Barcelona
It was the year 2011, when I was based in Prague, that the iconic film Zindagi Na Milegi Dubara (ZNMD) was released. Over the years the film aged like wine and attained cult status. For many, like me, it is like a therapy during depressing times. However, despite living in Prague for two years, a notable destination missing on my travel CV of Europe was Spain. The destination made more desirable, thanks to the ZNMD effect.
We got our chance many years later in the Easter of 2017 when we were based in the UK. My wife’s parents were visiting us and along with Arshia and Ishan (my sister-in-law and her husband) we planned for Easter in Spain. Not quite a ZNMD road-trip though, as I was planned to visit only Barcelona, while much to my envy my wife along with her parents would travel to Madrid, Seville, Granada, Cordoba post that. No complaints, I would gladly take that.
We set-off by the evening flight on Good Friday on the now defunct Monarch-Air and arrived late evening at Barcelona. We, along with parents were flying from London while Arshia and Ishan were joining us from Manchester. So, we waited for them to arrive after which we set-off for the hotel. It was already quite late but thankfully just a short walk from the hotel took us to a restaurant. Payela and other Spanish dishes were on offer which my wife and sister-in-law enjoyed, while I stuck to some of my tried and tested choices.
The first morning in a new city as a tourist is what I really live for and the fact that the city was Barcelona gave that much more adrenaline rush.
My wife Asmi had it all planned out. She was the best person to do so. Otherwise, in a city like Barcelona it can be quite confusing where to start as there is just so much to see.
Sagrada Familia
We started off with the iconic Sagrada Familia. This is a legendary church or Basilica, designed by the famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, started in 1882. And most importantly still unfinished. And yet amazingly remarkable. We could see large cranes around the structure with some work going on. Initially I thought it was some renovation being done which is common for all old structures. Little did I know that it was the actual construction being still completed. The cranes did spoil the look slightly but that seemed to be the true picture. Completed or not, this was probably Barcelona’s number one point of interest. Hordes of tourists and several tourist buses could be seen around the area. The church looked truly magical and worth the wait to complete it even after 130+ years.
Park Guell
Our next stop was the Park Guell, another famous place in Barcelona. As the name suggested, this was a park composed of gardens and architectural beauties located on Caramel Hill. This was a place where one could spend a lot of time walking through the arches, going up the hills and every chance of getting separated from the group which I did multiple times. Much like Sagarida Familia this was one more USESCO world heritage site designed by the one and only Antoni Gaudi, a name we would hear many more times over the day. There is plenty to view and experience over here. There are number of trails and it even provides the thrill of a jog or a trek. And of course, there are museums as well.
It was now time to eat something, so we duly parked ourselves in one of the cafes outside the park. The challenge was to get everyone in the group together which we did after a bit of effort. We heard that Park Guell is beautifully lit up in the evening and my wife insisted that she would pay another visit in the evening.
Casa Batlo
We were not done with Gaudi yet. We now moved to the city centre where we would be able to view more of the genius of Gaudi. The building in question was the Casa Battlo. And well, yes, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. I wondered that we made it a hat-trick for the day as far as Gaudi-UNESCO combination was concerned. Like the previous two, this one was another masterpiece. What I realised is that all the designs were somewhat fairytale-like and fantastical. The dragon roof stood out for the Casa Battlo. And the colours used indeed gave it a look of fantasy. The building is converted into a museum. However, we decided to skip it as it would be very time consuming. Right next to it was another beautiful building, the Casa Amatller. Unfortunately, it is overshadowed by its more famous neighbour.
We were in for another break now. One of Ishan’s family friends Smita, who is a local from Barcelona would be meeting us. So, we walked along the same road and headed for the food court at a shopping mall where she met us. And now she would be with us as our guide for the evening.
Magic Fountain of Montjuïc
After having a well-deserved meal, we headed off to our next destination. This was something which had to be viewed only in the evening. We killed a bit of time and waited for the evening to set in. We were on our way to the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc. This was an absolute masterclass. It was a scheduled light, water, and music show. The music would start, and the fountain would light up in different colours and shades as the water began dancing to the rhythm of the melody. There are hordes of people visiting the place every evening to view this show which made it a buzzing atmosphere. All of us had our eye as well as your camera fixed in the brilliant show that unfolded. The videos turned out to be extremely colourful and so were the still photos. Surely one of the signature Barcelona moments. This was the last sight-seeing act of the day as we settled for dinner at a place close by.
Beach – Platja de la Nova Icària
The next day was planned for the beach. Of course, when you come to Spain, you need to have the sun and the sand. This was the most relaxed way to spend the day. Most of the places of interest had been covered the day before and whatever remaining could be covered the next day. The day was to soak in the blue waters and the sand.
The beach which I learnt was named Platja de la Nova Icària, was not very far from our hotel and a short cab ride took us there in no time. The beach had several restaurants as well as an area marked for beach volleyball having multiple courts. We settled for one of the burger bars and were treated to some lovely music by the blue waters along with viewing a few games of beach volleyball. One of Arshia’s college friends who is a local, joined us as well and we had a good time just sitting on the beach and chatting. Chatting with friends, walking along the beach to feel the place and then we were finally ready to go as the evening was setting in.
Gothic Quarters
At this point of time our group split. The ladies, led by my wife Asmi, set off for the viewing of Park Guell by the evening, while Ishan and myself headed for the Gothic Quarter, which was the historic centre of the old city. The main landmark of the place was the Cathedral of Barcelona. We hung around the place which was buzzing with lots of activities just like any other cathedral square in any European city. People showing their tricks and us taking videos of them. We were joined by Smita after a while and once the rest of the group joined us, we went for dinner at one of the outdoor restaurants, buzzing with people and music. It was truly a ‘Gothic’ experience.
Nou Camp
We entered the third and last day of my trip. There would be some changes to the combination. Arshia and Ishan left for Hull in the morning itself as they wanted to be home for a friend’s birthday. So, it was just the four of us. Being in Barcelona, I was all set for a football fan’s pilgrimage to the iconic Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona. The group had to be split. My wife and her parents went for their last day shopping while I made my way to the Camp Nou after a couple of tram and bus rides. The tours were open, and I duly purchased tickets and went in. It was probably the grandest stadium I have ever seen, in terms of size. I had visited Old Trafford by then and Wembley later, but Camp Nou was bigger that both, capacity wise. Even the empty stands designed in the club’s colours, looked so grand, I wondered what it would be when they are full. Just the previous night, FC Barcelona had a game which they won 3-2. I wondered what an atmosphere it might have been. The museum visit was on expected lines. The walls were adorned with the pictures of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol and others of a great Barcelona team that prevailed back then but was just beginning to fade. Notable were the UCL trophies along with the pictures of their triumphs in 2006, 09, 11 and 15. The view from the press box was gorgeous and made the sight even more intimidating. I wondered what would ‘away’ teams feel here.
Praca De Catalunya
I headed back to the Cathedral of Barcelona where we were the day before. The place looked gorgeous in the sun providing some great photographs. Close by was the Praca De Catalunya, which was the prominent central square with historic buildings and sculptures.
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There can be few better ways to visit a new city than by walking through its lanes and by lanes. This was the time to do it for me through the old city of Barcelona. This was probably my only ZNMD moment of the trip, albeit alone. Remember Kabir and Imran walking around Barcelona in search of an Art Gallery on the opening day of the holiday. It was through these streets. Some of the buildings viewed on the way were the Barcelona City Hall, Carrer del Bisbe on Notable Street, The Bell Tower. I caught up with my wife and family who were shopping in the markets close by on the La Rambla, an iconic street. The street had a market with trees on both sides. Our walk through La Rambla took us to the port side of Barcelona. We spotted the Port Authority building which was a historic landmark in Barcelona, along with lots of ships and boats parked in the harbour. Along with that a grand monument dedicated to Columbus. Of course, there had to be one in the port area of a Spanish city. We were now done with Barcelona. We retired into our hotel and settled for an in-house dinner. The next day would be my journey back to Northampton, UK while my wife and her parents would proceed to the capital of Madrid.
