After taking the wrong train to leave Girona to Barcelona (an extra two hours), finally the train station.  Outside the train station a couple offered us their hop on hop off bus tickets.  Pure luck!  If we hadn’t got on the wrong train we wouldn’t have got those free tickets.  The tickets were good for the rest of the night.  It took forever to walk to the hotel.  TIP: Be sure to know the subway stop of your hotel.  After check in, a hop onto the bus for a city tour.  I highly recommend hop on hop off bus tours, it’s a great way to see the city. 

The Columbus Monument

The streets were covered with palm trees.

It’s a beautiful walk from downtown to the Parc de la Ciutadella, the Catalan Parliament Building, and the Cascada.

 

The tiny alley ways, with laundry hanging out over the balconies.  Balconies everywhere in Barcelona.  Different coloured residential buildings.  Gothic architecture.  This city felt different from any other major European city I have visited.

Use the escalators to get to the top, saves time and energy. 

Be sure to buy your tickets in advance for Sagrada Família.  The line was so long we decided to take a few pictures from the outside and continue our day.  We will have to go back one day to see the inside.

From the Parc Güell, you have a beautiful view of Barcelona and the Balearic Sea.

Very unique architecture and design within the park.

We walked by the building below while we were out for the day.

Another building we strolled by on our walk.

An interesting archway in the alley ways of the Gothic Quarter.

There was definitely a different style of architecture in Barcelona, something I don’t think you will see anywhere else in this world.  

Beautiful Barcelona!