SIN-MXP-BCN by 77W and a revieW of W Barcelona

[9V-SIA]

Rambla De Catalunya

One of my favorite places to eat since it is a block west of our hotel ( Omm & MO ).



Nice restaurants & quirky shops abound



MO concierge recommended two tapas bars on this street.

I suspect they are owned by the same group since the menu was identical!

Edited sample of the eats available. I like cook-to-order though there are pre-prepared tapas too

Catalana Cervesceria



Simple but good mini hot dog



This egg & chips with "special mayo" was my favorite tapas dish in BCN!!!

Had it twice. Never got a pic of it before eating. Must remember to get a pic in May when I'm next in BCN



Cuidad Condal Cervesceria



Interesting wall of Coca Cola bottles



Sardines



Squid



Fried chilli



Fried mushrooms



Both serve good food but the decor is much nicer in Catalana, with its display of tapas in the front

[9V-SIA]

Gracia

Passeig De Gracia comes to an abrupt end at Placa De Joan Carles I.

Most tourists don't cross Avinguda Diagonal into Gracia. Big mistake.

This is the less touristy part of Barcelona and I enjoy strolling through here.

North of Gracia is Parc Guell, but it's uphill all the way there from Placa De Catalunya. Take a taxi!

Behind the yellow van running along Avinguda Diagonal is Jardins De Salvador Espriu. Note the obelisk behind the van



At the northern end of the "jardin" is Hotel Casa Fuster, a gorgeous piece of art deco architecture. One day...



The road passes to the left of the hotel and continues north as Carrer Gran De Gracia



Looking south from the fountain in the "jardin", obelisk is clearer..



Side streets along Carrer Gran De Gracia beg to be explored..



You stumble into beautiful squares..



.. buildings. A less famous Gaudi



.. and my churros and hot chocolate fix nearer my hotel



As I was enjoying my churros, this crying girl was silenced by free churros from the owner! Try your luck!

[9V-SIA]

Barri Gotic

Placa De Sant Jaume

Barri Gotic is the most tourist dense part of Barcelona so be careful of petty crime.

In the midst of narrow lanes is Placa De Sant Jaume, where these 2 imposing buildings face each other across the sunny square..

..Casa de la Ciutat..



.. and Palau de la Generalitat



Run away fast CarbonMan, because you're done for if your wife spots Custo Barcelona off the square,

westwards along Carrer De Ferran Jaume. And across the road from Custo Barcelona is Desigual.



If indeed you become trapped, relax with some Basque style tapas at Orio next door ...



... while your wife/daughters make Visa & Mastercard very happy!



Good selection of tapas



Basque style: everything is served on top of baguette



Catedral

[9V-SIA]

Born Ribera

Nicer than Barri Gotic because less tourists except for the route to Picasso Museum. It pays to go early..

Carrer de la Princesa



Museum entrance



Not really a Picasso fan but the architecture is nice



The visit to the Picasso Museum was not a total loss. Continuing south from the museum leads to Placa de les Olles and Cal Pep

Very good freshly made tapas here too. Be prepared to queue if you don't go early



The chef himself. I like restaurants where you meet the man. Never met Thomas Keller or Heston Blumenthal though I've dined in their restaurants.....




At the northern end of Ribera is Palau de la Musica Catalana



New wing tagged on to the old wing along its side





The acoustics do not do justice to the stunning interior







Also seem to have more artisans to me

[9V-SIA]

Barceloneta

A nice view of Barcelona if you sit by the window on the right hand side of the plane.

That triangular area of buildings by the beach, between W and "twin towers" of Port Olimpic, is Barceloneta.

The parts that face Port Vell to the west and the beach to the south cater to tourists.



But inside, the locals still live..



Port Olimpic end



The part of Barceloneta by the beach is lined with restaurants



It seems there is constant turnover of restaurants. New restaurants or ...



.. established restaurants in new locations. Can Majo has a beachfront location now. Ate here on my first trip to BCN. A bit ex..



There are other sidewalk cafes that serve cheap & good food along the beach



After dinner, a walk along the beach..



Quite crowded in the Summer



Famous installation artwork along the beach



... one of my favourite things "To Do" in Barcelona

Next, the flight(s) home...

[CarbonMan]

[SQtraveller]

post deleted

[9V-SIA]

The Flight Home In July

Love this report - not been to the Basque country for years so it's good to see the beautiful Gaudi archicture again.

Thanks.

Basque region of Spain is one area I will go to one day.

San Sebastian has a high concentration of Michelin* restaurants.

In the meantime, Orio provides a nice change from Catalan ( BCN ) tapas, which can be a bit oily ( lots of fried stuff )

My ride home in July... 9V-SWE



Where's she going?



What about me?!



Lesson learnt. Forget about getting your VAT back.



Oh well... might as well make the most of it.


Taxiing to the runway..



The final glimpse of 9V-SWE as she heads for home

[9V-SIA]

The Flight Home In March

Luckily I took pics of the departure in March



It's WaG again..



The view of push back from 11A



We're behind this KL 737 for take off



The KL 737 takes off



Final glimpse of BCN ( in March )



A snack is served between BCN-MXP



It's lovely to gaze out the window over this part of the Mediterranean

On the map...



View out the window..





Air China A343 waiting for us to land



Taxiing to the gate. MXP in the Spring

[9V-SIA]

MXP-SIN in March

Making myself at home for the next leg of the flight



The Swiveling Table Demonstration



Satay! None on my flight in 2009. I'm glad the 3 cups are gone from the plate



Previously posted the Menu BCN-MXP-SIN







So how did I get home in July???

[eriond]

So how did I get home in July???

I'm guessing that the flight that you missed was SQ67 cos you mentioned that the a/c was heading "home" rather than "to MXP". So for a PPS travelling in F, they would have rerouted you via LHR/FRA or placed on you SQ377 the next morning?

Either way, I'm sure you now know the Miro Lounge really well.

[eriond]

VAT Refund

Important to remember that you can check in, then go get your VAT back.

2 stages:

The VAT Back forms from the retailer.

1. Get forms/receipts stamped ( minimum 90 EURO on a receipt ) at Departure Hall.

Far left hand corner of the hall as you walk in through the front doors.

2. With the forms/receipts duly stamped, proceed to get your money back at the bank in the Arrival Hall.

Can I please check if this is still the case? i.e. customs stamps are obtained at a different counter than the cash refund?

Do you happen to know if the officer will stamp on receipts that are NOT generated by a tax refund company? I need to do is obtain a stamp on the (German) shop's own refund document. I will then have to turn in the form at the shop the next time I transit at FRA to obtain my cash refund.

[Desert Traveller]

Can I please check if this is still the case? i.e. customs stamps are obtained at a different counter than the cash refund?

Do you happen to know if the officer will stamp on receipts that are NOT generated by a tax refund company? I need to do is obtain a stamp on the (German) shop's own refund document. I will then have to turn in the form at the shop the next time I transit at FRA to obtain my cash refund.

Yeah, you need to get the tax refund forms stamped by customs when leaving the EU. Then collect the refund either at the designated refund outlet (for tax refund agencies, the blue forms) or the store where you bought (green forms).
Green forms are great if you plan to return to the shop where you bought as you will get the full amount of VAT back. The tax refund agencies will accept them as well, but will charge their standard fee.

[eriond]

Yeah, you need to get the tax refund forms stamped by customs when leaving the EU. Then collect the refund either at the designated refund outlet (for tax refund agencies, the blue forms) or the store where you bought (green forms).
Green forms are great if you plan to return to the shop where you bought as you will get the full amount of VAT back. The tax refund agencies will accept them as well, but will charge their standard fee.

Thanks for the quick info!

Yeah I was referring to the green forms, except that the shop in FRA prints it on plain white A5 paper. Since the language on the form is in German, customs at FRAport never had an issue with it (apart from asking where this shop was), but I foresee there might be some problems with the customs at BCN.

[Desert Traveller]

Thanks for the quick info!

Yeah I was referring to the green forms, except that the shop in FRA prints it on plain white A5 paper. Since the language on the form is in German, customs at FRAport never had an issue with it (apart from asking where this shop was), but I foresee there might be some problems with the customs at BCN.

Haven't had problems with the green forms in BHX. Just take the customs officials through it if they're not sure. Should be no problem, in the end it's just a stamp confirming export.