Paul & I decided to take a 5 day "�99 - special offer" flight from Stansted airport.
We left at 5.30pm, arrived in Barcelona at 9.30pm, picked up a Hire car & drove around for nearly 4 hours trying to find a reasonably priced Hotel or Hostel.
If you've never been to Spain I recommend that your first nights accommodation is booked in advance!
Our first night was at a new 5 star Hotel, 'Rafael Diaganol', recently opened near the modern Harbour complex 'Port Ol'mpic' built for the Olympics in 1992. Next day the Tourist office found us a great Hotel, 'The Mont Blanc', for 2 nights right in the City centre. We parked the car in a side street for a few days and enjoyed finding our way around the sights, labyrinth of alley ways & shopping areas on foot.
La Rambla, in the heart of Barcelona, is an extravagent market style street running from the City centre down to the Harbour. In the evening the sidewalk cafes & bars serve reasonably priced food & drink - especially Paella & Sangria. The street entertainers here are amazing, from mime artists & statues, jugglers, fire-eaters, groups & solo musicians, to full on cabaret style street theatre.
In the day time you'll be amazed to walk down the same road and see so many exotic birds, parrots, budgies & cockatiels for sale. What appeared at night to be closed newspaper & cigarette kiosks, actually house the caged birds!!
At the Tourist office buy a discount ticket to the sights & attractions:- the Sagrada Familia, (the unfinished Gaudi cathedral), Montserrat (the monastery in the mountains), or visit the local Museums & Churches, (there seem to be hundreds), you can buy a combined ticket that includes your train & bus travel too.
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