Run to Me (Barcelona)

Welcome to our last full day in Barcelona, dear reader. Unusually, the day dawned with cloud and the prospect of the rain. As it was our last day, we decided to take a more relaxed approach to the tourist life. Not just because of the weather, but also due to Jayne's blistered left heel. A Google search of chemists that are open on Sunday - it's a Catholic country, not a lot happens on Sunday, aside from church, allegedly - located one across the Plaça de Catalunya. Off we went.

We had remarked on the structure being erected in Plaça de Catalunya on several occasions throughout the week, expecting a concert or the like. No, dear reader, no. Once again we happened upon a footrace. Hence today's title, Run to Me by the Bee Gees. Come on sing it with me.

In Berlin last year, it was the half marathon. This year it was some 10km race. We turned the corner towards the Plaça and were confronted with thousands of people in running gear, some red faced, many sweating, medals in hand or dangling from their neck. Had Danté known of this phenomenon, there would have been a tenth circle of hell.

Safely negotiating the sweating, banana eating crowd, we found the chemist and commenced discussions with the brand new junior to purchase some strapping tape. There followed a linguistic dance that resulted in us purchasing something I wasn't sure was going to meet our needs.

The three dragons castle.

Back in the hotel, we examined the "extreme" padded plasters and knew they weren't going to measure up. An improvised pad was placed underneath the plaster and a series of bandaids over the top to keep it in place. Shoes on we walked down towards the Arc to where we had seen a potential breakfast location. The potential was realised in the sense that we did eat breakfast there, but not in that it wasn't great. The coffee was good, again, the pastries, not so much.

The park entrance.

One of the greenhouses.

The clouds had threatened to rain on our parade all the way down to the Arc but held off. We made the Parc de la Ciutadella and headed straight for the greenhouses that had been spruiked about on the Hop on-Hop off bus. There was no doubting the spectacular nature of the buildings themselves. As for the plants inside. Meh. A lot of banana trees and monsterios and a few bromeliads. Nothing special.

No idea, but pretty.

A bromeliad.

We continued our ramble and discovered a memorial to LGBTQI+ people with a bed of the largest begonias I've ever seen. 

Giant begonias.

The Catalan memorial.

There were a lot of people in the park, many trying to make money by attracting the Monk Parrots and providing tourists with a photo opportunity. 

Monk Parrots.

The Barcelona zoo was at one end of the park. It also contained a children's playground, a lake with row boats, a rotunda (where dance classes were happening) and a ginormous fountain. In terms of plants it was not so interesting.

The clouds were building up so we thought it best to turn for home. The rain commenced before we had reached the exit gates. Thankfully the rain was patchy and light and had stopped before we returned to the hotel. We arranged for a slightly later checkout to work in with our bus departure time and returned to our room.

Artwork in the park.

I ventured out between rain showers to withdraw some cash. Much like Croatia, the bank charges are extortionate. The first bank I went to charged €7 to withdraw money. Back home I Googled the cheapest option and set out again. It was dark now and the outside ATM had a man begging in front of it. There was an ATM inside the foyer and next to it was someone sleeping on the floor. Given all the stories I'd heard about Barcelona, I wasn't willing to risk it and returned home cashless.

We returned to Ciutat Comtal for our last meal because we knew it would be good. We weren't disappointed. Before dinner, I gave another bank a try. To withdraw €200 they were going to charge $412AUD. According to my bank the exchange rate had €200 equalling $358. No deal.

We almost made the hotel before the rain started again. A glass of red at the bar was going to be our nightcap. The bar, however, was closed for a private function. The thunderstorm had obviously driven the rooftop bar function inside.

Undeterred, I grabbed my umbrella and went in search of a Super Mercat. There was one at the end of the street. I selected a bottle of red with a bit age on it for €10,95. At the checkout the guy keyed in €16,95. I pointed to the price tag. He said, "reserva". I pointed to the price tag again. He repeated the price. I said "no" and he said "put back". I'm pretty certain he understood my next two words in English as I walked out the door followed by a string of Spanish I did not understand.

Around the corner I went to another supermarket and sourced a bottle of Nero D'avola for less than €9. Unfortunately the clouds opened and the thunderstorm arrived. My jeans were soaked from the knees down by the time I had walked the half block home.

We finished the night with the red but without the regular gelato.

Until tomorrow.

Beware, it is a transit day.

Bad Case of Loving you (Barcelona)

Well, dear reader, for those of you who are long standing devotées of this blog, you will know that we've spent some unhappy holiday time in hospitals, not of our own volition. Hence today's title Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor Doctor) by the late great Robert Palmer.

Today, however, we were seeking out a hospital upon recommendation of our Concierge. This is St Pau Recinte Modernista, also known as the old hospital, an Art Nouveau site, built from 1902 till 1930 and continuing to provide medical care and research facilities to the people of Barcelona until 2009. It is not a big ticket item in the must see Barcelona brochures but it should be.

The entrance to the hospital.

Underneath the Admin building.

It was built in a direct line to Sagrada Familia, linked by, you guessed it, Avenue de Gaudi, but it is the work of another landmark Catalan architect, Montaner. We had glimpsed this amazing edifice on the Hop-on Hop-off bus and decided to make this our morning focus, being careful to use the hotel wifi to book our online ticket time slot before we departed for breakfast en route. An added bonus was the option of a self-guided tour with a paper map instead of having to deal with the joys of audio devices. Although I have since reset my Apple ID so I can now download Apps.

Gardens to the right.

A restored ward.

The hospital is a complex of 12 pavilions, 8 of which have been restored and are open to the public. Today we tend to expect hospitals to be functional and cutting edge, and clearly this one was that. However, it is also beautiful. A work of art. From the turrets and the ceramic tiled rooves to the interior tiled ceilings, denoting the different buildings and the gardens for their healing power. The complex was testament to an holistic approach to medicine. I wonder how that would work today?

So colourful.

Coloured domes everywhere.

The underground tunnels, white tiles connected all the pavillions. Each pavillion was dedicated to a separate area of medical treatment. Of course, being a Catholic country, the genders were kept apart. There were statues on every building, denoting its dedication to a saint. Should medicine and prayer fail, the complex was in a direct sight of Sagrada Familia.

Next stop, the Sagrada.

The ceiling in the stairwell of the admin building.

As amazing as the hospital wards were, the administration building was next level. It's probably not a surprise that the bureaucrats get the best work environment. Sorry, my cynicism just bubbled to the surface. Walking into the foyer was like entering a cathedral. There was an automatic intake of breath and an awe inspired hush. The ceiling, the staircase ... it could never, would never be built today and that in itself is a shame. We have lost the concept of beauty and enjoyment in a functional world that focuses on profit and cutting costs. There was more ... let the pictures tell the story.

The ceiling in admin.

One end of the great room.

The other end.

Leaving the hospital and its magnificence behind, we charted our course for the Arc de Triomf. We had seen it from the bus yesterday and while it was not up to Parisienne standards, it dominated the area and acted as a gateway to the Parc de la Ciutadella. It was another hot sunny day and quite humid. Hydration was an issue so we paused for a beer. Across the square was an outdoor gym. Excellent. Drinks and entertainment. We regathered our energy while watching others exhaust theirs.

We continued our walk to the Arc. Like most other major attractions, it was quite crowded. The area beyond the Arc, Passeig de Lluís Companys, was populated with prefabricated stalls all selling books. Again similar to the stall along the Seine in Paris, except these ones were larger and provided protection from the elements for the stall holder. They had a similar arrangement in the Passeig de Gracia.

Arc de Triomf.

By this point we were feeling the impact of walking in the heat and decided to save the exploration of the park until tomorrow and walked back to the hotel to rest before dinner.

Passeig de Lluís Companys.

It was time to abandon tapas for paella. We located a restaurant just around the corner from the hotel and selected an inside table as the weather looked like it could turn. It was the most expensive of the dinners we've had so far and probably the most disappointing. Eating out, unless you can get a local recommendation, is proving a little hit and miss. Our meals at Ciutat Comtal have been excellent and we will return there tomorrow for our final meal in Barcelona.

Not so disappointing was the gelato we had before returning to the hotel.

The Mirador Torre Glòries from a distance.

Before retiring we went up to the rooftop bar to take a couple of night shots, expecting the Sagrada Familia to be it up. Alas no. No lights on the famous Cathedral.

Plaça de Catalunya.

Until tomorrow.