After a 9hr journey from Marseille, we eventually arrived at our hotel in Barcelona. We checked in, showered, changed and headed into town to try and catch the Sharks beat the Stormers at an Irish pub just off the famous La Rambla.
We jumped on the metro, off at Drassenes stop, a 5 min walk and we arrived at Flaherty's. We got very excited as we saw the blackboard outside advertising the semi final. This was going to be a jol.
As we entered the pub, we were greeted by a nice irish lass who promptly guided us to the back room where we found a HUGE tv and a whole bunch of saffas watching the teams run onto the field. Not wasting any time, an order was placed: Guiness for me, a glass of red for Donna and a plate of chilli nachos to start.
Well we all know the result of the game. It was a beautiful introduction to Barcelona. The Stormers supporters were dead quiet by half time and they stayed that way until closer to the end. Full time whistle and they walked out with tails between their legs. What an unbelievable afternoon. We met the other sharks supporters and found out that they know friends of ours – the Murie family and they also had been invited to Craig’s wedding in October. Such a small world!
We eventually left there after 9pm and headed back to our hotel. Not really a hotel though – it is a varsity rez that is rented out when the students are on holiday. Similar to the one we stayed in in San Sebastian – but FAR better organized. For 51 euros a night per room including a buffet breakfast – a very good deal.
The next day Donna and I were fortunate enough to go to church. We had decided to spend some time doing our own thing and as Donna walked outside she heard worship from a nearby tent where a church was being held. She called me quickly and we had an awesome time just praising God and fellowshipping with people. It was something we had desperately been missing on our trip and was amazed at how God refreshed us and met our needs so quickly even though the entire service was in Spanish.
After church and a great catch up with my folks on skype, we headed our separate ways to enjoy a day of alone time only to meet back at the pub at 7pm for a date. Guiness, wine and guiness pie…mmmm so good!
Monday morning we decided to go to the Moroccan embassy to try and apply for our visa. But due to Ramadaan they were closed. So we went to see the famous cathedral called Sagrida Familia – an ENORMOUS church with interesting architecture. A hefty price to go inside so we laughed it off and sat in the park. Due to the hectic heat we were both exhausted and headed home for some R&R.
As the sun went down we showered and headed out to Catalunya. A brilliant square with fountains and thousands of pigeons, surrounded by statues and restaurants. We took some great pics as the light was perfect – you didn’t need to be a pro to capture great photos when the setting was that superb.
We strolled down La Rambla, which is the main road in central Barcelona packed with restaurants and stalls. We decided to go to our local as it had a great vibe, good prices and friendly people – Flaherty’s Irish pub.
Tuesday morning we went to the Moroccan embassy only to be told to come back at 1pm. We came back at 1pm and spoke to the consulate general and he said that we couldn’t apply for a visa as we were not living in Barcelona. We would have to go to Madrid. This was now becoming a hack and with only 2 weeks left in the Schengen area, we were not about to spend it doing admin. So we booked tickets to Lisbon where we would spend 10 relaxing days eating fresh fish and prawns, piri piri chicken and drinking Sangria… a great way to end off our European stint. Going to be amazing!
Wednesday morning started off with a jog and breakfast. Then packing the bags and checking out at 12pm. We went to the irish pub on the way to the train station and watched the Olympics on TV and had lunch. Our train to Madrid was at 6pm and would get there in 3 hrs. We would catch a regional train to the next station where we would take the overnight train to Lisbon – 9hrs. Not our favourite as you can’t really sleep and we always arrive exhausted but we have 10 days to recover and chill until our next move to London.
The train from Barcelona to Madrid - the best train we have been on by far! It was also the fastest too - reaching 302km/h.
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