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The Iberian end-zone 🇦🇩 🇪🇦
24/06/2024
🇦🇩 Les Escaldes → Andorra la Vella → 🇪🇦 Barcelona
Andorra having no railways, the only way out is by long-distance bus. But good news: it should be the LAST ONE!!! YOUHOUUUU!!
A last attempt at getting Andorran coins, a giant coffee, and hop in the bus. I don’t know if it was fully because I was in a much better mood than in 2018 (i.e. panicked), but this time I very much enjoyed my stay in Andorra. Those gigantic mountains are not as lifeless as I remembered them.
¡Hola España!
Been there quite a few times, but definitely not as far South as I will on this trip. Although today, I’m heading for Barcelona, that I very quickly visited in 2018 (shit, six years ago already?).
As much as I hate bus rides, the route was fantastic! It changed so drastically between the rugged Pyrénées, to the endless hilly yellow plains of wheat fields. Awesome!
We finally arrived in Barcelona. I leave the last long-distance bus, vowing to not take another one before the dead Kennedy rolls again amongst the livings, and set foot in the penultimate country of the adventure. Only Portugal left (then back through Spain to France). And today also marks the beginning of the end: only two weeks left on this trip, as I’m coming home on July 7th.
On a side note, I will pass a night in Toulouse on July 5th, so if you’re there, come to the train station by 20:30 and let’s have some drinks!
Anyway, Barcelona. My hostel is pretty far, but luckily I only have one metro to take (how long has it been since my last metro? Gotta be in Roma). It’s a super cool hostel, a proper Youth hostel. Very comfy, very lively. Love it.
I immediately go out and walk to the nearby Sagrada Familìa. What a piece! Gaudì was really a genius of an architect. I mean this is ART. There are plenty of beautiful buildings scattered all over the World, that have wonderful architecture. But this is art. I didn’t stay too long though, as it’s overcrowded, and I want to see more in a small amount of time (need to be back at 19:30 for the hostel’s chicken curry & beer, yum!)
A second metro and a bus ride and I found myself on the seafront. I was hoping to have a stroll on Barcelona beach but oh my lord, there are SO MANY people. Can’t walk closer than 10 m from the water. Still I chilled a bit there, but before long I was off to the Citadel Park.
What a beauty again! Truly, Barcelona is full of gems. Just look at this fountain and the citadel behind.
Another bus and a bit of walk and I gaze upon Casa Batlló and it’s dragonesque roof, and Casa Milà, two other Gaudì creations.
A third metro and I’m back at the hostel… but the dinner is full already! Bah… After some hesitations and some convincing by outside influences, I decide to join tonight’s pub crawl. Not the smartest idea given that I must leave at 6 AM. Whatever. Let’s live.
We leave at 23 by the metro. I got chatting with some guys from London, two French girls from Normandie, the hostel staff from Argentina and Gustavo from Brazil.
We changed for another metro, and this one gets packed full with youths on a mission to pub crawl.
The issue was that many other groups were doing the same route as us, so the bar were overcrowded. Impossible to get a drink in the first one except for the free shot (thanks Gustavo for yours!). Let’s see how the night develops…
Train count: + 5 (including 5 metros)
Total: 306















