@movernie
On our way from the Barcelona airport to Grand Central Hotel
Doing a selfie with my 6ixSide gear! The6ix represents!
After about 25 minutes of the ride, we had arrived at the Grand Central Hotel, a 5-star hotel. Before I got off the Kia Sportage, I could see another crowd of paparazzi crew members waiting for my arrival. They had begun snapping pictures of our SUV. The moment I got off, they greeted me and wanted to snap pictures of me outside the entrance of the Grand Central Hotel. Then, I walked into the lobby. The concierge at the counter greeted me, they asked for my information. During this whole time at the counter, a few more crew members were taking pictures and of me checking in. After a just a few minutes of time, the concierge handed me my key card. Then, another director guided me to a big conference room and told us that they would like to interview some more questions with me. As I sat down on a comfy sofa, the director asked me what I look forward to sightsee in Barcelona, how’s the weather so far in Barcelona and some other questions.
After the interview, off we go to our respective rooms. Since every Global Ambassadors were coming from all parts of the world, they arrived at different times. So, we were told that we had free-time to walk around the city or just chill in our room. Andrew and I had decided that we should unload our stuff in our hotel rooms and then meet up after 30 minutes to go and sight see this city.
This Grand Central Hotel was very classy, elegant and very modern chic. Nowadays, most chic hotel had a dark lightning and very quiet and stylish. Grand Central Hotel was no different, comfy carpet, chic hallway and high-tech elevators. I love it! As I swiped my key card, I saw a nice short corridor. There was a big mirror lying against the wall, and then there was a wooden cabinet that forms a separation between the room and the closet. The bed was large and super comfy. Flat screen TV with a nice desk, displaying a number of fashion and lifestyle magazines. Chrome accessories everywhere. They had lots of coat racks to put my clothes. Lots of cubbies spaces and they even had slippers for me. I always appreciate the electronic safe to put my valuables in. Best yet, power blinds and lightning controls on in one single button.
The Powder area was located between the bedroom and the bathroom, so if someone is taking a shower, the other person can still brush their teeth, etc. The powder room had everything that I need, from high quality shampoo, conditioner, hand cream, shower cap, ample lots of towels of all sizes. It was comfy, modern and chic. As I pushed the glass door, you could see the toilet and then the shower stall. So, someone could use the toilet, meanwhile, someone could still take the shower. I really love the ergonomics of the hotel room layout.
The first thing I always do was to check for Wi-Fi. I started posting my Kia Gear Up photos to my various social media platform. Then, I changed and walked down to the lobby to meet Andrew. Andrew got a map of the city of Barcelona from the hotel and we decided to our tour of the city. The Grand Central Hotel was located at the heart of the city of Barcelona, so it’s very convenient and located to many different landmarks. The hotel was located near the famous Gothic district, the Cathedral as well as the ancient city walls and “el Born”.
So, Andrew and I consulted each other to see if there were any particular landmarks that we wanted to see. We decided that we would like to check out the famous “La Sagrada Familia”, a large Roman Catholic church designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. We also wanted to check out the famous Cathedral. Other than those famous landmarks, we had decided to go with the flow, just tour around various streets and see where it takes us. Along the way, we stopped by a small restaurant and tried their tapas. Tapas are basically snacks or appetizers that can be cold or small that comes in a small dish so peeps can share and try out a variety of these different types of food items. I like this idea alot as I am a foodie and I love to try new food items. One food item that is very popular in Spain is called the “Croquette”. A croquette is a small bread crumbed fried food roll containing, usually with mashed potatoes and/or ground meat, shellfish, fish, cheese, vegetables. It complemented well with wine, sangria or beer.
After a good break, Andrew and I decided to check out the Cathedral.
We then scrolled around the streets and checking out different stores.
Then, we waited in line (not long, say 10-12 minutes) to check out the Picasso Museum.
Then, we continued with our “go with the flow” journey. As we walked by this next building, it didn’t look anything special but we saw many people coming in and out. So, we decided to have a look. It turned out that this was a super market with lots of fresh groceries and seafood. I was super excited. Although restaurants often invited me for food tasting and review back in Toronto and I don’t go grocery shopping often, checking out other countries’ grocery stores allow me to see vegetables or seafood that may not be available back home.
As we continued on our random journey, we walked past “La Rambla”. I know it’s a famous street as La Rambla is located in central Barcelona, which is popular with tourists and locals alike. A tree-lined pedestrian mall, connecting Plaça de Catalunya in the centre with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell. You can find lots of restaurants with patio sitting or clothing and other retail stores.
Then to Ciutat Vella, a district of Barcelona, numbered District 1. The name means “old city” in Catalan and refers to the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona, Spain.
Walked around “El Born”.
After walking west for about 20 minutes, Andrew and I finally reached the famous church, La Sagrada Familia. However, the lineup to go inside was super long so we didn’t want to wait.
After checking out the outside of this church, Andrew and I took a cab back to the Grand Central Hotel to get ready for dinner to meetup with the rest of the Global Ambassadors who had arrived at different times. So, we didn’t end up visiting the church inside, but for me, checking out the exterior architect of the church was good enough for me.
Follow my journey on Instagram (@RealMoVernie) and Twitter (@MoVernie) for more awesome pictures and videos.
And MoVernie is outta here!
