So, as I was saying, Barcelona, fantastic city… The sun was shining, the food was good and cheap and there was even a copy of the Sun for the hobbits to do the crossword and keep up with Dear Deirdre…

Sunday was another sunny day and it was rumoured to be up to about 15 degrees on the Farmacia thermometers scattered around town. We hadn’t yet learned not to trust them, although we had our fist inkling when the weather apparently dropped about 5 degrees in 20 metres. So after a quick breakfast of jamon y queso (ham and cheese – just like Italy!) we headed up to the famous Guell Park where Barcelona´s favourite architect Gaudi did some of his best work.

Initially intended to be a private park residence for the city’s wealthier inhabitants, it turned out that they weren’t so wealthy as they first thought and the project was abandoned. The city later bought the land and turned it into a public park, much to the pleasure of Barcelonan tourists and locals alike…

For anyone not familiar with the works of Gaudi, he can best be described as Hans Christian Anderson on acid, and there is no better illustration of this than the two buildings that flank the entrance of the Guell Park that look as though they have been made with gingerbread. We spent a few hours wandering the park and a few more just sitting in the sun (sun!!! finally! let’s all sit in the sun’s warm glowing warming glow….). As well as the gingerbread house, we found a giant lizard a spectacular view over the city.

As the evening descended, we decided to go to church (it was Sunday after all). We were shocked to find it closed. God’s house closed on Sunday, who would have thunk it? So we returned on Monday to check it out instead.

As we already know from to ill-fated park, the Gaudi guy seems to have a bit a procrastination problem. Projects seem to get started but not quite finished. The church in question, La Sagrada Familia, is another example. Started around 1890, construction is taking a loooong time and is still not complete. By the looks of things it is likely to take another hundred years or so.. But it is still pretty impressive, cranes and all. And best of all for Nato, there is a chicken shop across the road…

Onward and upward. And I do mean upward….

The hobbits decided that one trip to God’s house wasn’t quite enough. And luckily for them there happened to be another one. Up the top of a little hill. Where there was also a fun park and a big (fraidy) telecommunications tower. Actually, the hill wasn’t quite so little, but luckily there was a tram and a funicular to take you right to the top.

At least, there is in summer.

So they decided to walk. Good on them I say, they could use the exercise! Two and a half hours later we arrived at the telecommunications tower (closed), the fun park (also closed) and finally God’s house (not so closed.. but about to). The views were spectacular but the winds were freezing so we didn’t stay long.

We didn’t need to though as there was a bus waiting at God’s house…. To take us all the way down to the winter funicular, on the other side of the mountain… which took us all the way back to town…..