Saturday 1st December saw us off on the first leg of our trip homeward. Though our first bus didn't leave until 10am we were up early and had the apartment completely ready for closing up in plenty of time. It was a bit of a surprise when we opened the downstairs door and found it was raining. We've barely had rain in weeks. So, trailing our big wheeled bags and wearing backpacks we made our way rather damply to the bus stop.
We have used the 1 Euro bus to Perpignan so many times; it's been a great means of transport. With just time for a quick coffee at the cafe at the bus terminal, we boarded the Flixbus to Perpignan. We avoided a slight altercation when a couple of men sitting in our booked seats at the front very begrudgingly moved themselves elsewhere to unallocated seats. Given it was raining there was no final view of Mt Canigou as we left Ceret, so it was a bit of a low point to be departing France on.
The 2.25hr trip to Barcelona went smoothly and it was nice to get out and stretch our legs on reaching the bus terminal. There is a cafe nearby where we have stopped for a snack on many occasions over the years, and, it being 2:30pm, it was time for a small bite to eat. From there it was just a short walk to the apartment we had booked. Again, it was a place we have stayed in before. We like it because it is immediately opposite the brilliantly ornamented Palau de la Musica Catalana, and also one of Plensa's amazing head sculptures. It is also on the edge of the Gothic Quarter, a great location in the centre of the city.
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| Arc de Triomf in Barcelona |
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| Plensa's sculpture with the ornate Palace of Music on the left further down the street |
After dumping our bags we promptly headed out again, though we only got as far as the next-door bar where we sat down to have a glass of cold beer! It was very welcome after the day's travels. It was then onwards to have a look around the Gothic Quarter, with an early stop being La Rambla and its famous Boqueria market. The latter was lit up with Xmas lights and was just as bright and and shiny inside. A lot of effort goes into the elaborate displays of food on offer.
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| The entrance to La Boqueria |
A little further away we came across a fabulous show selling all kinds of paper, much of it handmade. All manner of creations able to be made from paper were on display, including dresses. It was an amazing four-level store, clearly needing a very large population to be viable. I don't think Nelson would cut it unfortunately. My love of paper resonated on our trip through Japan and I'm still gripped by it.
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| Amazing shop selling all forms of paper and paper creations |
We carried on walking to Bilbao Berria, a bar in Plaza de la Catedral. It offers typically Basque food served as pintxos and tapas, i.e. very small dishes. The locals typically have one or two pintxos or tapas with a glass of wine or beer at around 5-7pm, before having their full dinner much later in the evening. We love going to this place and eating a variety of dishes as our one and only main meal. Each dish, e.g. fish or vegetable, is served on a small slice of baguette. The variety is mouth-watering. We have taken Bella, Nic and Alastair to Bilbao Berria over the years, and it never disappoints.
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| Pintxos and cava - a perfect duo |
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| Just some of the pintxos on offer |
The secondhand stalls that typically set up in the cathedral square had been replaced by Xmas stalls, selling all manner of touristy knick-knacks so we gave it a miss and wandered back home. The music palace opposite our apartment was all lit up and provided some wonderful night-time photos.
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| Cathedral Square with the Xmas market |
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| Palau de la Musica Catalana |
