Barcelona in fast forward

Barcelona IS worth a trip, we have a small handicap, namely that I am always easily overwhelmed by the crowds in cities.

Nevertheless, we dared to go on a short trip, because of course we can't take the dogs to an exhibition or just into the city; Nerone would quickly get stressed out.

We first drove to a suburb early in the morning and hiked the Gorges de Mola, there is red sandstone everywhere, it seems strange that you are only a few minutes away from the metropolis of Barcelona

BUT there are so many expressways and motorways all around that lead from the interior to the sea that you somehow hear road noise almost constantly. It's a shame, but that's to be expected in a big city. We then experienced a small foretaste of the traffic, because the journey that should normally have only taken 20 minutes kept us entertained for 50 minutes. Spaniards are generally in a hurry, the way they drive on and off motorways and expressways would probably bring tears to the eyes of a German driving instructor, but overall everything worked out well.

Christian had organized the permit for Barcelona and also reserved a parking space in an underground car park that could actually accommodate our van in terms of height. So it wasn't like in Dublin, where the websites told you about the horse.

We first went to a café, which I really liked because of its atmosphere. There we were warned for the first time about pickpockets, which apparently exist in Barcelona, but luckily we didn't make any acquaintances with them. But the advice that you should take good care of your bags and wallets is also good!

Barcelona was the city of the 1992 Summer Olympics and is the city where Antonio Gaudi worked. That's why Christian, as an architect, asked me what I wanted to look at. I wanted to see a Gaudi house because the park and the cathedral would have been too far away and we would have put a little too much strain on the dogs. So we went to Palau Guell, Gaudi's first masterpiece, which isn't too far-fetched. We learned about the architectural subtleties with the audio guide; it's a crazy interplay of form, the joy of design and the craftsmen's art.

Of course we explored the market, where I bought dates and Christian bought a bag of nuts, everything was very nice.

Then of course I had to see the Rambla, which Christian had told me so much about. What was funnier, however, were the parrots that talked loudly in the palm trees. Unfortunately they couldn't be found in the plane trees, I only saw them once, otherwise I heard them.

The Rambla is impressive, the idea that you stroll under an avenue of trees in the middle of two streets is beautiful, it is wonderfully implemented. Of course, all the tourist shops and the like are here too.

We then went to the Gothic Quarter and looked around, tried paella for lunch and enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere of the city. There's something magical about finding cafés everywhere, looking around in amazement and feeling a little reminded of Naples or Palermo. There was oleander everywhere, here it is even a hedge between the roads like in Italy. It could have been longer, but we got back to the car in time so that the dogs weren't completely weepy yet.

On the way home we did the second part of the Gorges de Mola and Loki was even able to take a bath! All in all, a very nice and, above all, very hot November day at 27 degrees!