After spending the night on a train from Malaga, I arrived in Barcelona, my second time in this beautiful Spanish city, though this time, I was really only passing through on my way to Switzerland. After figuring out the night train schedule and purchasing my ticket to Switzerland, which would not leave until after eight o'clock that evening, I spent the majority of the morning on the hunt for an internet cafe. It took a while, but eventually I found one and did what I needed to do online, and with a heavy backpack and confusing maps of the city, it felt like a big success.
Once this feat was accomplished, I hunted down a restaurant recommended by my Lonely Planet Europe on a Shoestring Guide. Its name? La Fonda, at which I chuckled, as it reminded me of the movie "Napoleon Dyamite," yet turned out to be a solid choice for lunch cuisine. My meal began with a mixed green salad with large chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers--some of my favorite veggies. This was followed by a plate of chicken breast grilled to perfection, aubergine (egg plant), courgette (zucchini) and half of a tomato, along with chips (French fries). It was a simple, but delicious meal and the ambience of the restaurant was relaxing, classy, and clean. The service was excellent and the price was reasonable. To finish off my meal, I tried a slice of La Fonda's apple cake served on top of Catalan cream, a regional specialty (Barcelona is in the Catalunya region of Spain). This dessert was not something I would order again, as it did not quite match my taste in desserts (the cream was much like flan, which I don't particularly care for), but it was nice to try, anyway. My lunch at La Fonda was, overall, a very enjoyable experience.
After a nice leisurely lunch, I was back out wandering the city of Barcelona. It was kind of fun to return to this city, though I didn't have much time. Nevertheless, I recognized a lot of what I saw and got to experience it again in another light. One of my favorite moments from this short stop in Barcelona was the time I spent in the park a few blocks from the train station. Having seen much of the city, with limited time, and tired feet, I found sanctuary for a few hours in the park near the Estacion de Franca (the train station) of Barcelona.
At first, I sat on a park bench reading my Lonely Planet for a bit, mentally planning what I would do in Switzerland. When I looked up from my book, I absorbed my surroundings as the Spanish rays of sunshine beamed down on me. I saw the bright green grass of the park with paths going this way and that and I observed the beautiful culture around me. Besides their attractive physical features, the people seem to have such a passion for life, a deep appreciation of the importance of family and relationships, and a high level of ingenuity. You can see it in the way they dress, the way they interact with each other, and how they carry themselves. People from varying generations spend time together and really seem to enjoy it, whether family or strangers.
As I observed and strolled around the park, I saw couples strolling along, families enjoying their time together, athletes jogging or biking or rollerblading by, elderly people meandering, young people sitting around in varying sized groups, people playing the guitar or taking their dogs for a walk. As the sun continued to drop lower in the sky and the time for my train to leave grew closer, I tried to internalize as much as I could of these couple hours in the park before going to the train station. It was one of my favorite experiences.
Looking towards the entrance of the park
A woman feeding the pigeons and the parakeets in the park
The inside of the Estacion de Franca train station in Barcelona.My conclusion from the day and the other time I spent here is that Barcelona is an attractive, vibrant city with attractive inhabitants, great weather, and full of life and culture.
Eventually, I had to say "hasta luego" to the wonderment of the park and go to the train station where I waited for a bit longer and then boarded the night train that would take me across France to Switzerland.
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