I went to Barcelona on Friday to meet a friend for lunch, visit a wholesale jewellery company and to collect my new glasses. All this in 4.5 hours. I am lucky as every time I go there the sun shines and as I walk the streets of this lovely, vibrant city, the sun catches a Gothic window, the side of a contemporary office block, a statue or shop front and lights them up like Christmas tree lights.
Being the capital city of Catalunya, Barcelona is steeped in history, old and not so old, as the Summer Olympic Games were held there in 1992 and an entirely new “Olympic village” was constructed by the sea. That was probably the year in which the World discovered Barcelona, now one of Europe's top tourist destinations.
For those of us who live within reach of the city, it is much more than just a sightseeing destination, as Barcelona can happily compete with London or Paris for wonderful shops, great little restaurants, a fantastic daily covered market (La Boqueria), opera, concerts and musicals. It is about a 90 min drive from where I live but I usually take the train. The MD (media distancia) fast train goes from Figueres near the French border right to the heart of Barcelona and there are several stations on the way where we can board. I usually drive 35 minutes to Caldes de Malavella which lies to the south and so nearer to my destination. Others catch the train at Flaça which is a shorter run but the train journey is rather longer. RENFE is the Spanish Rail Network. The MD trains are clean, modern and fast. Generally speaking trains arrive according to the timetable but the stations vary with regard to comfort. There is usually free parking by the station, so I leave the car there not worried about how much the parking will cost if I delay my return by another hour. The station at Caldes has recently been renovated externally and internally and is actually a beautiful building with wonderful Art Nouveau tiles in the foyer. Of course you can get to Barcelona by train from all directions and with equally good services. The AVE trains are hi-tec, super fast long distance trains, from Madrid to Barcelona taking just 2hrs 30 minutes.
When I go over to the UK and travel by train, I am truly shocked at the ticket prices. Here in Spain, train travel is much cheaper for everyone. There are various cards one can buy which give large discounts, one especially good one, the DORADA (gold) card, is for people over 60 and gives a 40% discount on MD trains & 25%-40% on AVE trains. The DORADA card is purchased annually at a current cost of 5.10€ !!
So on Friday, I took the train to the centre of Barcelona, the Passieg de Gracia, where I met my friend & we went to the jewellery company she works for. I couldn't resist a pair of earrings sold to me at cost price. We then collected my new glasses (much cheaper in Barcelona than in the smaller towns) and set off for lunch. There is such an amazing choice of eateries, but we decided to return to one of our favourites, on the Passeig de Gracia itself, so near the train station. Housed on the first floor above a good Tapas bar, is Restaurant Citrus, a contemporary space where one is never too close to anyone else. They do not have a Menù del Dia, but the prices of the dishes are reasonable and the cuisine which is modern catalan, is excellent. Drinks are a bit pricey, but then you are right in one of the smartest parts of Barcelona. Just time to savour my lunch before strolling to the station and a one hour train journey back to Caldes. I was home by 6.25 pm having had a great day out.
Sally
The Overseas Guides Company
Being the capital city of Catalunya, Barcelona is steeped in history, old and not so old, as the Summer Olympic Games were held there in 1992 and an entirely new “Olympic village” was constructed by the sea. That was probably the year in which the World discovered Barcelona, now one of Europe's top tourist destinations.
For those of us who live within reach of the city, it is much more than just a sightseeing destination, as Barcelona can happily compete with London or Paris for wonderful shops, great little restaurants, a fantastic daily covered market (La Boqueria), opera, concerts and musicals. It is about a 90 min drive from where I live but I usually take the train. The MD (media distancia) fast train goes from Figueres near the French border right to the heart of Barcelona and there are several stations on the way where we can board. I usually drive 35 minutes to Caldes de Malavella which lies to the south and so nearer to my destination. Others catch the train at Flaça which is a shorter run but the train journey is rather longer. RENFE is the Spanish Rail Network. The MD trains are clean, modern and fast. Generally speaking trains arrive according to the timetable but the stations vary with regard to comfort. There is usually free parking by the station, so I leave the car there not worried about how much the parking will cost if I delay my return by another hour. The station at Caldes has recently been renovated externally and internally and is actually a beautiful building with wonderful Art Nouveau tiles in the foyer. Of course you can get to Barcelona by train from all directions and with equally good services. The AVE trains are hi-tec, super fast long distance trains, from Madrid to Barcelona taking just 2hrs 30 minutes.
When I go over to the UK and travel by train, I am truly shocked at the ticket prices. Here in Spain, train travel is much cheaper for everyone. There are various cards one can buy which give large discounts, one especially good one, the DORADA (gold) card, is for people over 60 and gives a 40% discount on MD trains & 25%-40% on AVE trains. The DORADA card is purchased annually at a current cost of 5.10€ !!So on Friday, I took the train to the centre of Barcelona, the Passieg de Gracia, where I met my friend & we went to the jewellery company she works for. I couldn't resist a pair of earrings sold to me at cost price. We then collected my new glasses (much cheaper in Barcelona than in the smaller towns) and set off for lunch. There is such an amazing choice of eateries, but we decided to return to one of our favourites, on the Passeig de Gracia itself, so near the train station. Housed on the first floor above a good Tapas bar, is Restaurant Citrus, a contemporary space where one is never too close to anyone else. They do not have a Menù del Dia, but the prices of the dishes are reasonable and the cuisine which is modern catalan, is excellent. Drinks are a bit pricey, but then you are right in one of the smartest parts of Barcelona. Just time to savour my lunch before strolling to the station and a one hour train journey back to Caldes. I was home by 6.25 pm having had a great day out.
Sally
The Overseas Guides Company
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