Lem in BCN - Stoned Sightseeing in Barcelona
Posted: Mon 27th Nov 2017 02:06 pm
I'm travelling with my missus, J, who's not really into spending four days in cannabis clubs. The weather forecast is promising wall to wall sunshine so the plan is to tour the sights of Barcelona whilst popping into a couple of clubs along the way.
We've booked into 'Happy Apartments' right in the centre. We'll have a balcony with an ashtray, so vaping there should be fine. I'm looking forward to checking out the sights and restaurants in a stony haze.
Thursday 16th November 2017
An early flight brings us into town around lunchtime. We drop our bags at the apartment and grab a drink in the sunshine on Plaça Reial.
Supping on my beer, a plan is forming in my mind to strike for Alcatraz this very afternoon. We return to the apartment to find it ready so we prepare and set off.
It's only a short walk but it passes many interesting bits of the old Gothic Quarter
The light is shining through this nice arch from the direction of Alcatraz, leading us on.
We even pass a cathedral.
Unlike many of the clubs, Alcatraz has some nice big signs on the door.
I press the button and the door slides open to reveal a bright space inside. A girl is smiling at us through a hatch so we approach and I show her a message mentioning the names of the shop manager and our Papi. She studies it for a while and then says she knows nothing about it and that the person named is not around. Then she says that I'm welcome to join for €15 but nothing else. Ah, that's perfect I tell her. I was only trying to get in, no more than that.
The inner door opens and we're chatting to the same girl at the counter inside the club. I'm soon the proud owner of an Alcatraz membership card. J doesn't have photo ID on her and isn't really interested so she leaves again and we agree to meet outside in about half an hour.
Once I've got the hang of which counter serves what and how the system of passing around post-it notes works, I get some Amnesia Haze. The bag is served in a bowl with a grinder. I load up the vape pen.
You wouldn't know it from the entrance on the narrow alley, but the club is quite big inside. Various spaces lead off the central area, all with the prison theme. There are sockets everywhere for charging devices.
Half an hour later I stagger out again, nicely stoned.
Somehow the cathedral has acquired a nice warm glow while I was in the club.
Plaça Sant Jaume is the symbolic centre of politics in Catalonia and there are plenty of flags and banners around. There are also TV news reporters and their crews.
Around the corner are their vans with aerials competing with the sculpture.
In the evening we have a nice stroll around the Gothic Quarter checking out restaurants. Spain is generally tricky for a veggie. They always want to sneak a bit of meat or fish into every tapas. Barcelona is an exception to that rule, however, as it has loads of specialist veggie restaurants. We find a brilliant one called Vegetalia. They serve up extraordinary things that I've never seen anywhere else and that taste sensational, especially when stoned.
The streets we're walking around are near Remedy and everywhere I get "coffeeshop, coffeeshop" muttered in my ear. It's a bit how Damstraat used to be with "coke, ecstasy …".
Friday 17th November 2017
Montjuik is the selected destination for the day. This is a hill topped with a castle just to the south of the centre. The plan is to catch the funicular up the hill but, when we get there, we find it closed for maintenance. Looks like we're going to get some exercise climbing the hill.
From the top we get views across the city and the port.
La Sagrada Familia rising
Having explored the top of the hill for a while we descend towards Plaça d'Espanya. There we find a classic car show going on and a band playing so we stop for lunch.
Later I make a brief visit to Backyard, leaving the missus sat in a nearby restaurant with a drink.
Backyard is not easy to find. It's just an anonymous dark doorway with a button and a camera. Next to the button is a tiny label with 'Backyard' pencilled onto it.
The guy at the counter inside turns out to be English. I show him my 'invite' and mention our Polish friend. "Does he like lots of bongs?" he asks. "Yeah, that's the bloke", I say with a big grin. "I think I know who you mean", he says.
Duly signed in and presented with my little key-ring membership device, I enter the main space.
I get some Pineapple Haze, which was probably the best of the trip.
(note: pic taken later, after the buds had been rattling around in my pocket)
The pen warms up fast. Looks like the mouthpiece needs a clean though.
I haven't got time to play with this now, but it's nice to see.
Saturday 18th November 2017
Having an apartment in the centre is great because we keep popping back for something and every time we do I can top up my stoned state ready to float around the next tourist attraction.
Our balcony is at the back of the building overlooking Carrer de les Penedides, a narrow alleyway between tall buildings forming a deep gorge. Every morning we look out to find the street wet as if it's been raining. In fact the sun is out as usual and the street has been hosed down.
There are flags everywhere. Most are the stripy Catalan flags, some with the extra-symbolic star. Occasionally we spot Spanish flags representing the opposite side of the argument.
Immediately below our balcony is the car park behind the police station on the Ramblas. It's quite disconcerting puffing away on my vape pen while looking down on this and hearing police radios chattering away.
Today's destination is Park Guell, a Gaudi village on the edge of the city.
It's a metro ride and a short walk to get there. Then it's a climb up a hill assisted by an outdoor escalator.
From the top we can see right across the city to the sea.
That church again
Gingerbread houses in Park Guell
In the evening we check out the Magic Fountain. A video might explain this better but try to imagine lots of individually controlled and synchronised powerful jets of water with lights and music. It's like wet fireworks.
Sunday 19th November 2017
It's Sunday so we're off to church. We've seen it in the distance from various hills but now we're taking a closer look.
La Sagrada Familia
Being Sunday there's a service going on so we can't go inside. This is no big deal because we've seen it on a previous visit back in 2009.
We walk around the outside, taking in the various faces.
On our return we stop off at Passeig de Gràcia to look at some more Gaudi architecture.
Later, leaving J at the apartment, I wander back to Alcatraz for a slightly longer visit.
Alcatraz
This time I know the procedure and already have a membership card so it's straight into a session. I'm taking lots of pics and, at one point, find myself at the bar chatting to the budtender. I ask her whether I can photograph the jars as she smiles at my "old school" camera. She says OK but asks that I don't post them on Facebook.
Monday 20th November 2017
My camera battery has failed to charge overnight due to a dodgy USB cable so I haven't got any pictures of this last day.
We explore a bit of the northern part of medieval city and the marina and then it's off to the airport.
A very pleasant trip.
We've booked into 'Happy Apartments' right in the centre. We'll have a balcony with an ashtray, so vaping there should be fine. I'm looking forward to checking out the sights and restaurants in a stony haze.
Thursday 16th November 2017
An early flight brings us into town around lunchtime. We drop our bags at the apartment and grab a drink in the sunshine on Plaça Reial.
Supping on my beer, a plan is forming in my mind to strike for Alcatraz this very afternoon. We return to the apartment to find it ready so we prepare and set off.
It's only a short walk but it passes many interesting bits of the old Gothic Quarter
The light is shining through this nice arch from the direction of Alcatraz, leading us on.
We even pass a cathedral.
Unlike many of the clubs, Alcatraz has some nice big signs on the door.
I press the button and the door slides open to reveal a bright space inside. A girl is smiling at us through a hatch so we approach and I show her a message mentioning the names of the shop manager and our Papi. She studies it for a while and then says she knows nothing about it and that the person named is not around. Then she says that I'm welcome to join for €15 but nothing else. Ah, that's perfect I tell her. I was only trying to get in, no more than that.
The inner door opens and we're chatting to the same girl at the counter inside the club. I'm soon the proud owner of an Alcatraz membership card. J doesn't have photo ID on her and isn't really interested so she leaves again and we agree to meet outside in about half an hour.
Once I've got the hang of which counter serves what and how the system of passing around post-it notes works, I get some Amnesia Haze. The bag is served in a bowl with a grinder. I load up the vape pen.
You wouldn't know it from the entrance on the narrow alley, but the club is quite big inside. Various spaces lead off the central area, all with the prison theme. There are sockets everywhere for charging devices.
Half an hour later I stagger out again, nicely stoned.
Somehow the cathedral has acquired a nice warm glow while I was in the club.
Plaça Sant Jaume is the symbolic centre of politics in Catalonia and there are plenty of flags and banners around. There are also TV news reporters and their crews.
Around the corner are their vans with aerials competing with the sculpture.
In the evening we have a nice stroll around the Gothic Quarter checking out restaurants. Spain is generally tricky for a veggie. They always want to sneak a bit of meat or fish into every tapas. Barcelona is an exception to that rule, however, as it has loads of specialist veggie restaurants. We find a brilliant one called Vegetalia. They serve up extraordinary things that I've never seen anywhere else and that taste sensational, especially when stoned.
The streets we're walking around are near Remedy and everywhere I get "coffeeshop, coffeeshop" muttered in my ear. It's a bit how Damstraat used to be with "coke, ecstasy …".
Friday 17th November 2017
Montjuik is the selected destination for the day. This is a hill topped with a castle just to the south of the centre. The plan is to catch the funicular up the hill but, when we get there, we find it closed for maintenance. Looks like we're going to get some exercise climbing the hill.
From the top we get views across the city and the port.
La Sagrada Familia rising
Having explored the top of the hill for a while we descend towards Plaça d'Espanya. There we find a classic car show going on and a band playing so we stop for lunch.
Later I make a brief visit to Backyard, leaving the missus sat in a nearby restaurant with a drink.
Backyard is not easy to find. It's just an anonymous dark doorway with a button and a camera. Next to the button is a tiny label with 'Backyard' pencilled onto it.
The guy at the counter inside turns out to be English. I show him my 'invite' and mention our Polish friend. "Does he like lots of bongs?" he asks. "Yeah, that's the bloke", I say with a big grin. "I think I know who you mean", he says.
Duly signed in and presented with my little key-ring membership device, I enter the main space.
I get some Pineapple Haze, which was probably the best of the trip.
(note: pic taken later, after the buds had been rattling around in my pocket)
The pen warms up fast. Looks like the mouthpiece needs a clean though.
I haven't got time to play with this now, but it's nice to see.
Saturday 18th November 2017
Having an apartment in the centre is great because we keep popping back for something and every time we do I can top up my stoned state ready to float around the next tourist attraction.
Our balcony is at the back of the building overlooking Carrer de les Penedides, a narrow alleyway between tall buildings forming a deep gorge. Every morning we look out to find the street wet as if it's been raining. In fact the sun is out as usual and the street has been hosed down.
There are flags everywhere. Most are the stripy Catalan flags, some with the extra-symbolic star. Occasionally we spot Spanish flags representing the opposite side of the argument.
Immediately below our balcony is the car park behind the police station on the Ramblas. It's quite disconcerting puffing away on my vape pen while looking down on this and hearing police radios chattering away.
Today's destination is Park Guell, a Gaudi village on the edge of the city.
It's a metro ride and a short walk to get there. Then it's a climb up a hill assisted by an outdoor escalator.
From the top we can see right across the city to the sea.
That church again
Gingerbread houses in Park Guell
In the evening we check out the Magic Fountain. A video might explain this better but try to imagine lots of individually controlled and synchronised powerful jets of water with lights and music. It's like wet fireworks.
Sunday 19th November 2017
It's Sunday so we're off to church. We've seen it in the distance from various hills but now we're taking a closer look.
La Sagrada Familia
Being Sunday there's a service going on so we can't go inside. This is no big deal because we've seen it on a previous visit back in 2009.
We walk around the outside, taking in the various faces.
On our return we stop off at Passeig de Gràcia to look at some more Gaudi architecture.
Later, leaving J at the apartment, I wander back to Alcatraz for a slightly longer visit.
AlcatrazThis time I know the procedure and already have a membership card so it's straight into a session. I'm taking lots of pics and, at one point, find myself at the bar chatting to the budtender. I ask her whether I can photograph the jars as she smiles at my "old school" camera. She says OK but asks that I don't post them on Facebook.
Monday 20th November 2017
My camera battery has failed to charge overnight due to a dodgy USB cable so I haven't got any pictures of this last day.
We explore a bit of the northern part of medieval city and the marina and then it's off to the airport.
A very pleasant trip.
too!