Before we get into the rest of our trip in Barcelona, let's get something out there: we were total brats the entire time.
So how did we go from Europe on a budget to barely budging before turn-down service?
It all started with some off-putting TripAdvisor reviews of our original hotel, the Hotel Ronda. A couple of people commented about how drunk college students tended to run through the halls at all hours of the evening. And while we were planning to consume alcohol and also act dump stupid, the thought of having to share our hallways with other people seemed way too risky! Congested hallways...no thanks!
So before ever setting foot in Spain, we called around (well, the travel agent called around), and booked a room at the Hotel Claris.
The Hotel Claris had a lot going for it. For starters, the concierge gave us a complimentary bottle of red wine. Hell yeah! Unfortunately, we didn't end up enjoying it until both Michelle and I happened to be wearing white pants. So we erred on the side of practicality and put on our terry cloth Hotel Claris bathrobes and started sipping. We never made it to Versailles, but something tells me this wine-drinking ritual rivaled it in decadence.
Another perk of the Hotel Claris might seem average at first, but trust, it's not. Water fountain. Yes, water fountain. At the Claris, if you take the elevator to the rooftop, hang a left at the pool, climb a set of narrow stairs, and then enter the gym, you come across a ray of shimmering hope in the form of a metallic box that produces freezing cold water at the push of a button. Price: 0 euro!!! And if you've been to Barcelona, you know that between the sightseeing and the hangovers, there's nothing more important than staying hydrated. We'd literally start every afternoon by taking hits at the water fountain. Lining up and taking turns powering through the brain-freezes in hopes of staying hydrated and also just taking advantage of the cheapest shit at the Calris. Barcelona on a budget!
But don't go run and book a room just yet. The Claris definitely had a pitfall. The concierge basically physically prevented us from doing anything touristy in Barcelona. Literally, any time we asked the concierge for directions to any sight other than a Michelin-star rated restaurant, she'd scream "we have a code red!" and like, metal bars would descend on all of the windows and doors. It got to the point where we just had to lie about where we were going. Like one time, we asked the concierge if there's a place to eat at the Gaudi Park. The lady straight-up said no even though we were basically positive you could grab a bite there. So we lied and said we'd eat nearby before leaving just to avoid having them make a reservation at the 100 euro Tapas place at the W.
So that basically covers our accommodations, now let's get into the sights, the restaurants, and the entertainment that occupied our remaining three days in Barcelona.
All of the sights we saw in Barcelona were pretty damn amazing. But one in particular sticks out: the Pueblo Espanda. Honestly, I'm not even sure if that's what it's called, but who cares since none of you recommended it anyways. This thing was a relic from a World Fair some decades ago, and was actually supposed to be demolished thereafter. Charming! The attraction consisted of a whole bunch of replicas of historically significant architecture throughout Spain. On paper, it sounded great. In person, eh? But no worries! We had a real blast running around assuming everything else we saw in the park was a replica too. Do you think they have replica pickpocketers? Ew, I just stepped in replica dog poop!
After the Pueblo Espanya, we walked around this really ambiguous part of Barcelona. We saw the Magical Fountain, during the daytime, which basically just made me miss our water fountain. To quote Emmy, "we did Barcelona wrong."
More coming soon. Oh, we're back in America now.
No comments:
Post a Comment