We don't do tour buses.
That is to say, Mihai doesn't do tour buses. I'm willing to hop on one if it means I don't have to wear my feet bloody and raw on the pavement of foreign cities but Mihai is indifferent to the discomfort emanating from his metatarsals. I think it has something to do with being raised under communism.
But let's face it, how else are you going to see a city up close as well as burn even a portion of the 5,000 calories you are consuming as you sample the local fare?
You walk. And walk.
And you become intimately aquainted with the city's metro system which in Barcelona is a dream. Its true that after dealing with the New York City metro system we tend to judge every place by that standard and its true that when you set your bar that low everything but a windowless bus in Los Angeles rush hour traffic can surpass it.
But really, Barcelona has a fantastic metro. I don't consider myself a tour guide of any shape or form and I'll tell you that as a general rule you should never follow any traveling advice I might be tempted to dispense. There is one thing, however, that you can take to the bank: Barcelona's subways are user-friendly and they do not double as the city's public toilet so while its a little stuffy in summer, at least you aren't assaulted by the smell of urine when you descend into the underground.
We tried to see it all. And I think we came pretty close but since the only research we do before arriving in a city is looking up a couple of restaurants we want to try, usually we have no idea what we are doing.
So for those of you who have lived in or visited Barcelona extensively I'm certain it would appear we barely scratched the surface and managed only to visit the most touristy, unimaginative places the city has to offer. But since we're clueless about what else is out there, we're pretty happy with the way things turned out.
Who says ignorance isn't bliss?
The Gothic Cathedral and Parc de La Ciutadella
50 km is the total that we walked during our stay
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