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After a good night's sleep (because I was quite tired after yesterday's flight), the first full day in Barcelona began. This day started with doing groceries, because there was nothing in the house yet. Then we had a nice breakfast. After breakfast we took the metro to Camp Nou, the stadium of FC Barcelona!
This stadium has been under renovation since last June and will reopen in 2026. The stadium will then not be accessible for a stadium tour (until November 2024). There is a museum next to the stadium that is accessible. That's where we went (we had bought tickets online in advance, so it was a few euros cheaper than if you buy a ticket on the spot). In this museum you will learn about the history of the club (did you know, for example, that a Swiss took the initiative to found this club in 1899 by placing an advertisement in the newspaper?), with all kinds of attributes. In addition, there are also shirts of (former) players on display and Cruyff and Messi have their own departments. Of course the trophy cabinet is overflowing, but in addition to prizes from the first team, there are also prizes from the youth teams, the women's team and from the basketball and handball branch. Finally, you could experience what it feels like to be in the immense FC Barcelona stadium, through a 360° large screen around you where various images are shown. For example, the audience singing the club hymn en masse, or cheering for a goal (what a noise that produces!) or (former) Barcelona players doing a rondo, with you standing in the middle. I personally think this is a really cool experience and a beautiful museum! It's a shame that the stadium is not accessible... After an hour we were outside again, I bought an FC Barcelona shirt at a fan shop nearby (I couldn't resist...), then we went to a café to have a drink. We then took the metro to Plaça d'Espanya. This square contains a former bullfighting arena that has recently been converted into a five-story shopping center. We took a quick look inside and then took the elevator to the top floor. On this third floor there is a 360° panoramic deck outside where you have an excellent view of the city (we were able to see the Sagrada Família from a distance). After walking around, we took the elevator back down. From here we crossed the square to go to the National Museum of Catalan Art, we had to walk up some stairs, but once at the top we had an even better view than from the panoramic terrace as we were even higher (from here we had an even better view of the Sagrada Família). From here we walked around the museum to the Olympic Stadium (where Ellen van Langen won gold in the 800-meter athletics at the 1992 Olympic Games). Nowadays, FC Barcelona plays its matches here, due to the renovation of its own stadium. This is also a beautiful stadium and the surrounding area also looks beautiful! After seeing this we walked back to the metro, through a beautiful park. We took the metro back to the apartment, where we first did some groceries for tomorrow. This morning we forgot that tomorrow is a national holiday in Spain, so the supermarket is closed. We walked back to the apartment with the groceries to cook and eat dinner. Tomorrow we go to the Sagrada Família, a former hospital and to the well-known Ramblas!
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