We are lucky to encounter with La Mercè here. That is an annual festival in Barcelona, which is originally designed to honor the Virgin of Grace. Some of the most important features can date back to the year of 1902. For example, giants became an essential part of parade since then. Foreigners are usually familiar to Castellers, referring to human tower. It is another activity that will be held every year during La Mercè. A guest city will be invited each year to the festival to represent its art and culture. This year Beirut, a Mediterranean city shaped by Arabic culture, makes its voice heard during La Mercè.
I book the flight from Qatar Arline for the trip, taking off from Beijing at night, transferring in Doha and then landing in Barcelona at 14 pm local time. I recommend this flight because you could easily fall asleep as soon as you get on the plane. Eyepatch, earplugs, toothbrush, and tooth paste are provided. It is thoughtful that each customer could get a pair of socks that you could wear and walk or just sit on your seat without shoes, easy way to relax. Lip balm is also a good assistant which help you feel better in the dry cabin. The food on the plane is characterized by local cuisine. Baked banana and the Malasa rice are recommended. Cocktail here is another recommendation to make the long flight comfortable, with Vodka cranberry and Shandy on the top of the list to take a shot. The transferring time is 2 hours and it is easy to kill. The price of luxury and gold is more economic than that in China. Talking about cosmetics, you need think carefully. Camel souvenir is a good choice for friends and family. An advertisement about 2012 World Cup in Doha airport reminds what can be expected and explored in future about this rich, energized and legendary city.
Talking about Spanish impression, balcony may be what pop in my head at first. Tea table, and flowers are most common things you could find on the balcony. They mark the leisure time and love for nature that are deeply loved by Spanish.
Friendly people, exquisite balcony, and delicious food makes up chapter one of my Spanish journey. I am 100% sure there are more I could anticipate for next 10 days.
Nothing can be more excited than you fly to the other end of the earth to experience another style of life. Once you have a chance to be outside your own culture, the world you see and the thing you feel will be totally different. Next 12 days, a trip to Spain is such an opportunity for me to discover something new in an exotic environment, and I would like to share it with you.
A narrow alley can lead tourists from Las Ramblas to renowned La Boqueria Market. Although this is a world-known scenic spot, food and drinks are at reasonable price here. There are still numerous locals buying food here. Ham with cheese is what you cannot miss. For most Chinese people, ham may be a little salty and cheese is too rich to eat, so it is sensible to share it with your friends. Restaurants for tapas and paella are almost ubiquitous at this area, and do not forget about Sangria. All these delicious foods can make a good start for your journey.
After check-in, I go to the famous pedestrian mall Las Ramblas. The terrorist attack in 2017 cannot frighten people out of the street. I think that is also an important signal to the terrorism that we will not be afraid by it and we, in spite of nations and culture, will hold together to protect our land.
After the museum, we take the subway to our hotel. For the transportation, special tickets are recommended here. You could buy T-10 at the price of 10.2 euros, which means you could take all public transportation 10 times by this card. You could also buy the ticket for 2, 3, or 5 days. Officers in metro station could help you for this and Wechat payment for this service is acceptable, too.
A bus (A1) takes my friends and I to downtown and the first stop is Pl.Catalunya. Plaza Catalunya is here and a walk in a few minutes can lead to National Art Museum of Catalonia. This national museum, the largest one in Spain, is famous for romanesque church paintings and Catalan art and design from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is common to see that students follow a teacher for a tour here. An escalate makes an easy access to the museum located on Montjuïc hill.
First day in Barcelona, I take my suitcase on and read the map at an intersection when heading toward to the hotel. It is easy to identify that I am a tourist. A grandma, sitting in the chair surrounded by colorful flowers, smile and waves hands to me. People in Barcelona are very nice. Officers in metro station, guys behind the information desk in airport, and grandpa we meet along the road all remind us that although Barcelona is a great city to visit, we should keep high vigilance of theft.
