8:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

Breakfast at NH Arguelles Hotel, Madrid

9:00 Packed our luggage. Checked out at the reception and left the bags in the hotel's storage room (we emailed the hotel before booking to confirm that this option was available).

9:20 The online trip planning tool gave us two option to get to the Ventas Plaza de Toros – by bus and be metro. Both offered similar time to get there, so with greater experience with the metro we selected the metro option – Line 2 from Canal to Ventas (13 stops, but the time on the metro runs fast…).

Ventas Plaza de Toros (Bull-Fighting Ring), Madrid

9:50 Arrived at Ventas metro station , then short walk to Plaza de Toros. According to the online information (http://www.las-ventas.com/prensa/taurotour/ingles.pdf)  the guided tour was to start at 10:00, but we were told to wait a little – they didn't even start to sell to tickets for the guided tour. Finally, they started to sell the tickets about 10:20 and around 10:30 the guide took us inside. There were quite a few people participating in the tour. The guide was very knowledgeable and she spoke in English very fast. This was a very memorable experience to visit this world's most famous bullfighting ring. Incredible atmosphere! Our visit to Spain wouldn't be complete without Plaza de Toros…

11:40 Metro Line 2 from Ventas to Goya (2 stops) and from Goya to Velazquez (1 stop). We hoped to do some shopping between the Velazquez metro station and Plaza de Colon – at streets like: Calle de Goya, Calle de Velazquez, Calle de Serrano. Unfortunately, almost all of the stores were closed as it was Sunday. Some (very few) were starting to open at 12:00. Still, at least we did some window-shopping at such top-class stores as: Loewe (leather goods), Cortefiel (fashion) and found Manolo Blahnik's (super-expensive shoes) «outlet».

Plaza de Colon, Madrid

12:30 Plaza de Colon – statue of Columbus, monument to Columbus - Jardines del Descrubimiento - Centro Cultural de la Villa de Madrid – the twin Torres de Colón.

12:50 Back at Plaza del Callao. Took metro Line 4 from Colon to Alonso Martinez (1 stop) and Line 5 from there to Callao (3 stops). More shopping at Calle de Preciados and around Plaza Sol (13:10)

Shopping at Calle de Preciados, Madrid

13:10 Metro Line 2 from Sol to Canal (6 stops). Short walk to the hotel. Picked up the luggage (13:40). Changed clothes for the plane trip in the hotel's basement washroom.

14:00 Took the luggage to the Canal metro station. Line 7 to Avenida de America (3 stops) and from there Line 9 to Colombia (3 stops). Finally, Line 8 from Colombia to Barajas – the Madrid Airport.

15:20 Check-in for Air Transat's flight TS949. Had something to eat, did duty-free shopping, sent postcards, etc.

Barajas Airport, Madrid

18:15 Boarding for the flight. Planned departure was 18:20, but it was delayed. The actual departure time was 18:50.

Stan

RESOURCES:

Ventas Plaza de Toros (official website) - http://www.las-ventas.com/

Ventas Plaza de Toros – information on guided tours - http://www.las-ventas.com/prensa/taurotour/ingles.pdf

Bullfighting - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullfighting

Barajas – the Madrid Airport (official website) - http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?MO=-1&SMO=-1&SiteName=MAD&c=Page&cid=1049727006353&pagename=subHome

Air Transat Holidays – they always have great deals! - http://www.transatholidays.com/EN

8:00 Woke up early. Good breakfast at the hotel (included in price that we paid for the hotel stay!). Prepared some sandwiches to eat later (10:00).

10:40 Walk to Canal metro station. Metro Line 7 to Gregorio Maranyon (2 stops), then Line 10 to Begonya (6 stops). Quatro Torres (11:30)

11:50 Metro to Plaza de Castilla. Kio Towers

Museo de America, Mirador del Faro, Arco de la Victoria; Madrid

Kio Towers, Plaza de Castilla; Madrid

12:10 Metro Line 1 from Plaza de Castilla to Cuatro Caminos (5 stops) and from there Line 6 to Moncloa (4 stops) – Museo de America (13:05) – Mirador del Faro – Arco de la Victoria (13:20)

13:30 Metro Line 6 from Moncloa to Arguelles (1 stop), then Line 4 to San Bernardino, from there Line 2 to Opera (3 stops). Plaza de Isabel II (13:45) – Plaza Oriente (13:50)

Palacio Real, Madrid

14:00 Bought €8 tickets and entered Palacio Real.

15:20 Snack time and rest in the park between Palacio Real and Plaza de Oriente.

Metro Line 2 from Opera to Sol (1 stop) and then Line 1 to Atocha (3 stops). Short walk to Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.

15:50 Obtained FREE entry tickets to Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, spent two hours there - lots of fascinating exhibits!

Salvador Dali at Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid

17:50 Walked through Plaza del Emperador Carlos V by Ministerio de Agricultura to Atocha RENFE train station.

18:00 Metro Line 1 from Atocha RENFE to Gran Via (5 stops). Stroll along Gran Via aka «Spanish Broadway».

18:20 Telefonica skyscraper. Strolling and shopping on Gran Via between Telefonica and Plaza del Callao, e.g., Bershka, Ulanka, etc.

Gran Via ("Spanish Broadway"); Madrid

19:00 Light meal, coffee aand people watching at Starbucks (Plaza del Callao).

19:30 More shopping – between Plaza del Callao and Plaza de la Puerta del Sol, mostly at these two pedestrian streets – Calle de Preciados and Calle del Carmen. Strolling at Plaza de la Puerta del Sol.

21:50 Metro Line 2 to Canal from Sol (6 stops). Nice evening walk to the hotel.

Stan

RESOURCES:

Quatro Torres - the tallest skyscrapers in Madrid and Spain (Torre Espacio, Torre de Cristal, Torre Sacyr Vallehermoso and Torre Caja Madrid) - http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=391659
Kio Towers - aka The Puerta de Europa towers (Gate of Europe) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gate_of_Europe
Museo de America - http://museodeamerica.mcu.es/
Mirador del Faro - also known as the Moncloa Faro or Faro de Madrid; futuristic tower built in 1992 as a communications center with an observatory tower located at 92 meters, but it was closed in 2005 - http://www.elfarodemoncloa.com/
Arco de la Victoria - http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arco_de_la_Victoria
Centro de Arte Reina Sofia - http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html
Atocha RENFE train station - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Atocha_railway_station
Metro de Madrid - http://www.metromadrid.es/en/index.html

7:36 The train arrived at the Chamartin station in Madrid on time. We refreshed ourselves at the station's well-maintained washrooms and had a solid, tasty breakfast at the bar (still at the station).

8:30 Now we needed to buy the «Tourist Transport Season Tickets» (Abono Transporte Turistico) – the most practical and cheapest way to travel around Madrid, valid for all kinds of public transport.  At the station's newsstand we bought 3-day passes for one zone as we knew we didn't have time to visit any farther zones and luckily all the biggest tourist attractions are located within Zona A. The tickets we bought were called «Abono Turistico 3 Dias». They cost €11.60 per person and were very small, about one-third of Barcelona's passes or passes we used in other cities all over the world. When we used them for the first time, their validity expiry date was printed on the reverse side. Later (already at home!) we realized that we were to write our passport numbers on the tickets, but we missed that (the tickets are personal and non-transferable), but no official or any «important person» ever asked to see our tickets during our stay in Madrid. Anyway, we found the tickets very useful and cheap; used them wildly on metro and buses to move quickly around Madrid. By the way, we just loved the metro system in Madrid – it was the best we've ever seen during our trips in Europe and North America. It was well-run, modern and the stations were conveniently located. Barcelona metro was also very good. Apparently Spain is the champion in the metro business… We didn't use buses in Madrid too much, but we didn't have any problems to use them.

Notes: 1/ It helped a lot that we did our research at home knowing that we would be using the public transportation extensively. Most of the websites on this subject are very good, English versions are available and the information provided is very useful – including the maps, schedules and the pricing. One of the best services is the one that calculates and proposes the best way (mode of transportation) to get from one place to the other (using addresses or name of an important building, i.e. station). This is a fantastic tool, great to use if your time is limited. For example, we learned at home, from the Internet, the best way to use to get from our hotel to The Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas – the most famous bullring in Madrid.

2/ As our time in Madrid was so limited, we had to prepare our schedules and itineraries very diligently, with up-to-the-minute accuracy. It was fun to prepare and even greater fun to enjoy execution of our plans. Everything played out perfectly. As you can see from this report, we saw almost everything important to be seen in Madrid! We did similar preparations for Barcelona, but we had a little more time to spend there, therefore we had more flexibility there.

9:10 Relatively easy walk/escalators from the train terminal to Chamartin metro station. Metro Line 10 from Chamartin to Gregorio Maranon (5 stops) and from there Metro Line 7 to Canal (2 stops). Short walk (about 10 minutes – we learned the details from the online travel planning tool) from the Canal metro station to the NH Arguelles Hotel.

Plaza de la Cibeles, Madrid

9:40 Reached the hotel, checked in, organized our rooms, took quick shower and got ready to explore Madrid.

11:45 Walked back to Canal and from there took metro Line 2 to Banco de Espanya (8 stops).

12:10 Calle de Alcala – Banco de Espanya – Plaza de la Cibeles – Palacio de Linares – Circulo de Bellas Artes – Teatro Lirico Nacional de la Zarzuela – Congreso de los Diputados.

12:50-14:10 Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (€8 per person); Hotel Ritz – Bolsa de Comercio.

14:30 Metro Line 2 from Banco de Espanya to Sevilla (1 stop). Walking around Old Madrid:

Calle de Alcala – Casino de Madrid (14:40) – Real Academia de Bellas Artes

Plaza de la Puerta del Sol, Madrid

Plaza de la Puerta del Sol (14:45)

Calle del Arenal/Calle de Preciados

Plaza/Iglesia de San Gines (15:00)

Plaza de las Descalzas/Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (15:05)

Calle/Plaza Mayor (Estatua de Felipe III) (15:15). Resting a little bit.

Plaza Mayor, Madrid

Colegiata de San Isidro (15:50)

Calle de Toledo (bought snacks at DIA store – great prices!) (16:10). Mesons (traditional Spanish restaurants)

Calle de Segovia Viaduct (16:30)

San Francisco el Grande Basilica (16:35)

Catedral de la Almudena, Madrid

Calle de Bailen/Catedral de la Almudena (16:50)/Palacio Real (17:10)

Plaza de Oriente (17:20)/Teatro Real/Plaza de Isabel II (17:30)

17:35 Metro Line 2 from Opera to SOL (1 stop) and from there Line 1 to Anton Martin (2 stops). Nice walk along Calle de Moratin to Museo del Prado (at Paseo del Prado/Plaza de Murillo).

17:50 Joined quite a long line to get a free entry to Museo del Prado (available between 18:00 and 20:00, Tuesday to Saturday and 17:00-20:00 on Sundays)

18:00-19:45 Museo del Prado – one of the greatest art galleries in the world and we enjoyed it for free!

Museo del Prado, Madrid

19:50 Walk around Museo del Prado, along Calle de Felipe IV and Calle de la Academia: Hotel Ritz - Real Academia Espanyola – Iglesia de San Jeronimo el Real (20:05) – Cason del Buen Retiro – Parque del Retiro – Real Jardin Botanico (20:10).

20:15 CaixaForum

20:20 Dinner/supper at McDonald's.

20:45 Metro Line 1 from Atocha to Cuatro Caminos (9 stops) and from there Line 2 to Canal (1 stop), then short walk to the hotel.

Stan

RESOURCES:

Abono Transporte Turistico - http://www.metromadrid.es/en/viaja_en_metro/tarifas/abonos/contenido02.html
Madrid Metro - http://www.metromadrid.es/en/viaja_en_metro/
NH Arguelles Hotel, Madrid – http://www.nh-hotels.com/nh/en/hotels/spain/madrid/nh-arguelles.html
Plaza de la Cibeles - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_de_Cibeles
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza - http://www.museothyssen.org/en/thyssen/home
Plaza Mayor - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Mayor,_Madrid
Catedral de la Almudena - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almudena_Cathedral
Palacio Real - http://www.patrimonionacional.es/Home/Palacios-Reales/Palacio-Real-de-Madrid.aspx
Museo del Prado - http://www.museodelprado.es/en/
Parque del Retiro («Park of the Pleasant Retreat») - The Jardines del Buen Retiro or simply El Retiro, is the largest park of the city of Madrid - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buen_Retiro_Park
CaixaForum - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CaixaForum_Madrid > Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file from vernissage.tv.

9:45 Check-out from the AC Som hotel. We could stay until 12:00, but preferred to leave early and see more of Barcelona and experience fine Barcelona SHOPPING! Luckily, we were allowed to leave our bags for the day in the hotel's storage room. It was offered for free and we gladly made use of it instead of taking the bags to the Sants station, which would take time and would cost €4.50 per large locker (90x60x50 cms).

10:30 Short visit to the nearby huge shopping mall – Gran Via 2. Lots of stores, but  nothing stunning, so we left rather quickly without buying anything.

10:50 Metro from Ildefons Cerda to Liceu (Rambla/Plaça de la Boqueria): L8 to Espanya (2 stops), then L3 to Liceu (4 stops):

Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona

• Gran Teatre del Liceu (11:10)
• Palau Guell (closed due to renovation works) (11:30)
• Mercat de La Boqueria (Mercat de Sant Josep), with the world-famous Pinotxo bar run by Juanito Bayan and dozens of colorful stalls with fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and much more. Not to be missed if you're a gourmet! We enjoyed yummy lunch there. (11:45-12:15)


Pinotxo bar run by Juanito Bayan, La Boqueria, Barcelona

• Palau de la Virreina (12:30)
• Esglesia del Betlem (12:40)
• Stroll north along La Rambla to Plaça de Catalunya (13:00).

Shopping in the area of Avinguda del Portal de l'Angel/Passeig de Gracia (13:00 – 16:00)

16:00 Metro L4 from Catalunya to Liceu (1 stop). One more visit to Barri Gotic and shopping in the area between Via Laietana, Carrer de Ferran, Carrer Portaferrissa and La Rambla. Got some delis at Lafuente (Ferran 20) – great selection of delicatessen, wines and other spirits

17:30 Great pizza with beer at a small but cozy place on Ferran.

18:10 La Manual Alpargatera (Avinyó 7, between La Rambla and Plaça de Sant Jaume) - the espadrilles - ecological light shoes made with natural materials: vegetable fiber (hemp, jute, esparto...) for the sole and cotton, linen, etc. for the instep

18:50 2^nd visit to the Barcelona Cathedral (Esglesia Catedral de la Santa Creu); encounter with the geese.

Barcelona Cathedral's geese

19:30 Shopping for snacks and drinks for the coming night train travel to Madrid – inexpensive at the Carrefour store on Ramblas.

19:45 Metro – L3 from Liceu to Espanya (4 stops) and L8 from Espanya to Ildefons Cerda (2 stops) – to AC Som to pick up our baggage.

20:30 Metro – L8 from Ildefons Cerda to Espanya (2 stops) and L3 (2 stops) from Espanya to Sants Estacio. It was quite difficult, though, to carry the bags from the metro station to the train terminal.

21:20 Reached the Sants train terminal, bought some more water for the trip and then just waited for the night train to Madrid. The train, called Estrella 00373, was to leave the Sants station at 22:20 and was to arrive at Madrid-Chamartin station at 7:36 in the morning (total travel time – 9 hours and 16 minutes). The train was to stop at 13 stations between Barcelona and Madrid, including the following bigger cities:  Tarragona (23:38), Zaragoza (3:14), Guadalajara (6:43). We bought the tickets online at home, paying €60 per person. There were some problems with the purchase as the Renfe website's English version wasn't fully functional. The email confirmation from Renfe was saying that we paid for «Oferta Litera Familiar», which we understood as a 4-person couchette compartment with bunks, blankets, pillows and clean linens.

22:20 Our train to Madrid left on time. Finding our car and our compartment wasn't easy – there was no one to ask, but finally we got to our compartment and found it very disappointing! First of all, it had very, very little room and it had 6 – not 4 bunks as we expected. We couldn't imagine to use those bunk beds to sleep, taking in to account our travel bags. Moreover – and it was a big problem – we were not sure if we actually got what we paid for - a 4-person couchette compartment – and if we would have to share it or not with some other strangers. The numbers of the bunks that we were assigned with the tickets were not consecutive and one of them was the highest (top) in the set of the triple bunks . Unfortunately, the conductor was not speaking English and we didn't get from him the answers to those important questions. The bunks were hard and it was not easy to get on and off of them and there really wasn't enough room for our bags. But we were tired and we needed to get some sleep between Barcelona and Madrid so that we could fully use our scarce time in Madrid. Therefore, despite the lack of confirmation from the conductor that the whole compartment was only for us, we claimed the four lower bunk beds and tried to sleep. We figured that we would be safe in our assumption if nobody would come and claim any of those two remaining bunks at the first bigger station, which was Tarragona. When the train left Tarragona, we agreed that nobody would come to our department to claim any of the two remaining bunks and soon everybody was soundly sleeping. It helped that we had with us a few cans of the «national» Spanish beer, called like our train – «Estrella» (star)…

Mary

RESOURCES:

Mercat de La Boqueria (Mercat de Sant Josep) - http://www.boqueria.info/index.php?lang=en
Pinotxo bar – great intro by the gas•tron•o•my blog - http://gastronomyblog.com/2010/05/25/bar-pinotxo-barcelona/
La Rambla - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Rambla,_Barcelona
Placa de Catalunya - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaça_de_Catalunya,_Barcelona
La Manual Alpargatera - http://www.lamanualalpargatera.com
Renfe - http://www.renfe.es/

8:45 After a good night sleep and a morning coffee, we left the hotel, then walked to the Ildefons Cerda station. Took L8 metro to Plaça Espanya (2 stops) and from there L1 metro to Urquinaona (5 stops). Walked few blocks to Palau de la Musica Catalana.

Palau de la Musica Catalunya, Barcelona

10:00 Joined the guided tour of Palau de la Musica Catalana – Barcelona's magnificent concert hall created in the Modernista style. We bought the tickets online at home; they were just €12 per person – really not a lot to see such breathtaking beauty.

11:30 Late breakfast in the foyer of Palau de la Musica Catalana.

11:50 Walk to the Barcelona Cathedral (Esglesia Catedral de la Santa Creu).

12:30 Visited Palau de la Generalitat – Placa de Sant Jaume - Ajuntament.

13:10 Bus 24 to Park Guell (quite a few stops! Other option to get there – L3 metro to Lesseps and bus 24 from there to the park). A must-see park created by the Modernista master – Antoni Gaudi. Spectacular views of the city, famous mosaic bench, fairy-tale gatehouses and much more. Free entry to the park, but to visit Casa-Museu Gaudi – Gaudi lived there for 20 years was €5 extra (€4 students).

Park Guell, Barcelona

13:50 Reached Park Guell after s short walk from the bus stop.

15:15 Got something to eat and drink at a local grocery store. Bus 24 – back to Passeig de Gracia, to see a number of famous Modernista buildings located there.

15:50 Casa Mila (aka La Pedrera) – €11 (adults)/€6 (students) – one of Gaudi's most known works, famous for its façade, balconies, rooftop, sophisticated ironwork and opulent interiors.  This former apartment building contains a museum dedicated to Gaudi, a furnished museum apartment and private residences. It was last Gaudi's project before Sagrada Familia.

La Pedrera (roof) By Gaudi, Barcelona

17:05 Fundacio Tapies.

17:10 Casa Batllo/Casa Amatller/Casa Llleo Morera (Manç ana de la Discordia).

17:50 Shopping in the area of Passeig de Gracia/Avinguda Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes/Universitat de Barcelona

18:40 La Rambla (more shopping...)

18:50 Barri Gotic

Placa del Rei/Les 15 Nits Bar, Barcelona

19:10 Plaça del Rei/Palau Reial

19:30-21:20 Dinner at Les 15 Nits Bar (3-5 Passatge Madoz, at Plaça del Rei) after waiting in a long line for almost an hour, we finally got the table. It was worth waiting as the food (including Paella – a Spanish famous dish) as well as Sangria were very good. Apparently this restaurant must be known for excellent food and service as the line grew much longer when we were eating.

Dinner at Les 15 Nits, Barcelona

21:30 L4 metro from Liceu to Sants Estacio (6 stops). We wanted to see the Sants station from which we would be taking the night train to Madrid the next day (evening). It looked OK; there should be no problem, we realized.

22:15 Metro back from Sants Estacio to the AC Som hotel – L3 to Plaça Espanya (2 stops) and L8 to Ildefons Cerda (2 stops).

Mary

RESOURCES:

Palau Musica Catalana - http://www.palaumusica.org/
Barcelona Cathedral - http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/barcelona-cathedral-la-seu
Park Guell - http://www.parkguell.es/eng/index.php
Antoni Gaudi - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaudi
Casa Mila (aka La Pedrera) - http://vistes360.com/visita_virtual/gaudi/la_pedrera/
Casa Batllo - http://www.casabatllo.es/
La Rambla - http://w3.bcn.cat/turisme/0,4022,495525130_783946798_3,00.html
Barri Gotic - http://w3.bcn.cat/turisme/0,4022,495525130_805342490_3,00.html
Paella - http://spanishfood.about.com/od/maincourses/a/paella.htm
Sants Estacio - http://www.trenscat.com/renfe/barcelonasants_ct.html

8:00 Woke up, had coffee and light breakfast at the hotel

9:15 Walked to the Ildefons Cerda metro/FGC station and bought the R5 line train tickets to Montserrat from the ticket machine. There were a few ticket options, but we opted for the return tickets for the train to Montserrat and the cable car ride – at €16.00 per person. (Note: the ticket options are very confusing and you have to be careful with your selection, because for instance if you buy a Cremallera funicular version, you will not be able to use it for the Aeri cable car. They are not interchangeable! Moreover, to use the cable car you have to get off at the Montserrat Aeri train station and to use the Cremallera funicular you have to get off at the Monistrol train station. But don't get discouraged – I guarantee you that you won't regret your effort to get there – it's just an incredible place…)

9:40 The R5 train arrived and we were off for an exactly 1-hour long trip to Montserrat - it reached the Montserrat Aeri station at 10:40. The trip was nice; the weather was good and it was interesting to see from the train the countryside of the south of Spain.

Montserrat, Spain

10:40 Walked to the Aeri cable car station (just a very short walk) and waited a few minutes for the cable car to arrive. The cable car ride was only about 5-minute long, but the view from the car was fantastic. It reminded us somewhat the Kalambaka area (Meteora) in Greece.

11:00 Grabbed some snacks at the grocery store. Entered St. Mary's Square in front of the Basilica. Enjoyed breath-taking panoramic views from the square's viewpoint arches.

11:30 Visited the Basilica, but as the Conventual Mass was in progression, it wasn't available for taking a «detailed» look at its treasuries.

12:00 – 12:50 Joined the fast-growing line for those who wanted see, touch and pray to the Black Madonna of Montserrat (La Moreneta). The door to the side entrance leading to the Madonna was finally open, but it still took a lot of time until we were able to see and touch the Black Madonna, to pray in front of her for a minute or so only so that the next pilgrims could do the same. After that we prayed for a little longer in the chapel situated behind the Madonna's statue.

La Moroneta - Black Madonna of Montserrat, Spain

(Note: La Moreneta statue depicts Mary sitting high above the main altar of the Basilica. The pilgrims approach the statue through a long passage with a number of smaller altars of various saints, mostly linked to Spain. To see the statue is free, daily 8:00-10:30 and 12:00-18:30 plus 19:30-20:15 in summer. The statue is behind a protective glass case, but the royal orb in her hand is exposed and the pilgrims can touch it while praying.)

13:00 After a moment of prayer to the Black Madonna, we hurried to the Basilica where the famous Montserrat Boy's Choir of 50 boys from the Montserrat Escolania (the oldest music school in Europe) was getting ready to perform. The Basilica was jam-packed and everybody was fascinated by the boys singing like the angels. Unfortunately, the Choir's performance was very short – about 15-minute long only.

Montserrat Boy's Choir

13:15 Lit the votive candles and visited the room full of votive offerings left as gratitude for divine intercession. Spent a while in the centre of the square in front of the Basilica, experiencing a nice flow of positive energy.

13:30 Montserrat offers numerous hikes over the mountains surrounding the sanctuary; some are 20-minute walks, the other routes may take more than 3 hours. There are two funicular railways at Montserrat – the Sant Joan funicular (with spectacular views of the mountains and the sanctuary) and the Santa Cova funicular (it takes the pilgrims up to the cave where, as the legend says, the image of the Black Madonna was found). We didn't have a lot of time to use either of the funiculars (they run often – every 20 minutes; prices: Sant Joan – €7.25 return (€4.50 one way); Santa Cova – €2.90 return (€1.80 one way); combined ticket for both – €8.15 (return). However, we hiked a bit for about 30 minutes, but we got hungry and got back.

14:10 Hunting for valuable souvenirs at the gift shop

14:45 We had a solid meal at La Cafeteria. Surprisingly low prices and very tasty food. If they only had enough forks…

15:30 Aeri cable car ride down to the Montserrat Aeri station of the FGC.

15:48 R5 train back to Barcelona – from Montserrat Aeri to Plaça Espanya.

16:51 Arrived at Plaça Espanya FGC station, then walked to the MNAC Museum (Catalan National Art Museum). It's located in a huge, elegant building on the side of the Montjuic Mountain – lots of steps to climb there; luckily there are there the escalators too!

MNAC, Barcelona

17:10 Got the €12 combo tickets – covering entries to both MNAC and Poble Espanyol – great deal, specially that we could use them over two days! Spent over an hour at MNAC – lots of great exhibits, but not enough time to see all and every of them. If we have time, we will come back tomorrow.

Flamenco Dinner, Tablao de Carmen, Barcelona

18:30 Walked from MNAC to Poble Espanyol – not only to see the Poble, but also to have dinner and watch one of the best Barcelona's flamenco shows at the Tablao de Carmen restaurant. The flamenco show was excellent and the Spanish dishes we chose for dinner were also very good. By the way, we bought the tickets online at home – €68… per person – money spent very well!

20:45 After the flamenco dinner we walked around Poble Espanyol. This is a very interesting miniature of Spain, with plenty of shops and workshops. Unfortunately most of them were closed already. Moreover, we were quite tired already after such a busy day.

21:30 Took a bus to Plaça Espanya (just few stops) and then L8 metro to the hotel (2 stops – got off at Ildefons Cerda).

Stan

RESOURCES:

Montserrat - http://wikitravel.org/en/Montserrat_(Spain)
Montserrat Abbey - http://www.abadiamontserrat.net
Poble Espanyol (official website) - http://www.poble-espanyol.com/pemsa/en.html
Catalan National Art Museum (MNAC) - http://www.mnac.cat/index.jsp?lan=003
Tablao de Carmen - http://www.tablaodecarmen.com/index.php?lang=en
FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya) - railway/metro/funicular company operating in and around Barcelona - http://www.fgc.net/eng/index.asp

7:00 Got up, had a coffee and snack at the hotel

8:00 Left AC Som hotel, walked to the Ildefons Cerda metro/train station and took the L8 line train to Plaça Espanya (just 2^nd stop from Ildefons Cerda)

8:15 Light breakfast at Plaça Espanya

Bus Turistic, Barcelona

10:20 Found the Bus Turistic booth; when the bus arrived, we asked the driver to exchange the vouchers for the Barcelona Bus Turistic tickets for one day – August 30; €19.80 per person (we paid for them online at home). Took good seats on the top deck of the bus and turned on the audio guide. With the tickets, each of us also got headphones and the informative guide with details of bus stops and the book of coupons with savings of more than €180 on a number of sightseeing attractions. From Plaça Espanya we took the South Route (Red) – the bus left at 10:30 - and visited the following Barcelona attractions where the hop on/hop offs were available:

• CaixaForum and Mies van der Rohe Pavillon (10:35)
• Poble Espanyol
• Anella Olimpica and Catalan National Art Museum (MNAC)
• Fundacio Joan Miro
• Funicular de Montjuic
• Miramar and Jardins Costa i Llobera
• World Trade Center (10:55)
• Colon and La Rambla (11:00)
  

  Columbus Column, Barcelona

• Port Vell
• Museu d' Historia de Catalunya
• Port Olimpic - 1^st possible switch to the Green (Forum) Route here
• Platja Bogatell - 2^nd possible switch to the Green (Forum) Route here
• Parc de la Ciutadella and Zoo
• Pla de Palau
• Barri Gotic
• Plaça de Catalunya – we got off here – to switch to the Blue (North) Route and to have lunch (11:45).

After lunch we walked to the other side of Plaça de Catalunya to get on the Blue (North) Route bus of the Bus Turistic. It was about noon and we had to spend about 10 minutes in the line. Luckily, we got the last remaining seats on the top deck of the bus – making the pictures and getting good views is much better from there. Here are the stops that we went through after leaving Plaça de Catalunya around 13:00:

• La Mançana de la Discordia (Casa Batllo, Casa Amatller, Casa Lleo Morera) and Fundacio Antoni Tapies; possible switch to the South (Red) Route (13:05)
  

  La Mançana de la Discordia, Barcelona

• Passeig de Gracia and La Pedrera; possible switch to the South (Red) Route (13:10)
• Sagrada Familia (13:20)
• Gracia
• Park Guell
• Tramvia Blau and Tibidabo (13:45)
• Sarria
• Monestir de Pedralbes and Colleccio Thyssen
• Palau Reial and Pavellons Finca Guell
• Futbol Club Barcelona (14:15)
• Francesc Macia and Diagonal; possible switch to the South (Red) Route (14:30)
• Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) and Center of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB)
• Plaça de Catalunya. This was practically the final stop of our tour of the city, but we didn't get off and we stayed on the bus as we wanted to get back to Sagrada Familia and we figured it was the easiest way to get there from Plaça de Catalunya. Plus the weather was excellent and it was one more chance to enjoy fantastic architecture on the both sides of Passeig de Gracia (e.g., Casa Batllo, La Pedrera, Casa Lleo Morera, etc.)

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

15:15 Arrived at the Sagrada Familia stop of the Bus Turistic and walked to the temple (about 1-block distance). We had the tickets to Sagrada Familia already as we bought them online at home (cost per person: price of ticket = €11.50 plus online distribution fee = €1.30). The time window for us to visit the temple was between 15:00 and 17:00. We didn't have to wait in the line (it was quite long); we entered via the special gate for the visitors who bought the tickets in advance. Stayed at Sagrada until 16:45.

[Show as slideshow]

16:50 L2 metro from Sagrada Familia to Paral-lel station (7 stops)

Funicular de Montjuic from Paral-lel to Parc de Montjuic (just a few- minute trip)

Montjuic Cable Car

17:30 Montjuic Cable Car – from Parc de Montjuic to Castell de Montjuic via Mirador

18:00 Castell de Montjuic – fantastic views over the city, refreshing beer, etc.

19:30 Walking down Montjuic and tired took the bus to MNAC/Plaça Espanya (just few stops, but the bus took a strange route around Plaça Espanya before stopping near the metro entry).

20:30 L1 metro from Plaça Espanya to Plaça de Catalunya (3 stops).  At the plaza, we visited the Barcelona Turisme's tourist information office (in the underground, it was still open – they close at 21:00) where we wanted to buy the tickets for the trip to Montserrat that we had planned for the next day. We didn't buy the tickets there as we were offered only the most expensive ones – Tot Montserrat at €38.45; that price included: train (Plaça Espanya – Monistrol de Montserrat; return ticket) + metro (return ticket) + Montserrat rack railway (return ticket) + Montserrat funiculars + lunch in Montserrat + Montserrat Museum + audiovisual show. That option was too pricey and we were not interested in some of the items included in the price. We decided to buy the train tickets in the morning, at «our»- Ildefons Cerda station of the metro and FGC commuter train network.

21:00 Still at Plaça de Catalunya, we had supper at a nearby Pans restaurant. The food was good and they were offering special deals. It was interesting to try if this Spanish fast food chain offers something different than what we can get at our North American fast food restaurants, such as McDonalds or Subway. Their food was actually quite good and with the deals we got it was inexpensive. It was a nice end to our first full day in Barcelona.

22:00 Took metro to get to the hotel – L1 from Plaça de Catalunya to Plaça Espanya (4 stops) and from there - L8 to Ildefons Cerda (2 stops). Quickly went to bed to have a nice rest as for the next day we planned a lot of attractions.

Mary

RESOURCES:

Barcelona Bus Turistic - http://www.barcelonabusturistic.cat/web/guest/home
Plaça Espanya - short for Plaça d'Espanya - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaça_d'Espanya,_Barcelona
Plaça Catalunya - short for Plaça de Catalunya - Barcelona's most important streets and avenues meet here: Passeig de Gràcia, Rambla de Catalunya, La Rambla and Portal de l'Àngel - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaça_de_Catalunya,_Barcelona
Barri Gotic - Gothic Quarter - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Quarter,_Barcelona
Casa Batllo - http://www.casabatllo.cat/
La Pedrera (aka Casa Milà) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Milà
Sagrada Familia - http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/?lang=0
Park Guell - http://www.parkguell.es/eng/index.php
Gaudí and his works - http://www.gaudiallgaudi.com
Futbol Club Barcelona - Barça's official website - http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/
Parc de Montjuic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montjuïc
Montjuic Cable Car - http://www.barcelonabusturistic.cat/web/guest/teleferic

13:45 Our Air Transat airplane arrived at the Barcelona airport (El Prat), Terminal T2B.

14:30 Passed passport control, picked up the bags. At the Barcelona Tourisme desk at the Terminal 2B we exchanged our vouchers for the Barcelona 5-day Travel Cards (to use at almost every mode of transport, from August 29 to September 2; €24.10 per person) - we bought them online at home. We also got some maps and tourist information.

Around 15:00 – we located the bus stop and using our new tickets (travel cards), we took bus 46 to AC Som hotel in the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat area, near a huge shopping mall – Grand Fira 2. We got off at the bus stop that was just one block from the hotel, with an easy, safe walk to get there. We also noticed that on the other side of the street was a metro/train stop that we planned to use extensively to get to and from Barcelona downtown.

15:30 Reached AC Som hotel, checked in and found our two rooms. They looked quite elegant and we had a nice view – Tibidabo park in a distance. We refreshed ourselves, changed the clothes and rest a bit after a long flight. But willing to use the afternoon and evening for an introductory look at Barcelona, we soon were ready again to use our travel cards and the public transportation to get the closest (only about 2 kms) transportation hub and an important tourist attraction itself – Plaça Espanya. The options to get there were either bus 46 or metro/train: L8, R5, R6, S33 – just few stops to get to Plaça Espanya.

16:30 It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and we decided to take the bus to Plaça Espanya - to see more of Barcelona than we would see from the underground (mostly) train.

Museu Picasso, Barcelona

17:00 The first attraction in Barcelona that we planned for this day was the Museu Picasso (at 15-23 Montcada). We wanted to start with it because it was open for free (as it was Sunday) until 19:00 and of course we couldn't miss the opportunity to see some of the most important works by arguably the most influential painter of the 20^th century who happened to live in Barcelona! To get there from Plaça Espanya, we took the L1 metro to the Urquinaona station (5^th stop) and from there L4 metro to Jaume I (1 stop). We found using the metro very easy. However, we got a bit lost in the area as we didn't have with us a detailed map that we printed at home from the Internet. The one that we had wasn't too accurate and the museum is somewhat hidden among narrow local streets. But finally we located it and after spending 5 minutes in the line (there were many other Picasso fans who wanted to see his works for free), we got inside. It was worth seeing as the museum offers Picasso's works in chronological order, presenting the artist's development of his famous distinctive style.

19:30 Our next planned attraction was Golondrina – a 30-minute or so trip around the Barcelona Port in a historic ship (€6.50 per person). But we took metro L4 from Jaume I and instead of getting off at the first stop (Barceloneta), we got off at the next stop – Ciutadella Vila Olimpica. It looked we wouldn't be able to get to the Golondrina for its last trip (19:55), so instead we decided to correct our plans and visit the world-famous Barcelona beaches (we planned it for another day). Even though the evening was approaching, still many people were swimming in the sea, playing volleyball, or just walking as we were and appreciating the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea (Mar Mediterrania). Many people were using bikes to get around; those were rental bikes provided by very popular Barcelona's bicycle sharing/rental systems.

Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona

20:30 We got hungry after a nice walk along the Barcelona beaches and got something to eat – pizza at a nice small pizza joint and so-and-so sandwiches at the grocery store.

21:00 Our final attraction for this day was the Magic Fountain of Montjuic (in front of the National Museum of Art of Catalunya – MNAC). To get there we needed to get to Plaça Espanya and we did that by taking metro L3 from the Drassanes (3^rd stop to get off). When we arrived at the Plaça Espanya it was already getting dark and the free light/music presentation was already taking place. Thousands of people were walking towards the fountains and the crowds were really enjoying the presentation with cheers and clapping hands. Our group of four was keeping together as it was so easy to get lost there in such crowded place or to get something stolen from you… We quickly realized that Rick Steves' warnings about pick pockets in Barcelona weren't exaggerated as I became a victim of a trick used by a group of well-trained thieves who tried to steal something from me. Here is how that happened.  The four of us were slowly moving towards the fountains, but it wasn't easy because the crowds were so «thick». We tried hold each other hands or at least continued to watch each other. However at certain point a group of for people – 3 men and one woman – mixed with us so that we couldn't move. One of those guys put his fingers into the open pocket of my shirt. In last second I noticed that and grabbed his hand, shouting at him: «What are you doing?» Pretending to be innocent, he answered: «Are you talking to me?» «Of course, you thief!» I answered. They quickly disappeared and we checked our belongings to see if they actually stole anything from us. Fortunately, we had all our important stuff protected in «closed» pockets, etc. (see other chapter), so when that thief put his fast fingers into my shirt pocket, he didn't find there any money or documents. I kept there only a small map and a used free ticket to the Museum Picasso. Somehow he was able to pull it out from my pocket even though I caught his hand during the action… Fortunately it wasn't a big loss, but we learn – so early, on the first day of our stay in Barcelona – that we had to be very careful and alert, especially in crowded places.

Magic Fountain, Barcelona

22:00 So with such unpleasant experience at the Magic Fountain and feeling tired, we decided to return to the hotel. Plaça Espanya was nearby and we could take from there either bus 46 or metro/train: L8, R5, R6, S33. We chose the bus option, but finding the bus stop was tricky (maybe because it was dark and we were tired). But we found to loop stop and got on the bus (then we realized that there was another stop, a closer one). As it was our first bus trip from downtown to our hotel, it was not easy to recognize the area, but we asked the driver and he told us where to get off to get to the hotel.

Stan

RESOURCES:

Barcelona Airport - useful information about airlines, maps, transfers and transport  - http://www.castelldefels.com/aeroport/index.html
Barcelona Airport – official website - http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Barcelona/en/Page/1045569607459/
Barcelona Turisme - http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/English/
Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso), Barcelona - http://www.museupicasso.bcn.es/en/
Barcelona Railway Network (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya - FGC) - http://www.fgc.net/eng/index.asp
AC Som Hotel, Barcelona - http://ac.hotelsearch.com/som/
TMB - official website. TMB is the main public transport operator in the Barcelona metropolitan area - http://www.tmb.cat/en/home
TMB – tickets and fares - http://www.tmb.cat/en/bitllets-i-tarifes «The Integrated Fare System means you can use different modes of transport (metro, urban, metropolitan and interurban buses, tram, Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya trains and Rodalies de Catalunya trains) on a single travel card, which means no need to pay again when changing from one to another. Under this system you can use four different modes of transport and make three changes within an area and period of time established for the number of zones for which the travel card is valid.»  [source:TMB]
TMB – trip planner - http://www.tmb.cat/en/el-teu-transport
Barcelona Metro map - http://www.tmb.cat/img/genplano.pdf

You will find here a lot of useful information on preparing successful trip to Spain.

We will also show you useful itineraries - based on our 2010 trip - that you can

follow to enjoy your own holidays in Spain.

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Stan & Co.

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