So goes then chant of the most famous football team in the world, the Catalan FC Barcelona, in the best city I have ever visited though alas for only one week
There was a moment high on Park Guell when the whole city was visible in a 360 degree panorama. There were yachts sailing in the Med, soccer pitches scatterred across the city, architectural marvels, and people smiling amid the sunshine in the park. Catalans really know how to live and incidentally they tend to be better looking people than in Oz, the city is so far more developed on so many levels to back home
I had the pleasure to meet Johny a local Catalan who showed me round the city, explained the Catalan history and gave a sense of what 26% unemployment actually means in an economy which is not doing great. The whole siesta thing might have something to do with this flat economy?! Many people were begging and scavenging through bins which is something I did not expect to see here
Then there was Samuel whose couch I surfed on for two nights. He is a surgeon by trade and has had no less than 663 people couchsurf at his place, handing over a key and saying simply 'mi casa es tu casa'. He says of these people he has had no bad experiences and all, that is all, the people who have stayed have been 'very very nice'. He grew up with 14 brothers and 1 sister, lived half his life in Spain and half in Columbia
One of my favourite moments was sinking beers at the most famous skate park in Barcelona, there was a sign saying 'saviour your existence'
And now for the uber touristy stuff:
* Gaudi's masterpieces - Sagrada Familia, Caso Batllo, Park Guell - and Frank Gehry's fish sculpture
* Picasso museum
* Camp Nou
* Long walks in the gothic part of town, and the alternative part of town (El Raval)
* Enjoying the meal of the day - three courses, bread and sangria for 9 euro
* Hanging out at the beach
* Visiting the magic waterfall