Initial report on Barcelona

I recently returned from a 10 day vacation in Barcelona. It was my first time in Spain. Like all Irish people the first thing I noticed was the heat. The temperature was in the low twenties and very pleasant for me. Barcelona is a city of open spaces, unusual architecture, beautiful fountains and Irish pubs! It seems nowhere escapes the march of the Irish pub :)
One negative aspect of my visit was a certain Kilimanjaro restaurant in Placa de Catalunya. It is in a major transport and tourist hub of the city. In it I found the rudest waiter I ever met, some of the worst food I ever tasted and a hefty bill at the end of it.
My favourite excursion was to Montjuic via the cable-car from Torre Jaume 1. The view was fantastic and Montjuic is also near the Olympic stadium.
Barcelona must the capital of Museums because there is one for almost everything. From chocolate to wax and from ethnology to ceramics, it would be almost impossible not to find one that would be of interest. The Zoo in Barcelona is one of the best I’ve seen and the dolphin show is amazing. Speaking of which, the aquarium is excellent also. It was the first time I saw the most unusual angel fish which looks more like a swimming head than a complete fish. The public transport system is excellent and simple, even I could figure it out :D
In many ways Barcelona could be described as Gaudi’s city. His style is stamped on the city through such buildings as the Sagrada Familia Church, Casa Batllo and Parc Guell.
Not all the architecture in Barcelona appealed to me. The Arc de Triomf for example just looks bad. The one in Bucharest is much nicer, even with the scaffolding!
A word of warning. If you are a shopaholic do not visit El Corte Ingles at the top of Placa de Catalunya. It is a multi-story temple to shopping. There is a saying that if you can’t find something in El Corte Ingles then it does not exist. I won’t name names here but I know some people who could spend a lifetime in this shop ;)
More later...