It was still raining all over Madrid at 7 o'clock in the morning when my family and I checked out of our hotel to catch a train leaving for Barcelona.  Our entire travel duration lasted only for 2 hours and 30 minutes (thanks to their high speed train moving at 260-296km/hr), so we arrived in Catalonia's capital city a bit early, which gave us plenty of time to get around and explore the place.

Our first stop for the day was the old military fortress at Montjuic.  It's an imposing castle sitting atop a hill, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the stunning city of Barcelona. 

To get here, we took a metro from Pg de Gracia to Paral-lel station.  Supposed to be, there should already be a Funiculare that would take tourists from Paral-lel to Montjuic, but its operation was temporarily stopped from Nov - April 26, 2016.  Hence, we ended up taking the special bus instead (bus fare is EUR 2.15 per person).  From the bus stop, you have the option to either walk all the way up to the castle or take the cable car (Teleferic fee is EUR 8 per head), which I think is a better option for tourists who want to see a panoramic view of the city.

The regular admission fee to the castle is EUR 5, which will give you access to the courtyard, rooms, and exhibit explaining the history of the place.  Truthfully, there's really nothing much to explore here because the fort is somewhat bare/ empty.  I guess, what really makes this place popular is the picturesque view of the city it offers to all visiting guests.  Not to mention, the fun and exciting Teleferic cable car ride going up here is also a wonderful experience!

Overall, I must say that we pretty much enjoyed our visit to the Montjuic Castle and it also gave us a pretty good first impression of Barcelona!