And so to Barcelona
Our train to Barcelona from Sitges
On day four of our adventure we decided to go to Barcelona for a little ‘retail therapy’. Barcelona is home to my favourite store, ‘El Corte Inglés’, which is neither a ‘Court’, (as in a group of persons), nor English, but it is a department store to behold! First, however, I should mention our journey. Now, I don’t like to go on, (actually, yes I do!), about trains, but we had coffee and a croissant in the station at Sitges whilst we awaited our train. There is a train to Barcelona every 15 minutes with those on the hour and half hour being fast, (just three stops), so we decided to wait for the 10:00 train. I will fully accept that this is outside of rush hour but … the train was on time, (obviously), clean, (obviously), fully air conditioned, (obviously), and inexpensive, (obviously). Try as I might, I have not been able to apply any of these descriptions to a train that is run by Southern Rail! What is incredible is that Southern Rail make excuses for their abysmal service, whilst Rodalies, (in this case), just strive to improve theirs! They are part state owned having been devolved to the region of Catalunya, but then I believe that the infrastructure on which Southern Rail run is also state owned by National Rail.
Inside the train to Barcelona
The train journey was absolutely fine, (as you would expect), and a one day travel card to Barcelona which includes trains, metros, buses, trams etc., is a whopping €16.50. The distance is slightly further to that from Oxted where the price of a one day travel card is £26.50! It so irritates me when I see claims of a great service being provided by British train operators, it is simply untrue. I found this on the Southern Rail website this morning when looking up the price of a one day travel card: “Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Southern are working together to improve performance, and have published an updated performance plan.” No! They haven’t. They have published a revised timetable with less trains in order to try to claim they are providing a better service! However, I must stop going on about trains and Southern Rail, it is becoming a bit of an obsession! The journey time on the fast train to Barcelona is just 32 minutes and on the way you pass some stunning scenery which is well worth noting here.
View from the train to Barcelona
On arrival in Barcelona we took the metro, (L3 should anyone wish to know), to Liceu which is almost exactly half way up Las Ramblas. Captain Clarke had expressed a desire to vist a ‘Zara’ since it is a Spanish company and we are in Spain. He looked up the nearest store on the Internet and discovered it as at number 76 Las Ramblas. This wasn’t far way so we walked down Las Ramblas to number 76 – it turned out that this was a Souvenir shop about four feet wide! We then took an executive decision to walk up Las Ramblas towards the top where ‘El Corte Inglés’ resides and where we presumed other well known stores would be. We did eventually find a Zara in another street, but there was nothing there to interest Captain Clarke so we came away empty handed. We did, however, discover our problem on Las Rambla – Zara is at number 67, not number 76! With that, we walked, in a marked manor, up to El Corte Inglés. We spent a happy hour in El Corte Inglés looking at a variety of clothing items and some others that we could never take home on a train! Unfortunately for me, I found nothing at all of any interest, but Captain Clarke found some very fetching jeans which he did, indeed, purchase.
Las Ramblas looking down from Plaza Catalunya
One of our reasons for our trip to Barcelona was my desire to visit St Josep La Boqueria, (more commonly known as simply ‘La Boqueria’), which is one of the largest food markets in Europe. La Boqueria is famous for its mix of permanent market stalls selling everything from meats and fish, to chocolate, fruit, vegetables and prepared fruit. If it is edible, it is almost certainly sold at La Boqueria and, even if it isn’t edible, it may well be there! There was one stall dedicated to selling just cow’s tongue, tripe and other offal that I didn’t even recognise! La Boqueria is located almost exactly half way down Las Ramblas, (on the right if you are walking down from Plaza Catalunya), and has a relatively plain entrance which does not give any clue of the delights that are inside!
Las Ramblas Flower Market
No, before I go into raptures about the wonderful food stalls in La Boqueria, (which I inevitably will), I should mention Las Ramblas. As the name might suggest Las Ramblas is a place where people walk and enjoy life in Barcelona. On the sides of the pavement which runs in the centre of the road, are stalls selling everything from souvenirs to street food, to ‘official’ Barcelona football club memorabilia – I am led to believe that Barcelona has a rather famous football club, (FC Barcelona), and that its football stadium, ‘Camp Nou’ is also very well known. As you will know, my knowledge of football extends to very little, but I gather it is quite a popular game in some quarters. (Personally, I would rip up the pitch and plant cabbages, but that is another matter!) Once one has left the beauty of Plaza Catalunya and makes one’s way down Las Ramblas, the stalls gradually change and there is a large flower market with what seems like hundreds of stalls selling everything from seeds, to cacti that look as if they have been painted, to houseplants and outdoor shrubs. It is really worth a visit on its own, but on this occasion, (sorry Mother), it was the delights of La Boqueria that were attracting me.
If it is edible, there is a stall selling it at La Boqueria
It would be impossible for me to describe here, and give it justice, the sights, smells and sounds of La Boqueria. For any food lover, this is a haven of all things wonderful! I will confess now to have taken quite a lot of photos, (which I have included in the gallery below), and having just loved every last stall that we saw. To give some indication of its size, when Captain Clarke and I sat down for lunch, (which was a mistake of mine that I shall impart shortly), I checked my phone, (I know! The things you can do with a phone nowadays!), and discovered that we had already walked 6km and we had really only walked to the Station in Sitges and then a little in Las Ramblas. I would comfortably estimate that we walked 4km inside La Boqueria! It was a wonderful experience and something that I will remember for a long time. It really was an absolute joy!
There are tapas bars at every turn in La Boqueria
Now, for a little confession, I got the lunch venue completely wrong! Don’t misunderstand me, we had a perfectly acceptable lunch, but it was not what I had planned at all. In La Boqueria there are tapas stalls at every turn, each having its own speciality and all being very busy all of the time. Around the edge of La Boqueria there are more tapas bars, again selling food cooked from the produce in La Boqueria. I knew this in advance of visiting, so this was my plan for lunch. Since the tapas stalls inside La Boqueria were so busy, Captain Clarke suggested that we find one on the edge. I concurred and we walked around the edge to find a suitable venue. Eventually, we stopped at a venue that I thought looked perfect. Atop the bar there was a huge variety of tapas, all of which looked utterly delicious. The bar looked clean and it wasn’t too busy. So, in we went. A waitress immediately approached us and said, “Para biber o comer”, (to drink or to eat), I, of course, responded that we would be taking our luncheon at this fine establishment, (Para comer, por favor), and we were shown to a table.
Look what we missed! What a mistake!
We ordered a drink and were handed a menu. The menu, however, did not have any tapas on it – it was all meals. Confused, I looked again at the tapas on the bar and couldn’t quite understand the situation. Nobody was being served any tapas and everyone was eating meals. In the end Captain Clarke and I ordered a meal, (him short ribs with chimichurri sauce and me a ‘burger’ with local cheese). The food was fine, (my burger was very, very rare and needed seasoning, but otherwise it was OK), but it wasn’t tapas. It transpires that tapas is only served in this particular establishment until 12:00 and then again from 17:00. You cannot procure tapas between these hours – we were there at 13:00! I should have stuck with my instincts. I knew about the tapas stalls in La Boqueria, I knew that they are famous and always busy, but they also turn over their customers very quickly because it is, after all, tapas. You can always get a seat if you are prepared to wait a few minutes. A stupid schoolboy error that I shall not be repeating! When I go back to La Boqueria – and I undoubtedly will – I will not make this mistake again!
And so, we returned to Sitges. Me emptyhanded and Captain Clarke with two pairs of jeans. We decided to have a short rest and then go into town in Sitges to see what the shops had to offer here. One thing became very obvious, very quickly … I need my personal shopper! (You know who you are ‘S’!) I was looking for a shirt and I didn’t find a single one! We visited all the shops that I have visited before with my personal shopper and didn’t find anything at all. I did find a jacket which I may procure before the week is out, but nothing else! Dear oh dear! I shall just have to return.
Cafe Monaco is gone!
We decided to eat relatively locally to our hotel but, as we were in town, we decided on a small libation first. Now, those of you that have visited this wonderful town will know that one of our favourite haunts is a place called ‘Café Monaco’. S&M, Great Uncle Bulgaria and Madame Cholet, Georgious and ‘S’ have all been to Café Monaco at some point. I have to report at this stage, however, it is gone! No more does it exist and it is now a perfume shop! I am somewhat concerned that it never fully recovered after ‘M’ of S&M rubbed his face in the bottom of a man in a skirt wearing a pink thong! Yes, I’m afraid you did read that right – and that of a married man too! It was during a visit to Sitges, (for my 40th birthday, so very recently!), that we happened upon a Rio-like carnival with hundreds of revellers dressed in all sorts of attire. The gentleman, (well, actually he wasn’t very gentlemanly on this occasion!), who worked as a waiter in Café Monaco was wearing a skirt, a pink thong, a glitter top and a red wig. In all the excitement of the carnival he exposed his rear to ‘M’, who promptly joined in the shinanigans! Oh dear! The thought brings things right back! And he celebrated his 80th birthday this year too!!!!
Fajitas at Restaurant Ché
And so, finally, we come to our meal of yesterday evening. We decided to eat in a restaurant called ‘Ché’. We both chose Fajitas and they were very good indeed. I did ask the waiter why it was called ‘Ché’ and he very helpfully said it was after Ché Guevara – I could have worked that one out for myself! I did ackknowledge this and asked why it was after Ché Guevara. Unfortunately, he had no idea! One final thought on our adventure yesterday – since the incident of the mosquito, (still painful on the bottom of my feet!), I have taken to wearing a new cologne in the evening … Eau de ‘Autan’. (Autan is the strongest mosquito repellent available in Spain and is used by locals as well as visitors!) It stinks, leaves a nasty residue on your skin, but I have not been bitten since I started using it. I guess that’s the choice – ‘Eau de Autan’ or mosquito bites. Its RudyMenTerry!
Which one was Cafe Monaco, we can’t recal?.
I suppose eau de Autan is deterring more than just the mozzies from biting, or has R put a peg on his nose?
Wonderful stuff. Brilliant account of all your adventures on the train to Barcelona and how right you are to compare the service over there to what we have to put up with here.
Your descriptions of food make the mouth water and the photos are FANTASTIC.
You must take up writing as a career! You’d be a bestseller for sure.