Photo TR: Barcelona, Port Aventura, and Tibidabo

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Man, I've been so behind on TRs, it's not even funny.

 

My family and I went to Barcelona for Spring Break last week, and we had a great time! It was planned on a whim (literally, we didn't even start planning until a week before the trip), but ended up being quite a bit of fun. We managed to hit up Port Aventura for 2 days and went through Barcelona for the remaining 3. Here's a summary of the first two days:

 

We left Sunday morning from the Naples airport, flew to Milan-Linate, romped around a bit during our layover, and then arrived in Barcelona. We picked up our rental car (a Peugeot 207) and drove to our hotel in Sabadell, just north of Barcelona. Being Easter, many restaurants in this already sleepy town were closed, so we had to resort to pizza (which was not a good start, considering we had just come from Italy). For those of you planning on visiting the Barcelona-area or anywhere in the Cataluna region of Spain, make sure you know at least a little bit of Spanish; it will be very useful if you want to go anywhere outside of major tourist-areas.

 

Monday was a Spanish holiday. Despite this, we decided to go to Port Aventura because the weather was predicted to be decent in Salou. We opted for a 2-day ticket, anticipating a few crowds and knowing it was a relatively big park. When we left the park, we encountered a very long holiday-traffic jam on the AP7. And after several failed attempts to find an open restaurant off the freeway (that spoke English), we gave up and ate Burger King for dinner.

 

Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding some of the photos I took at the very beginning of the first day. However, it doesn't require much effort to say that we arrived at the park about 30 minutes after opening, got our 2-day tickets (although we think we could've knocked it out in 1 with some efficiency), walked in, and went to Furious Baco. Overall, I enjoyed it despite the roughness which many have complained about. The theming of the whole ride was great; it mixed in very well to the Mediterranean area of the park. After Baco, we walked into Polynesia and grabbed a quick lunch.

 

Now, without further delay, here are the photos:

We're so excited to head to the park! Unfortunately, we have to do it in a Peugoet 207.

We greet Woody at the entrance of the park. Notice anything unusual behind us?

In the words of Robb Alvey, SKLOOOOSSHH!

We decide to have lunch here.

Decent looking menu.

This is probably the most American theme park food we've had since we last had some stuff at Florida parks last year!

We take a second to review this lovely photo of mom and I riding Baco.

Our seat had the perfect view of the first mini-splash.

The atmosphere in here was pretty nice; relaxing Hawaiian-style music and good theming.

They're getting ready to make a big splash!

Mom and I braved a ride (and I a POV with my iPhone, with permission), while dad stayed off and got some soak-shots of us.

I swear these time boards lie to us.

This area looks very nicely themed.

Which way should we go?

Arrrrr!

You can really tell that this was once a Universal park when you pay attention to the theming. It's superb, even among European parks!

I'm ready to get a little loopy! Loopy times 8, to be specific.

Marco! Polo!

Let's take a short break from China and look over at Mexico.

Ok, break's over. Now for the part you've all been waiting for: Shambalah!

Dragon Kahn isn't the emperor of China anymore!

Before I go Shambalah-mad, let's take a moment to appreciate this awesome B&M classic.

Dragon Kahn was an original attraction at Port Aventura when the park opened in 1995.

For those who have never ridden it or don't know about it, it's very similar to Kumba in terms of intensity and element content, only there's an extra loop after the MCBR, making for a total of 8 inversions.

I'm quite excited to be riding my first 8-inversion coaster!

Rawr.

Dragon Kahn's queue gives you some great views of Shambalah's latter half.

MCBR.

Silky smooth.

They're working hard to get the ride ready to open by June (that's what I heard)! You can also see how close Port Aventura is to the port of Tarragona.

Close-up of the trains. I was able to tell immediately that they were the newer Panoramic trains.

A 256ft tall hill or 8 inversions: which is more impressive?

I wonder when Dragon Kahn was repainted... It seems like it was done pretty recently.

You definitely notice how Shambalah REALLY has presence in this area of the park. You can see it from all around the park and you can get some idea of its higher bits once you reach China. It completely towers over Dragon Kahn!

Dragon Kahn's drop used to be totally unobstructed. Now it has to duck under Shambalah's legs!

Another train shot for good measure.

Zero-Gs, through the trees. (See what I did there?)

I'll leave you guys with 1 final shot of Shambalah for the night.

 

I'll post some more photos tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Ok, here's the rest of Day 1:

You can see how much B&M twistyness is now in the back of the park.

Standing on a bench next to DK's photo booth, you can see what will be Shambalah's main entrance.

Them are some big blocks!

Seriously, Shambalah is friggin' huge!

More hard workers.

It was supposed to open this spring, but it seems to be pushing on summer.

Does anyone else spot what's messed up with this shirt?

The area surrounding the park is beautiful.

That rock looks awfully comfortable to sit on (and of course mom decided to sit there 5 seconds after this picture was taken).

Here's another area that's under construction. I could've gotten a picture of the brake run from inside the bathroom right next to here, but I decided against it.

Dad thought he was thirsty.

"I command you to go over here and conquer the Intamin tower of awesomeness."

More twistyness.

Great landscaping here.

This area gives a great view of Shambalah's towering profile over China.

Next: The mine train with seat-bolstering from hell!

Doesn't look too bad...

It's very well themed, I must say.

This queue offers a few good views of Shambalah.

Seriously, this ride would be so much better if it didn't have those bad seat bolsters!

Now it's time to take on Hurcan Condor!

I hope we get the floorless-tilt side!

We didn't get the floorless-tilt, but it's still amazing nevertheless!

Hold on, what do the Spanish know of Pennsylvania?

New favorite freefall drop tower? I think so!

It's peeking over the trees.

Now it's hiding from us.

For those who think Spanish food is exactly like Mexican food, it isn't (especially here in Catalunya).

Temple of Fire, complete with 'Sorry, we're closed' trash cans.

We head back to China for a show.

I rode DK one more time, and we watched the 'Music Generation' show. It consisted of several songs starting with the Beach Boys in the 60's and went through all the decades since then all the way up to Adele. It was good show (and I swill have the theme song for the show stuck in my head).

"Hey, look! Shambalah is testing!... Ah, made you look."

Grabbed an obligatory Nutella crepe. Something tells me this would be a much more fitting buy in the Mediterranean area of the park.

Hey there, random parade!

This looked kinda fun, but I skipped.

This vulture would come alive randomly and sing. Kinda creepy, actually.

"I sit here all day, staring at people and freaking them out with my amputated leg."

Injins!

WAFFLES!! And yes, that sandwich is VERY American!

"Please don't take off your shirt. We'd rather not see your chest, or your bra."

Looks like fun...

... that is, until you get to the sprayers!

UPSIDE DOOOWWWNNN!

Baco is such an amazing looking ride.

If only it rode as smoothly as it appears to...

The brakes are probably the smoothest part of the whole ride!

Seeya later, Port Aventura!

This pretty much sums up our day: lots of walking, lots of rides... but lots of fun, too! And we get another day to conquer what's left!

Unfortunately, the traffic is bad thanks to it being a Spanish holiday.

That also means that most restaurants are closed, save Hamburgesa King.

And now we get to the fun part: ordering in Spanish!

 

I'm going to be in Germany for the week, so progress on the trip report may be slow, but I'll work hard to get as much of the update as possible posted! Thanks for reading! =D

[disneyfan1313]

Thanks for the great photos! Even though I have seen a few TRs in the past about Port Aventura, I had no idea that sections of it looked so much like IOA! The entrance to the Sesame Street area looks suspiciously like Seuss Landing and the restaurant area with the boat ride looks somewhat like Jurassic Park. Does it look like IOA in person also?

[SharkTums]

Does it look like IOA in person also?

 

It looks and feels ridiculously like IOA...very odd for someone who knows the Universal parks so well to go visit this one.

[Dragon Khan]

or the other way round since this one opened first

[oriolat]

I read somewhere that IOA was built following a similar pattern to PortAventura's. That is, a "Q" shaped layout, that allows the guests to go around the park without skipping any major ride and making it easy to navigate.

 

BTW, I am glad you enjoyed Dragon Khan (FYI, the repaint has been done this past off-season). A couple of days before you visited PA I went to the park and Khan was shut, along with El Diablo. Lucky strike, I guess!

 

I have enjoyed your review so far and I am eager to read about Tibidabo, since it's the park where I used to work! Aw, good times!

[caffeine_demon]

the dragon on that t-shirt has cute balls, but no dinky!!

[Schotcher]

Great TR! I never realized how pretty and scenic the park was. I'm wondering, is it a multilingual park, or is it mostly a spanish-speaking park?

[oriolat]

Great TR! I never realized how pretty and scenic the park was. I'm wondering, is it a multilingual park, or is it mostly a spanish-speaking park?

 

Signs throughout the park are written in Catalan, Spanish, English and French but most of the staff only speak Spanish, although they might try to communicate with basic English words if asked in English.

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Thanks for the great photos! Even though I have seen a few TRs in the past about Port Aventura, I had no idea that sections of it looked so much like IOA! The entrance to the Sesame Street area looks suspiciously like Seuss Landing and the restaurant area with the boat ride looks somewhat like Jurassic Park. Does it look like IOA in person also?

 

Port Aventura does have a feel and look that's similar to IOA. I went there last February and I noticed that while the ride selection and theming was different from IOA, it still had that great quality feel of IOA.

I read somewhere that IOA was built following a similar pattern to PortAventura's. That is, a "Q" shaped layout, that allows the guests to go around the park without skipping any major ride and making it easy to navigate.

 

BTW, I am glad you enjoyed Dragon Khan (FYI, the repaint has been done this past off-season). A couple of days before you visited PA I went to the park and Khan was shut, along with El Diablo. Lucky strike, I guess!

 

I have enjoyed your review so far and I am eager to read about Tibidabo, since it's the park where I used to work! Aw, good times!

 

Dragon Kahn was a great ride! That new paint job really makes it look so much better; I saw pictures of it with its original paint from a couple years ago, and I think it really needed it.

 

Great TR! I never realized how pretty and scenic the park was. I'm wondering, is it a multilingual park, or is it mostly a spanish-speaking park?

 

I think it's an absolutely beautiful park! There's a decent amount of shade in some areas and lots of great theming, along with a very nice setting near the port with views of the surrounding area. Yes, the park is multilingual. There are some signs around the park and a few ride announcements in Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, and Dutch (mostly the first 3). Some of the staff speaks English, but as ^ suggested, most of the park staff speaks little more than Spanish. I'd recommend brushing up a little bit on some basic Spanish.

 

I'm currently in Germany and I won't have much free time to work on the TR until Friday night. However, I wanted make sure you guys knew that I'm still checking on the report every now and then, and that I do have a few more shots of Shambalah taken from Dragon Kahn's lift (with permission, of course).

[gisco]

NIce photos, Can't wait to get to that part of the world someday.

[RollerCoasterSmi]

I miss PortAventura after reading this TR . You seem to go on some pretty awesome travels. I wish my holidays were like yours, my parents are too old to do amusement park holidays (so they say).

 

Can't wait for the Tibidabo report, it is one of those parks that fascinate me.

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

I apologize for such a long delay. My trip to Germany made this last week a little busy. Now that I do have a little bit of time, here's part 2:

The graffiti here in Sabadell is actually pretty awesome!

We were pleasantly surprised yesterday by how cheap the tolls here in Spain were compared to Italy.

We decide to stop at a Medas for breakfast.

This place is similar to an Autogrill in Italy. For my fellow Americans who have no idea what I'm talking about, Europe has various over-the-road restaurants and shops that are generally constructed over major tollways. In Italy, they're called Autogrill, and here in Spain, they're called Medas.

Here's our small breakfast. Just enough to fill us up.

Here we are once again. It's a little cooler than yesterday, and there are a few less people.

Ok, so I guess the crowds aren't THAT much better.

Still the most beautiful part of the park, even on a cloudy day!

Stampede time!

Choose your side! We decided to go with red.

rumblerumblerumble

The lift speed isn't bad!

Hmmm... Universal?

These trains look great!

The restraints were actually very comfortable and allowed for great views and sensations.

Gotta love the giant Elmos!

Wassup, rock dude?

Still just as impressive of a view as it was yesterday.

The amount of B&M twistyness in this picture may be too much for the slight-of-heart to handle.

This Zero-G is just as intense as the ones on all other B&M sitdown and floorless coasters!

The corkscrews on this beast aren't quite as up-close and personal as the ones on Kumba, but you definitely get a good dose of the B&M roar!

Driving school looked interesting. Too bad it was sponsored by the makers of our rental car.

We head into this theater for the bubble show.

This guy did some really awesome tricks with bubbles!

"As you may know, Spain's economy has been down, so I've decided to save money and build myself a bubble house!"

We really enjoyed this show; this bubble dude really does have some good talent! I'd certainly recommend seeing this show if you have the time and desire.

Jackhammer funstruction, stealthily hidden by the fence.

We checked out this store, which had some relatively interesting merchandise.

Mom liked these dolls.

Pandas. Pandas everywhere.

Speaking of pandas, I think this is on the same level of 'WTF?!?' as the pandas on the side of that one food place next to Viper at SFMM.

 

Day 2 to continue soon!

[Jerrykoala2112]

Port Aventura is on my bucket list of parks to visit. Mainly for Furious Baco, but the two B&M's look good too! Dragon Kahn's paint job turned out really nice, especially the vibrant colored trains.The only bad thing about Dragon Kahn is that it's drop is so tiny compared to Shambala, I wish they planned the layout better, but whatever. The photo you posted of Furious Baco on the lake really looks like an actual Mediterranean Town at first glance, so their theming is one of the best! Still have to visit one day...

 

PS. I love your Furious Baco on-ride photo

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

^I'd say it's a good bucket-list park: its ride selection was great, the theming was top-notch, and the food was decent. I'm hoping I can get a chance to visit once Shambhala opens.

 

Finally, here's the end of Day 2:

New one for the index?

Time for some more Dragon Khan!

This ride definitely gives you a good dose of the classic B&M Roar!

Now, ladies and gentlemen, here's what you've all been waiting for: the onride shots of Shambhala from Khan.

Here's the splashdown, as well as the entrance to the tunnel.

There's the right-hander out of the station.

The transfer area. I'm not sure if this ride will have 2 or 3 trains, but so far 2 are on the transfer.

You can see the exit of the tunnel up to the first hill.

After DK, we go to Hurakan Condor, where we run into a giant Pikachu.

We got to ride the floorless-tilt seats! Definitely my favorite free fall drop tower experience!

Another part of the park's awesome theming.

Here comes another mini-parade.

We decide to try Tomahawk, not knowing much about it other than that it's a woodie.

I quickly learned that it's a kiddie woodie.

I also learned that it had a ridiculously slow lift hill.

This could possibly be one of the most inefficiently run rides I've ever ridden! Thanks to the uber-small trains, there's only room for 1 adult or 2 small children per row.

Are those magnetic brakes?

I didn't know how to brace properly, and so my knees suffered.

Sesame Street definitely gets some representation here!

We decide to challenge the flume.

This ride has a huge queue.

Gotta love the rotating station!

They don't look too wet...

That's a decent little splash.

It has a decent course.

You can get a great view of Shambhala from the top of the lift hill.

It was a bit wetter than we expected, which is great during hot Spanish summers, but not on a cool day like today.

At least we didn't cheat!

I decide to ride the Crazy Barrels. Not quite as crazy as I hoped, but still kinda fun.

What an original name for the show!

Ready for the Sea Odyssey?

Turtle Vision 4D... Something something sounds kinda fishy.

Here's that awesome submarine. The question is: will it apply to this new programing?

Check out our sexy 3D glasses!

The pre-ride warning animations were pretty funny.

The program was very boring in my opinion. Even if it would've been in English, I feel that this would've been much better in a 4D theater than in the simulator setting like it was in.

To end the day, I'll get my final remaining credit here.

The first thing you'll notice when you walk into this part of the park is the amount of color.

The theming here is just as good as the rest of the park, perhaps a bit better!

Here it is!

Index credit.

This ride is very similar to Road Runner Express at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

This one makes a pretty decent rumble as it goes by.

This is probably one of the smallest rides I've ever seen that has a video camera on it.

My parents decide to grab some Cafe Zero before we leave.

Do a barrel roll!

This very short section of Furious Baco is one of the most beautiful parts of a theme park that I think I've ever seen before.

Whoosh!

One final look at the amazing theming of Port Aventura!

Turnstiles... out of the park for the final time on our trip!

After we were done with the park, we tried to find a decent place for dinner. The people here didn't speak a lick of English and we didn't recognize a single thing on the menu, so we left.

 

Unfortunately I cannot find the pictures of the restaurant we did end up going to, but it was actually really good! It was called Buffalo Bill's and it had a lot of American-themed food. The only person working there was the manager due to the lack of dinner crowds until about 8:00 PM (Spaniards eat dinner late), but he spoke great English and was very friendly. We had some great food there and headed back to the hotel. The next update will include pictures of our first day in Barcelona, and you'll definitely get a good chance to see some of Barcelona's best, so don't miss it!

 

Thanks for reading! =D

[805Andrew]

Nice Port Aventura TR. Every time I go to Barcelona to visit family I make a day trip to Port Aventura. Its one of the best theme parks I've been too and rivals some of the better American ones.

 

How did you manage to get that Tomahawk credit? I noticed adults riding without kids in your photos, did they change their rules? Every time I've gone to PA I've been denied riding on it (being with out a kid under a certain height) yet I was allowed on Tami Tami in 2004. Not that I care much about kiddie coasters, but I am curious to see what that kiddie coaster is like because it is a woodie.

 

I am going back to Spain this summer so I will definitely make a trip to PA to ride the new Shambhala as well as re-ride Furious Baco (only rode it once back in 2009), Hurakan Condor, and all my favorites. I will also go to Tibidabo as I haven't been there since 2001 and they have added the Montana Rusa coaster since then.

 

I hope you got to try Spanish food while you were in Barcelona, many restaurants in the city will give you an English menu upon request or will have a waiter that knows enough English to explain the menu items.

[XII]

Nice Photo TR. Port Aventura looks like an amazing park. I'm really hoping to visit it someday.

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

I'm very sorry for the long delay. Here's Day 3, which is our first day in Barcelona!

Interesting art thingy in Sabadell.

We managed to figure out the ticket system for the train to Barcelona. For those who have never travelled to Europe, taking the train is often the best way to go, as it's cheap, fast, and convenient in getting you between major destinations.

This guy sang on the train to Barcelona. Kinda random and a little loud, but he was pretty decent.

The entrance and exit system will chop you in half if you follow the person in front of you too closely!

We emerge from the station in the heart of Barcelona.

This is the Placa de Catalunya. Near here are several good shopping areas, the north end of Las Ramblas, and the Hard Rock Cafe Barcelona.

Placa Catalunya is also the main starting point of several Barcelona bus tours.

PIGEONS!

We were very happy to find a Starbucks here! This is our first Starbucks since London during Christmastime!

Artsy shot at the Gothic Cathedral.

It's a very beautiful cathedral! European cathedrals have fascinating history and design behind them.

I'd recommend visiting the Gothic Cathedral if you take a trip to Barcelona.

What could this be?

Barcelona has several cool statues.

Here's another beautiful building!

We had genuine Catalunyan food. The beans I ordered were somewhat unusual, but the rice plates that my parents ordered were great.

This amazing lava cake made up for the beans!

Barcelona is home to some very cool graffiti!

Walking down the streets of the Gothic Quarter.

Seriously, I've never seen graffiti art like this before in my life!

We took a stroll down Las Ramblas, one of the most famous tourist destinations in Barcelona. It has a fun atmosphere.

We stopped by the Hard Rock Cafe for a quick snack, since it had been a little while since our lunch.

By "quick snack", I mean some awesome Hard Rock Nachos.

Red Hot Chili Peppers FTW! Just sayin'.

I'm a big fan of model cars, so I had to take a look inside this store.

Lucario in 3D!

Tech geeks like me love window displays like this.

So I guess bike rentals are available here just like in London?

Which train is ours?

We stopped by this sandwich place in Sabadell before we got to our hotel.

 

Day 4 to come soon!

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Day 4:

Checking out the grocery store before we head out. Gotta love the chips here in Spain!

We take the train into Barcelona once more.

There's that one-eyed fish dude again!

We decided to ride the Barcelona tour bus.

Another Hamburgesa King.

This is the Barcelona Aquarium. Also near here is the Olympic Park and a large IMAX movie theater.

I think this area of Barcelona's port is quite nice.

This is one of the many prominent works of art in the Olympic Village area.

This is called The Golden Fish. When the sunlight hits this structure, it's easily visible from well down the beach.

What the heck are these?

Barcelona has such well-maintained freeways... Much better than Italy!

The area where we are now used to be a neighborhood until... I believe the 1970's, when it was demolished in favor of nice public beach area. The area pictured is one of the newer areas of Barcelona

This park, introduced in 2002, helps promote Barcelona's popular adherence to the idea of sustainability.

This is a big mall. Running out of interesting captions.

Very superstitious... writing on the wall...

Barcelona's tram system is a clean, fast way to get around town.

Barcelona is a very green city, both in the presence of trees and its conservation of energy.

Anyone recognize this building?

Quick graffiti break...

More of Barcelona's awesome architecture.

Now we've come to one of the most familiar and visited attractions in Barcelona.

"La Sagrada Familia credit!"

Interesting coffee mugs...

There's lots of bull in Barcelona!

Instead of waiting in the huge line for La Sagrada Familia in the rain, we decided to grab lunch at Subway.

Subway is the largest fast food chain in the world. And it's also one of the best!

We found another one!

Totally family friendly.

Although we didn't stop to visit it, we learned that this hospital is worth visiting because of its beautiful architecture.

My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw a Domino's. I WANT NOW!!

We had to walk quite a ways to get to our next place...

This is a cool submarine.

Walking up a hill now. Americans beware!

I'll leave you with this hint as to where we're going next... Pretty obvious, I know.

 

The rest of Day 4 to come soon!

[oriolat]

Yay! I am looking forward to the next installment. Given that I worked at Tibidabo in the past I'd like to know how foreigners see this park.

 

Your Barcelona photos are amazing (and that's coming from someone who knows Barcelona like the back of his hand) and I hope you liked the city.

[Trevannosaurus Rex]

I love Barcelona, one of my favourite cities I've had the pleasure of visiting. So much to do and see. Never seen it when the weather hasn't been plus a million! Great TR.

 

I loved Tibidabo on my trip there as well. Lots of unique stuff there. Krueger Hotel, the suspended monorail and the Plane on a Stick are all fantastic fun!

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Part 2 of Day 4:

We've reached this funicular... where could it be going?

Looks like a long journey to the top!

What are these people doing here?

Is that a roller coaster?

Ok, I'll stop pretending that you don't know that we're in Tibidabo.

There's a very nice church...

some blocks...

and a theme park!

I believe this is the ticket list for the rides.

This is a strange observation platform ride thingy. You board one of two platforms, get hoisted up to the top, stand there rocking in the wind for ten minutes, and then descend back down.

Any park simply wouldn't be complete without a carousel.

Most parks don't have a view that's quite as nice as this one, though!

This certainly seems like an interesting credit! Too bad it's closed.

This plane ride is pretty neat!

Someone else is ready for the old Windseeker!

Grabbin' a quick snack in the cafe.

Awesome Jeep (word filter, blah), but did it come with the California plate?

Closeup of the communications tower because I'm a nerd like that!

The church is beautiful on the inside.

We went up and got to take in the amazing view!

This would be a nice place to stand for a while...

We're up at the top now with Jesus!

Overhead view of the Vekoma.

You can see

The stairs up to the highest part were pretty cool.

"It's a beautiful city... Too bad I'm made of stone and I can't go down to the beach during the summer!"

The welcome sign for Tibidabo.

This is a big motor that pulls the funicular up the hill.

They had some cool looking posters in the waiting room for the funicular.

They seemed to have a few little tribute posters to the old Muntanya Russa that was here until a couple of years ago.

Here's a ride sign as I'm heading back down.

You can sit here if you're holding a baby in you arms, holding a baby in your stomach, bent at a 45 degree angle, or if you're holding 2 plungers on the wrong side.

Here's my 'nice car credit' of the update: an Audi R8!

Now we continue through the Barcelona traffic.

Here's our next stop: Casa Batllo!

Preeeetttyy colooorrrsss.

The amount of work that was put into this house by Antoni Gaudi is absolutely amazing! Almost every single element of the house, from light to temperature control, was considered.

The tiles that decorate the walls of this stairwell are darker towards the top, so as to keep the walls consistently colored when sunlight hits them.

Imagine this courtyard 100 years ago, filled with people wearing stylish hats...

The arches and slats in this hallway were all designed to provide both structural beauty and good ventilation during hot Barcelona summers.

Artsy light-hole shot.

View from ontop of the house.

This roof right here is perhaps the most famous part of the house!

They told us in the last room to 'pretend like we were really going to meet Gaudi'... I see what they did there.

This is the running joke of the famous roof from before.

You can also buy furniture that was designed Gaudi-style! It matches much of the furniture that can be found inside the house.

As we head out, we run into this cool Coke machine. Definitely an original!

Street art or giant piece of chocolate cake? You decide!

When we arrive back in Sabadell, we're not sure where to go. We stop by the first open place we see and try it. Nothing on the menu looked that great to me, and our waiter went 'moo' and 'baah' to help us figure out what was what! Needless to say, it was pretty entertaining!

I didn't get any pictures of our food, but it did have a delhi right next to it, which is usually a sign of quality.

Pelican ride FTW!

 

That's all for Day 4! Day 5 to come soon!

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Our last full day in Barcelona, Day 5:

We start off with a nice little breakfast in the cafe right next to the hotel.

Smiley cookie and hot chocolate is all I need!

We've finally sorta figured out the trains here!

We jump on the Orange route today and head back into the hustle and bustle of Barcelona.

Here we are near the Olympic Stadium, home to the 1992 Summer Games. The Olympics were a big deal here, and the city spent lots of time and money preparing the city for the event.

This structure, the Montjuic Communications Tower, was one of the many city-improvement projects that the Olympics games helped inspire. It's designed in the shape of an athlete holding the Olympic Flame.

Anybody recognize this building?

Artsy shot!

On the right is Barcelona's old bullfighting ring. When it fell into disrepair, it was converted into a shopping center that opened last year.

I bet that roof is great for rain protection!

So THOSE are the guys who work on my computer in the backroom...

Next stop: Camp Nou stadium!

You know how much Europeans love soccer, especially Spaniards!

Camp Nou has been home to the Football Club of Barcelona for many years.

We chose not to go inside because of cost, but we certainly did enjoy our quick stop at Camp Nou!

Where could I be now?

Finding lunch, of course!

Before we even walked into the restaurant, they let us know that we can file complaints. Great welcoming sign!

Our lunch came in 2 courses. Here's the first course.

And here's the second. An enjoyable meal overall.

Continuing down the road on our bus, I constantly absorbed the architecture of Barcelona.

This is one of the nicest areas of town.

Lucario and I as we ride along.

We jumped off the Orange bus and back onto a Green bus to hit a few places that we missed before.

Nice view of a cathedral. I'm not even sure which one this is anymore!

Does this look familiar?

Where could we be going?

It must be near the beach...

This is it: icebarcelona!

It's so cold in here, you're advised to not stay inside for more than 45 minutes! And our glasses are made of ice!

"This place is cool. No really, it's freakin' freezing in here!"

They give you some pelt to sit on, but it doesn't help too much!

I didn't drink quickly enough. My Shirley Temple froze partially to the bottom of the glass.

Overall, we had a great time!

This looks oddly familiar.

This is the Barcelona Convention Center. It's a pretty cool looking building!

Now we've arrived in the Red Light District.

This is the current Barcelona bullfighting ring. It closed in January this year because of the passing of an animal cruelty act that banned bullfighting in Catalunya.

We're back at La Sagrada Familia, this time for a full tour!

This front Facade of La Sagrada Familia contains several rock sculptures that all depict the Stations of the Cross.

The inside of the cathedral is just as amazing as the outside!

Gaudi's technique of light control definitely made its way into this cathedral. All of the stained-glass windows are carefully placed to create a beautiful display of color that lets neither too much nor too little light into the building.

These pillars are inspired by trees that form into a big canopy.

This is the altar area. Notice the clear windows toward the top; the stained glass windows up there haven't been prepared yet, so that's just filler.

"This is a REALLY heavy church!"

The rear facade is very impressive. There's a lot of detail; too many stories to possibly explain!

As a bonus, there's this little building right next to La Sagrada Familia. It was built by Gaudi with insanely thin walls (just a few inches thick) and the usual Gaudi visual appeal.

Goodbye, Sagrada Familia! Still under construction, so I guess I have new things to look forward to on my next visit!

Another Starbucks credit!

World of Color at Disneyland Barcelona!

My last view of Barcelona.

After we returned to Sabadell, we managed to find a Domino's! I was so excited, as I hadn't had Domino's Pizza in more than a year!

Mom and dad's pizza.

My BBQ Chicken pizza.

Finally a couple of chocolate lava cakes to end the day!

 

Thanks for reading my trip report! Sorry it took so long to get out, but I hope you enjoyed it! Post your comments if you liked it! =D

[FJM8]

Great TR!, do you know that spanish people (I'm from Spain) usually critic our parks, that tourists usually love, sometimes using a little strong language , and sometimes without any reason? xD