We happened upon a short stay trip on the British Airways website that took us to the beautiful city of Barcelona for three days of warm weather, which was a nice break from London’s cool, overcast winter. The flights + hotel package seemed too good to be real, so our expectations were set quite low but, to our surprise, the flights were very good plus the hotel was exceptional. We’ll be keeping an eye on BA’s website to see if there are more treasures to be had.

Due to the early flight we had selected, there was a logistics problem to overcome as the Underground didn’t supply services early enough to get us to Heathrow in time. We opted to spend the night before our travel in the Thistle Hotel which is a stone’s throw from Terminal 5 and is connected via a driverless pod system. We haven’t encountered one of these systems before so it was a new experience. Simple to use, quick, easy and a novelty. The only drawback was the next morning when the rain made the dash to the pod station too much of a challenge, so it was back to a hotel mini-van service to get us to Terminal 5 nice and dry.

Terminal 5’s check-in experience is streamlined and modern compared to many of the other airports we have been through allowing us to sail through to the boarding lounge without a hitch. The flight took us over the Pyrenees which is stunning from the air and for once, I had the window seat! It’s all Ok though, Stacey had the window seat on the way home. She hogs the view though…

Landing in Barcelona we make our way to the train to travel into the city from the airport. We need to change trains midway which was not a great experience as we were targeted by a group of pickpockets who managed to distract us as we boarded but thankfully dropped my wallet during their thieving attempt which alerted us to what was happening. Luckily, we didn’t lose anything of value, just a small folder with a couple of memory cards within it. We are about to start a few longer trips so this has been a timely reminder to focus on our personal security.

From the train we head to our hotel, The Corner Hotel, in central Barcelona. This turns out to be a big bonus as the hotel is well situated in the city and it is one of those establishments that seems to give you a big welcome hug as you enter. It is very masculine in appearance with dark walls and ceilings and plenty of rustic wood and leather furnishings. The staff are engaging and check us in to a room that is probably the nicest we have encountered in a very long time.

With all of the unpacking done, it’s time to wander this city. The first thing we notice is the width of the footpaths and the walkability of the area we are in. Even though there was a large volume of people wandering around, there is ample space to keep out of each other’s way and plenty of places to stop and take photos without hindering other people’s progress.

There is so much going on architecturally in Barcellona which is balanced with access to parks, open space, beaches and a marina. Each street we walk provides a different view. Old churches, stunning municipal buildings, decorated facades, courtyards, alleyways, gaudy architecture, it’s all there. The real kicker for Stacey and I is the discovery that a vast number of trees within the city centre are fruit trees bearing oranges. If you look carefully at some of the photos, you’ll notice them up high in the trees as these are out of reach. She refused to hop up on my shoulders to get to the upper branches.

I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Barcelona is home to an unfinished church that was started in the 1880s and has been added to many times over its history. When you look at the facade, there is so much going on. In its own way, the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is stunning. These photos were taken over two days with the blue skies on the second day making a huge difference to the colours of the church.

We had a great time wandering this city, just walking through the alleyways of the Gothic Quarter can take hours. There is so much to see and there are, of course, so many more photos.

It is also mandatory to mention the food. The simple things just seem to taste so much better in Barcelona. Pork croquettes, seared garlic prawns and potato omelet at Taverna del Bisbe was a highlight washed down with local beer and wine, delicious. Even the bar snacks at the Corner Hotel made food in London seem tasteless.

As an unplanned trip, we came away from Barcelona suitably impressed.

Next up is a trip through France and Germany by train.