Barcelona, Spain January 4-7, 2016 / Barcelona, España Enero 4-7, 2016

Gaudi Casa Batlo

Gaudi's Park Guell:



For me Gaudi sites were the most amazing parts of Barcelone. Don't get me wrong, I loved the city, but after experiencing the rest of Spain, Barcelona tends to be more of a nice large urban city. While there are several Gaudi sites, I will discuss just Park Güell and Sagrada Familia. I was here in the low season and both spots necessitated my buying a ticket for the next day. So, buy on line in advance.

Para mí los sitios de Gaudí fueron las partes más impresionantes de Barcelona. No me malinterpreten, me encantó la ciudad, pero después de experimentar el resto de España, Barcelona tiende a ser más de un bonito gran ciudad urbana. Si bien hay varios sitios de Gaudí, simplemente voy a discutir Parque Güell y la Sagrada Familia. Yo estaba aquí en la temporada baja y los dos puntos Necesaria a mi comprar un billete para el día siguiente. Por lo tanto, comprar en línea de antemano.

• Park Güell. PercPark Guellhed atop Barcelona high on a hill, the Park was originally land owned by a wealthy Barcelona family, the Güell's. The senior Güell wanted to build a Park/Estate development for other like families. For reasons I am not fully aware, the residential aspect fell through and Gaudi was commissioned to carry plans through as a park. The grounds are amazing and I spent nearly an entire day wantering. The Park is truly like walking through a wonderland dream.

Parque Güell. En lo alto de Barcelona, en lo alto de una colina, el parque fue originalmente tierras de propiedad de una familia, la rica Güell de Barcelona. El alto Güell quiso construir un desarrollo Parque / Raíces en otras como las familias. Por razones que no soy plenamente consciente, el aspecto residencial cayó a través y Gaudí fue el encargado de llevar a través de los planes como un parque. Los jardines son impresionantes y yo pasamos casi un día entero wantering. El parque es realmente como caminar por un sueño de las maravillas.

Park Guell link: Park Guell


Gaudi's Sagrada Familia

One cannot visit Barcelona without touring this Gaudi designed Basilica. It has been under construction since 1882 and will be completerd in 2020. Imagine that, a project tat spans three centuries. The admission is steep but as long as you are there, pay the 17 Euros.

Uno no puede visitar Barcelona sin visitar esta Gaudí diseñó la basílica. Ha estado en construcción desde 1882 y se completará en 2020. Imagínese que, un proyecto que abarca tres siglos. La admisión es caro, pero el tiempo que usted está allí, pagar los 17 euros.

Sagrada Familia Link: Sagrada Familia

Getting Around/ Moverse por :

Transport in Barcelona is magnificent. I took a bus from the airport as it dropped me at Plaza Catalunya, less than a kilometer from my hostel. I took the metro bak to the train station. Each was was less than $10. I bought a transit pass for $10 and ended up using only $5 of it in my five days there, but I am a walker. Barcelona is a great walking city, and most things are quite close, but then I have no problem with walking 15-20 kilometers per day. I would judge the busses, Metro, and the city in general to be extremely safe.

Transporte en Barcelona es magnífica. Tomé un autobús desde el aeropuerto, ya que me dejó en Plaza Cataluña, a menos de un kilómetro de mi hostal. Tomé el metro bak a la terminal internacional. A cada uno se fue menos de $ 10. He comprado un pase de transporte por $ 10 y terminé usando sólo $ 5 de la misma en mis cinco días allí, pero yo soy un andador. Barcelona es una gran ciudad para caminar, y la mayoría de las cosas están bastante cerca, pero entonces no tengo ningún problema con caminar 15-20 kilómetros por día. I would judge the busses, Metro, and the city in general to be extremely safe.

Airport Bus link : Barcelona Airport Bus
Barcelona Metro link: Barcelona Metro Link

Neighborhoods, Sites / Barrios, Sitios:

El Born. My favorite Barrio! DA settlement built on top of a medieval area of jousts and celebrations El Born has grown into being one of the most fashionable places in the city. Every day the cafes are packed and at night people move along to Passeig de Born, which according to locals was the site of the jousts, to sample the many bars, which serve up a mean mojito. There is plenty of culture to be had as well. It can be seen that Calle Montcada was also a medieval street, which is now home to the Picasso museum and the Textile Museum which has a lovely café with a terrace attached to it. The textile museum is located here because in Born's early days it was home to the textile guilds of Barcelona.

El Born. Mi Barrio preferido! DA asentamiento construido encima de una zona medieval de justas y celebraciones El Born se ha convertido en uno de los lugares más de moda en la ciudad. Cada día los cafés se embalan y en la noche la gente mueven a lo largo del Paseo de Born, que según los lugareños fue el escenario de las justas, a la muestra de los numerosos bares, que sirven un buen mojito. Hay un montón de cultura que se tenía también. Se puede observar que la calle Montcada también era una calle medieval, que es ahora el hogar del museo Picasso y el Museo Textil, que tiene una magnífica cafetería con una terraza que se le atribuye. El museo textil se encuentra aquí porque en los primeros días de Born era el hogar de los gremios textiles de Barcelona.

The Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic)

While a mix of quit a bit of modern with the old, the narrow street create quite a labyrinth and means that it may take a while to get your bearings. I recommend that you should always look up and around you or you may miss some of the best bits.

Si bien una mezcla de renunciar a un poco de moderno con lo antiguo, la calle estrecha creó un gran laberinto y significa que puede tomar un tiempo para orientarse. Le recomiendo que siempre debe mirar hacia arriba y alrededor de usted o es posible que pierda algunas de las mejores partes.

El Revel

I loved this neighborhood, very interesting, probably more suitable for seasoned travellers. Raval is an interesting and exciting area in Barcelona however it also has its darker and seedy side that you ought to be aware of. It is certainly not the safest or the cleanest area in Barcelona but it does have a special personality and character all of its own that makes this area a compelling visit.

Me encantó este barrio, muy interesante, probablemente más adecuado para viajeros experimentados. Raval es un área interesante y emocionante en Barcelona sin embargo, también tiene su lado oscuro y sórdido que usted debe tener en cuenta. Ciertamente, no es el más seguro o el área más limpia en Barcelona pero tiene una personalidad especial y el carácter de todos los suyos que hace de esta zona una visita convincente.

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Dining  / Comida

Dining / Comida

I found the food in Barcelona to be wonderful when I first arrived, but as I travelled Spain, it, along with Madrid, became my least favorite. I think it has more to do with the fact of more indoor dining and less casual outdoor dining. The products in the markets were displayed beautifully. I was amazed at the diversity of selections in meats, fish, poultry, vegetables and fruits. Prices were higher in Barcelona than elsewhere. Again, I think it due to more indoor dining and less street cafe tapas.

General Observations

Having just come from London, it was very noticeable the people of Barcelona are far more polite than Londoners. But, they are also more polite than Cuencans and generally Ecuadoreans. And, I need not even mention the general level of civility in the US. As seems to be in all of Spain at all times of the year, people love to go out walking. The streets are full of strollers until quite late at night. There is very little trafic tieupsin Barcelone. The streets are quite grand and drivers can make their right hand turns at a red, then wait at the pedestrian crosswalks further down without a wait at the red light.

Tras haber llegado de Londres, fue muy notable la gente de Barcelona son mucho más educados que los londinenses. Sin embargo, también son más cortés que Cuencans y en general los ecuatorianos. Y, necesito ni siquiera mencionar el nivel general de la civilidad en los EE.UU.. Como parece ser en toda España en todas las épocas del año, la gente le encanta salir a caminar. Las calles están llenas de sillas de paseo hasta muy tarde en la noche. Hay muy poco UPS empate de tráfico en Barcelona. Las calles son bastante grandes y los conductores pueden hacer que su mano derecha se convierte en un rojo, y luego esperar a los pasos de peatones más abajo sin tener que esperar en la luz roja.

Sim/Data Cards /  SIM/tarjetas datos :

I was unable to buy a sim/data card my first night in Barcelona as it was after 9:00 Sunday night and Moviestar was the only place open. Vonage is the top carrier in Spain and had much better deals. For $15 I was able to purchase sufficient data to last me the entire month in Spain, and I really used my smart phone for everything. I would definitely recommend Vonage, even though the process took close to an hour as the lines were long. Transmission speeds were excellent throughout Spain, and I was even able to video skype around the world when I wanted to. This sim card must be bought from a Vonage official store, which happen to be ubiquitous.

No he podido comprar una tarjeta SIM / datos de mi primera noche en Barcelona, ya que era después de las 9:00 domingo por la noche y Moviestar era el único lugar abierto. Vonage es el soporte superior en Espana y tenía mucho mejores ofertas. Por $ 15 que era capaz de adquirir datos suficientes para que me dure todo el mes en España, y realmente usado mi teléfono inteligente para todo. Sin duda, recomendaría Vonage, a pesar de que el proceso tomó cerca de una hora ya que las líneas eran largas. Las velocidades de transmisión fueron excelentes en toda España, y yo era capaz incluso de vídeo de Skype en todo el mundo cuando quería. Esta tarjeta SIM debe ser comprado en una tienda oficial de Vonage, que resultan ser omnipresente.

Vonage link, Choose English or Spanish: Vonage Spain

Hostels:

I stayed at two different hostels in Barcelona as I added two night to my plans and the first was booked for the additional nights.

Black Swan Hostel

This was my first hostel and I felt that for $9 per night it was wonderful. Location good, clean facilities, nice kitchen with a free simple breakfast. The only problen was the lights. Each bed did NOT have a mini lamp, so folks were coming and going all night and turning on the overhead lights. Also, the steel lockers were being opened all night lone. But the people were generally nice. Guests were  primarily young Asians.

Black Swan Hostel Facebook link: Black Swan Hostel

360 Hostel Barcelona

This place was right around the corner from the first and had a very nice vibe. The public areas were large and friendly. The rooms were much quiter and each bed had a mini lamp and nearby elictrical socket. They also did laundry for a very minimal fee. The bathrooms were older, but clean.

They also have a room upstrairs with lots of desktops, and strong wifi. Free tea or coffee all hours day and night.

360 Hostal Facebook link:  360 Hostel Barcelona

Language Catalan / catalán / catalá

Catalan if quite different from Spanish; however not so much that one cannot get be. And anyway, everyone speaks English and Spanish in any case. Here are some hints from a site, and I have also given their link below:

• Written Spanish is wholly phonetic while Catalan is not: This means that when you read, each letter you see has an accompanying sound. English, for example is not phonetic. Why? Bekuz.
• Catalan shares the ‘L’ of Portuguese: Spanish speakers have trouble with this L, which exists in the Portuguese word for ‘woman’, for example: mulher. In English, the closest sound is the ‘L’-ish sound you make in the word million.
• Final consonants are often silent: Like in Portuguese, the final ‘r’ of an infinitive verb is dropped. Also, in other cases such as “Ara fant,” which is pronounced “ara fan”.
• In Spanish, there is no ‘z’ sound, but in Catalan there is: Often this sound, like in English, is represented by an s.
• Catalan uses consonant clusters where Spanish does not: ‘ts’ ‘ks’ ‘gts’ ‘ls’ are consonant clusters, among others. Spanish requires a vowel sound between consonant sounds most of the time.
• Catalan employs linkage: The pronunciation of Catalan words can change depending on the syntactical context in which a word appears. For instance, ‘fins aviat’ (see you soon) creates that ‘z’ sound between the words, because the Catalan speaker links them. English does this, but Spanish does not (even though really fast speakers sometimes make it seem otherwise).
• Catalan has stress-marked vowels that change: Spanish has stress on vowels, but Catalan is more complicated. At least in this part of Catalonia, if one vowel is stressed in a word with several others, those others have different sounds. For example, the word “teléfon” in Catalan has one stressed vowel (marked by the accent) and two unstressed vowels. When the ‘e’ is not stressed, in Barcelona it is pronounced ‘uh’. The unstressed ‘o’ is pronounced ‘u’ or ‘ooo’. Tuh-lay-foon.

Link to Velebas site: Velebas