Page 36 - Ath Airport Profile
P. 36
5dina.y..s Hotel Omm
Cosmopolitan yet mysterious, shrouded in a veil of fairytale surrealism,
Barcelona has fully capitalised on its post-Olympics heritage to become
one of the hippest cities in Europe. This city of artists, fashionistas and
delectable Catalan cuisine will sweep you away to a place of pure enchantment.
DAY ONE
Itake the train from the airport to the Passeig de Gracia. The imposing Hotel
Palace (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 668, +34 93 510 1130), a short
walk from the station, is perfectly located near Barcelona’s attractions. Las
Ramblas Avenue stretching from the Plaça de Catalunya to the old port is my
starting point. I stop by Barcelona’s oldest and largest market, La Boqueria,
where myriads of colours and aromas bombard my senses. And yes, it’s tapas
time! With some luck I manage to find the celebrated El Quim (La Rambla,
91, +34 93 301 9810) located in the market, where I enjoy boquerones,
chipirones and arroz negro. Tonight I will see a concert at the impressive Palau
de la Musica Catalana (C/ Palau de la Musica, palaumusica.org).
DAY TWOalking along the Passeig de Gracia I try not to get carried away
by the shop windows of this veritable shopping Mecca. I stop in
Wfront of Casa Batllo (casabatllo.es), Gaudi’s playful work of art and
then I turn onto Carrer de Provença, with its countless cafes on the way to visit
his incomplete masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia. Hidden behind the church I
discover Alkimia, one of the best restaurants specialising in Catalan cuisine (C/
Industria 79, +34 93 207 6115). I squeeze in a brief visit to the Sant Pau hospital,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before returning to my hotel to freshen up. I
have already booked my tickets for the Gran Teatre del Liceu (La Rambla, 51-
59, +34 93 485 9900), Barcelona’s celebrated opera house whose stage has been
graced by timeless artists such as Montserrat Caballe and Jose Carreras.
DAY THREE
Today I will spend the day in Montjuic. I first have breakfast at Cacao
Sampaka, a veritable shrine to chocolate (C/Consell de Cent, 292, +34
93 272 0833), before taking the cable car up to Montjuic hill (Torre
Sant Sebastian, Passeig Joan de Borbo, 88, +34 93 430 4716). I feel myself
rising over the Ramblas and the city’s attractions while also discerning the
Calatrava Tower on the hill ahead. Once on solid ground, I head straight for
the Montjuic castle and then, to one of Barcelona’s most important museums,
the Joan Miro Fundacio (fundaciomiro-bcn.org, +34 93 443 9470). Next stop,
the authentic Poble Espanyol, an open-air museum composed of buildings
representative of different Spanish provinces (Avinguda del Marquès de
Comillas, +34 93 508 6300). Tablao de Carmen (+34 93 325 6895) brings the
day to an ideal close with the required dose of folklore, tapas and flamenco.
DAY FOUR
Even if you are not a football fanatic, a visit to Camp Nou is de rigeur.
The tour takes you through the clubs’ history via the museum, the
presidential box, and, of course, the pitch itself. Predictably, I end up
at FC Botiga to buy souvenirs. Returning to the centre I head towards Barri
Gotic, the medieval quarter of Barcelona. The road leads me to the Picasso
Museum (Montcada 15-23, +34 93 256 3000), which houses 3,500 works
of art, which the artist bequeathed to the city he lived and worked in as a
young man. My last stop for today is the Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar, the
most representative monument of Gothic Catalan architecture. Though the
innumerable tapas bars dotted around the area seem particularly tempting,
tonight I will dine at Michelin star-awarded Moo restaurant, at the uber-
hype Omm hotel (Rossello 265, +34 93 445 4000).
36
Cosmopolitan yet mysterious, shrouded in a veil of fairytale surrealism,
Barcelona has fully capitalised on its post-Olympics heritage to become
one of the hippest cities in Europe. This city of artists, fashionistas and
delectable Catalan cuisine will sweep you away to a place of pure enchantment.
DAY ONE
Itake the train from the airport to the Passeig de Gracia. The imposing Hotel
Palace (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 668, +34 93 510 1130), a short
walk from the station, is perfectly located near Barcelona’s attractions. Las
Ramblas Avenue stretching from the Plaça de Catalunya to the old port is my
starting point. I stop by Barcelona’s oldest and largest market, La Boqueria,
where myriads of colours and aromas bombard my senses. And yes, it’s tapas
time! With some luck I manage to find the celebrated El Quim (La Rambla,
91, +34 93 301 9810) located in the market, where I enjoy boquerones,
chipirones and arroz negro. Tonight I will see a concert at the impressive Palau
de la Musica Catalana (C/ Palau de la Musica, palaumusica.org).
DAY TWOalking along the Passeig de Gracia I try not to get carried away
by the shop windows of this veritable shopping Mecca. I stop in
Wfront of Casa Batllo (casabatllo.es), Gaudi’s playful work of art and
then I turn onto Carrer de Provença, with its countless cafes on the way to visit
his incomplete masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia. Hidden behind the church I
discover Alkimia, one of the best restaurants specialising in Catalan cuisine (C/
Industria 79, +34 93 207 6115). I squeeze in a brief visit to the Sant Pau hospital,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before returning to my hotel to freshen up. I
have already booked my tickets for the Gran Teatre del Liceu (La Rambla, 51-
59, +34 93 485 9900), Barcelona’s celebrated opera house whose stage has been
graced by timeless artists such as Montserrat Caballe and Jose Carreras.
DAY THREE
Today I will spend the day in Montjuic. I first have breakfast at Cacao
Sampaka, a veritable shrine to chocolate (C/Consell de Cent, 292, +34
93 272 0833), before taking the cable car up to Montjuic hill (Torre
Sant Sebastian, Passeig Joan de Borbo, 88, +34 93 430 4716). I feel myself
rising over the Ramblas and the city’s attractions while also discerning the
Calatrava Tower on the hill ahead. Once on solid ground, I head straight for
the Montjuic castle and then, to one of Barcelona’s most important museums,
the Joan Miro Fundacio (fundaciomiro-bcn.org, +34 93 443 9470). Next stop,
the authentic Poble Espanyol, an open-air museum composed of buildings
representative of different Spanish provinces (Avinguda del Marquès de
Comillas, +34 93 508 6300). Tablao de Carmen (+34 93 325 6895) brings the
day to an ideal close with the required dose of folklore, tapas and flamenco.
DAY FOUR
Even if you are not a football fanatic, a visit to Camp Nou is de rigeur.
The tour takes you through the clubs’ history via the museum, the
presidential box, and, of course, the pitch itself. Predictably, I end up
at FC Botiga to buy souvenirs. Returning to the centre I head towards Barri
Gotic, the medieval quarter of Barcelona. The road leads me to the Picasso
Museum (Montcada 15-23, +34 93 256 3000), which houses 3,500 works
of art, which the artist bequeathed to the city he lived and worked in as a
young man. My last stop for today is the Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar, the
most representative monument of Gothic Catalan architecture. Though the
innumerable tapas bars dotted around the area seem particularly tempting,
tonight I will dine at Michelin star-awarded Moo restaurant, at the uber-
hype Omm hotel (Rossello 265, +34 93 445 4000).
36
