DAY 7 Valencia to Barcelona
On 3 December we woke up and had breakfast; breakfast was great again. Then we headed on a scenic drive from Valencia to Barcelona. We had quite a bit of time we could see the Mediterranean out one side and mountains on the other.
For our stay in Barcelona, we were in the HCC St. Moritz from 3 Dec – 5 Dec
When we arrived, we were starving, so we grabbed tapas and sangria at Tapas 24 near our hotel. Then we took a bus ride to the Gothic Quarter, on the way we saw the Arc de Triompf.
While in the Gothic Quarter we saw a few markets but only walked through them, with no shopping time.
We also saw the beautiful Barcelona cathedral. Barcelona Cathedral is a must-see spot on your trip to Barcelona. Itβs nestled in Barcelonaβs Gothic Quarter.
We went to Las Ramblas Market and tried some juice. We had passion fruit and mango, It was delicious!
Then we broke away from the group to have some tapas in the market at Bar Central.
We caught the sunset peering through into the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter.After we ate we headed back to the Christmas Market to do a little shopping.
After we ate we headed back to the Christmas Market to do a little shopping.
On the way back to the hotel we enjoyed all the Christmas lights that lit up the streets in Barcelona.
DAY 8 Barcelona
On 4 December, in Barcelona we did guided sightseeing that included sights of the Columbus Monument, Plaza de CataluΓ±a, and a panoramic view of the city and harbor from Montjuic Hill.
We visited the Sagrada Familia Basilica after the bus ride. Be sure to have reservations and tickets in advance. You will not be let in if you are late. Luckily Globus takes care of all the tickets and ensures we are there on time in order to see as much as possible.
On 19 March 1882, construction of the Sagrada FamΓlia began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned, GaudΓ took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nuevo forms. GaudΓ devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and he is buried in the crypt. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.
As of 2015, the cathedral was about 70% complete. It is scheduled to be complete in 2026. Due to COVID shutdowns, completion might be delayed.
We went on an afternoon excursion to Montserrat. Montserrat literally means serrated mountain in Catalan, the language of the locals. Montserrat is a National Park in Spain.
Montserrat is a spectacularly beautiful monk mountain retreat about one hour North West of Barcelona. The road up is very curvy, but the views all the way up are phenomenal! Be sure to take a Dramamine (non-drowsy of course) and watch the views all the way up.
Not only is Montserrat Monastery of significant religious importance but the natural beauty surrounding the monastery is simply breathtaking.
After our excursion, our tour guide has a local chemist come to the hotel to give us all our COVID tests and Globus even paid for our COVID tests! We got our results and headed to dinner.The night was closed out with wine, cava and sangria at our farewell dinner at a restaurant down on the marina. Globus really outdid theirselves with this dinner. We were served at least 5 different tapas, dinner, two desserts and unlimited sangria, wine and cava!
The night was closed out with wine, cava and sangria at our farewell dinner at a restaurant down on the marina. Globus really outdid theirselves with this dinner. We were served at least 5 different tapas, dinner, two desserts and unlimited sangria, wine and cava!
DAY 9 Barcelona
On 5 December we woke up and had breakfast then headed to the airport to head home. Our trip home took about 25 hours from door to door and we were pooped!
Sadly our Globus Escape, Spain Escape had to end. Until our next trip in a few weeks!!
XOXO
-S