Some cafe near the Nou Camp
So here I am, currently waiting for my peppered sausage and mushrooms, sipping more ice-blended lemonade (they seem to have this everywhere - not that I'm complaining).The Nou Camp - otherwise known as FC Barcelona's football stadium - will be our third stop today, completing a triangle of attractions outside the city centre.
We left the hotel earlier today and took the Metro to Paral-lel, where (after some confusion) we transferred to the funicular.
A very short ride uphill later, we left the station and headed upstairs for the cable cars that would take us to the top of Montjuïc - the other side of the hill, that is, not the same area we were at yesterday.
The cable car ride was expensive, but it did offer great views of the thousands of buildings in the city on one side, and the harbour and Mediterranean Sea stretching endlessly out to the horizon on the other side.
The top of the hill provided more of the same views, along with random cannons/howitzers/military-thingies-of-which-name-I-don't-know.
But of course the view wasn't the only thing we were there for.
A short walk brought us right in front of the Castell de Montjuïc.
The castle, which also houses a military museum, was rebuilt in the 18th century so it isn't too ancient. It was also very small; we didn't visit the museum so there was nothing much to do other than run around on the roof and take random pictures.
Then it was time to start the long journey back.
Another cable car and funicular ride later, we were back on the Metro, headed for the Sagrada Família - which has its own station.
By the time we left the station, the sun was high in the sky and there was a looooooong queue snaking round the side of the imposing, but unfinished, cathedral.
The queue was 75m long but the wait was relatively short. The entry fee was a pricey 8 euros and the whole place was crammed with tourists craning their necks to stare at the many stone carvings over the cathedral's Passion Facade.
Everyone seemed to be armed with cameras and it was difficult not walking into any shots as we made our way into the building.
Although it was insanely hot outside and nice to get under shelter...it was much more crowded inside. Claustrophobic even.
The centre of the cathedral was under construction and blocked off, so everyone was forced to walk along the walls.
It did not help that there was another looooooong queue for the elevators that went up to the top. However, there was a fee of 2 euros to take the elevators, so we wandered around the crowded ground floor where tourists were jostling about trying to get good shots of the magnificent stained glass windows.
There was also a display about the different types of rocks used in building the cathedral, but we skirted it and finally reached the Rosary Chapel just off the Nativity Facade.
If you look VERY closely, there's a pigeon roosting on the left sculpture's head!
We left by the Nativity Facade, which was a contrast to the Passion Facade - it had more traditional, realistic carvings.
After looking at the sculptures for some time, we decided there was nothing else to see and headed for the giftshop.
I picked some postcards and bookmarks featuring the Sagrada Família, then it was time to leave.
It was still only 1-something so I suggested visiting the Nou Camp! According to my guidebook, there was no direct Metro station there - but one close to the stadium happened to be on the same line as Sagrada Família.
The Collblanc station was eight stops away and brought us to a quiet little (okay, fine - not little) residential area far out of the city centre.
...But it was already way past lunch time so we decided to stop at the nearest cafe.
posted by ¤jazzika¤ @ 1:52 PM
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