7th August - Tramp around Barcelona

Yesterday was dedicated to some of the most popular tourist destinations.

We visited Christopher Columbus who stands tall at the bottom of La Rambla, pointing out across the sea in the wrong direction, away from America.

Walking north through La Rambla we encountered a small protest against tourists.  In most parts of Barcelona during our stay we found stickers & graffiti stating "Tourist, Go Home.  You are destroying our neighbourhood".  Never mind the fact they probably couldn't afford the stickers without the tourist industry...

Then we visited the market which was busy but had an amazing selection of food & tapas bars.

The Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic) was next.  Thin winding streets with blackened stone houses and cathedrals. Most impressive were the remains of a 4th century Roman wall & tower which during is heyday protected a large portion of the Gothic Quarter.

Afterwards we checked out the beach which was crowded with thousands of people, before heading back to the hostel to prepare for our tour of La Sagrada Familia.

I forgot just how large the church is. It is epic and well worth the 20€ to go in.  As you enter you are in awe (well I was at least) of the amount of open space inside.  Spires that required Computer Aided Design, stained glass windows that change the color of the interior as the time of day changes.

Stained glass awesomeness in La Sagrada Familia

Today we have checked out and headed to another hostel further out of the city that borders the mountains. It's called Feetup Garden House Hostel & apparently it's key features are 'culture' and 'older travelers'!! Well see, have stopped in a park close by but will provide an update on the hostel later.

Chilling in park above Barcelona velodrome