seafood, vegetarian). After a long tiring day, we often ordered a big shareable plate of paella plus a few additional Tapas as sides, for our continued enjoyment of new ones. We loved the Catalan Tomato Bread! It was unique and delicious and we highly recommend it, since we have rarely found it outside of Spain. A great Tapas place that we found right around the corner from our hotel was Bilbao Berria. There were also several cafes by the beach that served fantastic seafood. For us, Sangria was the choice for a refreshing drink on a hot summer day. The ice cold Sangria was incredibly refreshing after a long walk in the 90+ degree heat.
Part one of our Barcelona visit was over. We would spend another day here after our cruise but for now, we packed up and took a cab to the cruise port and prepared to board our ship that would take us on the rest of our journey.
The MSC Splendida waiting for us to board
