The Train in Spain: 3 Cities in 3 Days
By Adam Issacs
This tale of three cities begins in Barcelona.
Two friends and I boarded the bus from the airport to the Placa del Catalunya in the city centre and then headed straight for the famed La Rambla, a mile-long boulevard packed with locals and tourists taking in the buzzy atmosphere of restaurants, bars, street artists and performers. It was a vibrant, immediate introduction to Spain's hedonistic, cultural capital.
We veered off into the Barri Gottic, the 'Gothic Quarter', a maze of medieval narrow streets that lead to picturesque plazas surrounded by grand mansions and monuments, some dating from the 15th century including the must-see Cathedral in the Plaza de la Seu.
Just round the corner we found the Hotel Campi, a grand building with a marble staircase and stone walls, priced at a reasonable 50 or so euros for a double.
Another great place to relax in Barcelona is Parc Guell
After taking in some tapas at a local bustling restaurant we crawled the bars of the Gottic and the adjacent La Ribera, including one called Manchester where we sank some ice-cold San Miguels with friendly locals and ex-pats to the sounds of Oasis and The Smiths, got some travel tips, discussed bull fighting, regrettably made horns with my index fingers and stumbled home somehow finding our hotel amongst the cobbled maze.
In the morning with sunglasses (and hangovers) we taxi'd it to the train station for the three-hour trip to Valencia, which cost a pretty good 32 euros.
Un-crowded, punctual, reasonably priced food and drink, TV screens, headphones and air-con: Spanish intercity trains will be a revelation to any travel-weary Brit.
Try some traditional tapas...and Sangria!
→ Page 2: Next Stop: Valencia
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