Barcelona and Back

So we had a couple of days - stay at home or not ? Not was the answer. but where to ? With only a couple of days ? Answer Barcelona. A 2 hour hop, but this time with an airline we've never done before Vueling.

Vueling it's worth checking out some of their deals - you have to search a little bit, but it's worth it !

We booked on line with no frills - opting for the smallest under seat carry on bag allowance , no seat choice, just basically a seat - 25 C & D as it happens - about three quarters of the way back. The flight price was the same as me going into London peak on the train (just below £50) so I wasn't expecting much...lets see !

Up at 04:30 for the 20 minute drive to Gatwick South long stay, car park B , the bus arrives almost immediately with the 2 minute journey to South Terminal Up the escalator and straight through security without any delays at all, and then get a sandwich deal to eat on the short flight We sit down for maybe 45 minutes and the flight is now showing as "go to gate" (06:00hrs) , and almost immediately changes to boarding at 06:10hrs.

Now this is where I was expecting it to become painful, nothing could be further from the truth. Boarding efficiently and straight onto the plane a full 40 minutes before take off ( something BA can't seem to get a handle on recently ) the plane fills up really quickly and we push back a full 10 minutes early. (BA take note it CAN be done !! ) A few minutes taxiing, waiting out turn behind a couple of other flights, then we're away.

The seats as expected are nothing special, no frills, still with charging points under the seats if you need. You can pay more for more leg room, choice of seats, front seats etc if you want, But we were more than satisfied for a two hour flight, if you wanted snacks on board the options are many, and the staff were friendly and efficient.

We arrive into Barcelona airport 15 minutes ahead of schedule and make our way to passport control , so far so good !

Now the painful part - not sure if it's Brexit or staff shortages (only 4 of 12 booths open !)or lots of flights at once or what, but the queues at passport control go on for ever , and we painfully wait for nearly 90 minutes to get through.

After getting through, it's time for a quick bathroom stop and then make our way to the Aerobus stop outside - really easy to find a big blue bus that goes literally every few minutes (airport to city centre - 4 stops and around 20 minutes) having purchased return tickets for around 12 Euro each on line the night before, no need to buy tickets there , but if you did there's an attendant and also machines.

The Sun is shining, it's t- shirt weather, I already know my £50 getting here was well spent . The Bus drops you at Placa de Catalunya at the top of the Iconic Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas

We take a walk down the street admiring the varied architecture and stopping at La Boqueria market for a quick bite to eat. With all types of fresh food stalls to delight any Pallete La Boqueria

Before heading in a few shops (Q/ why would anyone pay 120 Euro for a football shirt ?) and then still further to have a beer and watch the world go by in the sunshine and YES you are going to pay through the nose to drink here.

The Hotel ( H10 Art gallery) is one of the 13 H10 hotels in Barcelona, and a 20 minute walk from the Placa de Catalunya, a pleasant stroll in the afternoon sunshine. We check in and are offered a glass of champagne (rude not to, right ?) The room is on the first floor, with a large terrace to sit out on in the sunshine, overlooking the outside eating area below.

No need to unpack, so it's down to the bar to get a beer and go upstairs to the roof top terrace and pool, it's lovely and sunny, we sit and chat to some nice British couples who can't believe we have arrived today and going back tomorrow.

After awhile we are getting peckish so head off just around the corner for some tapas, as we walk around a corner some 50 meters from the hotel, we pass what seems a very popular bar - La Flauta La Flauta but the tapas bar we want ( good reviews on trip advisor)is just around the corner so pass on by...it has sign in the window saying closed although the website said open - but with a recommendation for La Flauta, so we give it a try. We are sat straight away in this busy restaurant .The prices are good and the meat, cheeses and other tapas are served quickly, they are filling and tasty. As we leave the queue to get in has grown to some length, so we obviously made a good choice.

It's been a long day, the sun has gone down and we are full, time for an early night, it's only 21:30hrs but we soon drift off.

The Morning greets us and we make our way down to breakfast at around 09:30hrs and avail ourselves of the breakfast spread, soaking up the morning sun in the courtyard with a coffee.

After a nice late checkout at 12:00hrs, we wander around the city taking in some of the sights, having a couple of beers before heading toward the bus stop at around 15:30hrs. 

One gem of a find, is the restaurant on the 9th floor of El Corte Ingles department store. Great city views and lots of food choices at good prices . Most Spanish city El Corte Ingles have a restaurant on the top floor worth checking out.

Time to catch the bus, (one leaves every 5 minutes or so from outside El Corte Ingles). Arriving at T1 straight through security and to sit in the sun at the outside terrace that exists at Barcelona airport .

The usual 20 minute minute wait for non EU nationals at passport control - Brexit went well for us didn't it ? then straight onto the flight, boarding again in record time, on time departure and early arrival.

So Vueling..Well done - well worth the money and the experience was painless. ( apart from the slightly hard seats - but what do you expect at that price)

That's another trip done. Where next I wonder ? One thing I am sure of , it won't be long.😉