I'm going to Barcelona!

I'm sitting at home watching highlights of Chesterfield vs Swindon, surrounded by Barcelona guidebooks and listening to my mum make the last cup of tea of the day in the kitchen. My dad is driving me to Southend airport and wants to leave at 3am to make sure we get there in plenty of time. Is there any point in going to sleep?

No. And I'm far too excited to try!


This is my first of three blog posts as part of my trip to Barcelona with easyJet. As a Sports Journalism student, I've opted to interpret Barcelona by what it has to offer sports-wise, either as a spectator or getting directly involved in a sporting activity.

'Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.' (Image from Wikimedia
Commons)

Luckily for me, the first day is about as sports-themed as you can get - a visit to the Olympic Stadium and a bike tour. The Olympic Games were held in Barcelona in 1992, the year I was born. My dad was telling me earlier how he remembers holding little baby me while watching the diving on TV, and how the boards were so high up you could see a magnificent view of the entire city in the background as the divers prepared to leap. As for the bike tour, I'm looking forwards to getting a unique look round the city and take part in an increasingly popular form of transport in Spain. Cycling always seems to be associated with Holland - the amount of bikes I saw parked up when I went to Amsterdam was crazy! - so I'm eager to see if Barcelona can give the Dutch cyclists a run for their money.

The second day gives us the chance to explore the city by ourselves and go wherever we want. In my opinion, you can't visit Barcelona as a sports fan without going to Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona. Sadly, they aren't scheduled to play whilst I'm staying there, but a tour around the stadium is a must. Not forgetting the museum, of course - what could be better than admiring the many trophies of one of the most famous and successful football clubs in the world?

I will be staying at the W Hotel on the coast, which gives me a perfect opportunity to observe some water sports and walk around the nearby harbours. I'm not sure what kind of activities the beach will offer but don't worry Dad, I do know I won't be taking part in any myself - "you're not insured for water sports!" he shrieked after I told him my plans. After all, I don't play the sports, I write about them! Getting up early for a stroll by the sea to watch the brave and the bonkers tackle the waves sounds like a much better proposition.

Repping the Cod Army!

I've got some more ideas of sporting activities to investigate, but I'd like to try and see the famous sights of Barcelona too while I'm there. One place I'd love to go to is Park Güell, Gaudi's mosaic dragon in particular. I still want to give everything a sporting theme, however, which is why I'll be bringing along this - my Fleetwood Town cap! Derick kindly gave it to me on Saturday as I was having to squint to watch Fleetwood vs Mansfield Town due to the bright sun...yes, bright sun, up North! I couldn't believe it either. As a voluntary member of the press team and an adopted member of the Cod Army, I will aim to place it in all sorts of famous locations around Barcelona and take some photos to spread the good name of Fleetwood Town FC! Not that my beloved Aston Villa will be left out - my shirt is all ready and packed to wear at Camp Nou!

It's now 2am and there definitely isn't any point trying to sleep. Time to do some more research then, I suppose! Goodnight and see you in Barcelona!

PS - I don't speak a single word of Spanish. Wish me luck!