::: I was going to Spain :::

Definitely, in my dream. What a beautiful dream!! I didn't want to come back to reality, I was reluctant to be awakened. I was supposed to go to SPAIN, but everything changed the moment I opened my eyes. My dream crashed... vanished into the thin air... shattered into pieces. My brain has been overworking recently, I have dreamt too much. Likewise, it has rained too much. Fortunately today, it finally spared my shoes from swimming in those flooding pavement. My poor new shoes, it pains my heart...

In my wonderful sleep last night... I received an email from my former employer in London, he said he'd be sending me to Spain for a project. Although the work is not really my forte, I'd love to take up that opportunity. I agreed... I wanted to go along. It was for 18 months, a year and a half. Just as I was so overwhelmed, delighted, thrilled... this bubble burst. "RRRRRRRRRinggggggggggg...." My damned alarm! SPAINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN, please come back!!!!!

This morning, I remember a friend of mine just returned from Spain with her family. Is that the reason why I dreamt of Spain??? Or is it because in the recent conversations with friends, someone was going to visit or had came back not long ago? Anyhow, my friend showed me her lovely pictures, I was almost green with envy.

She has the most wonderful tapas, pintxos (or pinchos) and paella, plus wine to go with it. All the high-class dining. My Spain holiday was a poor backpacking trip accompanied with "bad company"... what a torture it was! Yet when I was browsing through her photos, I suddenly felt better about that holiday I had there. I could recall so much of it, even though it was a "sad time"... Now I can smile. Anyway, good job babe... you took AMAZING pictures, I mean it. PRETTY PRETTY.

Will it be my turn next? Will my dream come true, please....

Soak in it - Barcelona has it all***

Coming next, Barcelona was superb...

Name it, it has it all. Culture, yummy food, Gaudi architecture, the right atmosphere, lovely beach, affordable shopping, good weather, efficient transport... So far, I haven't got a complaint. Even map-reading for me is easy, remember girls are supposed to be bad at map-reading! It might be the "squares" plan of the city, it makes things a lot easier, street names a lot simpler.

Oh, perhaps one thing... nothing is almost free in Barcelona. It is a "clever" money-making city, it makes money out of anything. A few visits to the Gaudi building can certainly burn a hole in your pocket, probably a free and fantastic option is Park Guell. We were/I was in the Park Guell, Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera (Casa Mila), Barcelona FC Museum, walked down Las Ramblas... watched the Magic Fountain of Montjuic, been to the Port Vell and across to Maremagnum shopping mall, happened to visit church Santa Maria del Mar when there was an ongoing service. We also walked about a lot of places, to the former Olympic Stadium (but didn't get to go in), near Picasso Museum, along Placa de Catalunya to Passeig de Gràcia and up Avenue diagonal... I love the shopping street in Passeig de Gràcia, even though I didn't get anything there. El born is my favourite area, where the Picasso Museum is situated, or the gothic area as well. It is mostly lined up with stylish restaurants and pubs.

I was at Icària beach (they have a total of 4 beaches), wasn't a long stay due to the short daylight. However they have some pretty shells, calm sea and some pretty sight. I bet in summer it will be a blast!

For accomodation, I should say we had the finest picks. The hostel I booked was fabulous, its location and atmosphere and the really cheap prices made it all worth. It was just 3 nights we stayed at Backpacker BCN before we moved to my next selected choice, Hostal Central. It was almost like a hotel with free towels, sink in the room and a neat double bed. The room looks very sweet, the hostal has friendly service, it is really a bargain for its quality and location.

Day trip 1: Figueres -- Dali Museum
A short train away, Dali Museum certainly is worth the hour of travelling. I read even though it does not contain Dali's best works, but they featured most of the works he had created when he first started off or made him popular. It is situated in this town, Figueres, where Dali used to be for a while, it certainly has its own character and we were at a mid-day market.

Day trip 2: Montserrat
Montserrat is slightly more difficult to get to, with the train timing at every half or an hour. We didn't realise the Cable car to the mountain wasn't working (what a luck, just began the maintenance work the day we embarked). So we had to wait for an hour for the next train to get to the next station where we can take a train up to Montserrat. Up there you can visit the Monastery or its museum, go for an audio-visual show, take two different funicular rides up or down the mountain, do a bit of trekking and walking in the nature which is very relaxing but tense if you're rushing for time. It has short visiting hours in Winter, I think it has more than a day's worth of visit if you are really into "a spiritual place" and nature.

To sum it up, even a heart-broken person like me can enjoy Barcelona, it really says something about it... doesn't it!!