After having an outstanding visit to the eastern part of Lithuania, we came back to spend our last day in Kaunas (where I currently live). But not for a long time, because the next day we were going to Barcelona!! Yey!!

We took our plane from Vilnius straight to Barcelona’s airport (el Prat). Despite of having many babies that hated flying (or so it seemed, because they didn’t stop crying in the WHOLE FREAKING TIME) we landed and a «spit of heat» welcomed us to my birth-place-city. 

We just had to wait for our baggage, take the train to the center, then jump into the metro (underground for all of you who still didn’t know how we call it in Spain) and then get to my place. It seemed easy. In the end, it wasn’t.

Ok, now imagine that you come from Lithuania, where the temperature was around 25ºC those days and suddenly you get in a temperature of 34ºC and really wet weather. -Ok Pau, that’s not so bad. Well yes, you are right. Not that bad. Now add one factor: the wheels of your 30kg baggage are broken and you have to pull it all around the place. -Yeah, now it sounds a bit worse. 

I was sweating as in spanish we call it «like a chicken / pig»  (sudar como un pollo / cerdo). Fortunately (and after sweating around 3L of water) we got home, had a beer (or maybe 4) during the evening and went to sleep. Phew!

[Day 6.2]

The next day was another different story. We woke up early (spanish early, which is at 10am) and went to the market to get some food. One of the things I like the most about going back to Barcelona is that I get to walk around the neighborhood where I was born. Where everything started 22 years ago.

Tradition has that the one who drinks from the Font de Canaletes will come back to Barcelona.

 After jumping into the Metro we got out in Plaça Catalunya and started to walk around there. We were in Carrer Tallers (one of my favorite streets in Barcelona)  were you can find all types of things; badges, gothic boots, tattoo studios, handmade stuff… I’ve you have never been there, you should really go! Trust me! I’m a local! 

Thousands of balconies in Barcelona.

There’s one thing that Monika told me and I’ve never thought about before. -«Wow! In Barcelona you have lots of balconies everywhere!» Well, it’s true but it’s not something big, isn’t it?

Apparently it is. In Lithuania they are not really typical, and particularly in Kaunas. Narrow streets with high buildings and lots of balconies facing the street? No way. But I think I understand why. The snow and the light. In the eastern Europe they don’t have that much light as we do, so, why to have high buildings that will make extra shadows? No! We want light! 

And about the snow, well, basically try to walk through a narrow street with lots of snow where under the white powder (I’m talking about the snow, the real one) you will find ice. Annoying and sneaky ice that will try to make you fall down. And he will achieve it. Trust me. You don’t want to have narrow streets in Lithuania. The wider the better.

Once we were on our way to the sea, (down the street), we visited of course La Boqueria. The most visited market in Barcelona and probably the one that has the most variety of goods.

Although she had already been there she didn’t mind visiting it again.

Once I remember that I was talking with a friend from Lebanon who had visited Barcelona recently. He was totally in love with the city. And one of the things that he liked the most it was the multiculturalism. He even told me: «Man, I didn’t even feel like a foreigner!. It was like NY!» And I have to agree completely with him. Although I’ve never been in NY, Barcelona is a place where no one should feel as a foreigner. It’s the confluence of cultures and people what makes it a magical place.

If you are really thinking about visiting my birth-place-city there’s one girl, Jessica who writes a blog about her experiences in the city. Go check her out! It’s really worth it!

View of the port from our restaurant in Barcelona’s Maremagnum.

We were hungry. It was time for us to sit, have a rest and eat something. We decided to go the huge commercial centre known as Maremagnum, where I used to go every weekend when I was a child to play video games. The upper floor used to be full of clubs, but nowadays you find lots of restaurants. They aren’t cheap, actually, they are a bit pricy. But as we say in spanish, «one day is one day» and come on, check the views we had! Outstanding!

That was it. We didn’t want to have a boring-extremely-tourist-tour through Barcelona. After having our stomachs full, we headed to the Bogatell a not really dirty beach not so far from the centre. Relaxed there for few hours and went back home.

Our journey in Spain just started.