After 3 days in wonderful and beautiful Girona we headed back to the big city on the train. We arrived in Barcelona and headed off to The Barri Gothic area where our hotel was located. When we arrived they told us that our hotel room was not ready for us--the lights were not working--so we had been relocated down the street to another hotel for the night. It didn't seem so bad,so we plopped our stuff down and took off walking several miles to Sagrada Familia--a chathedral started by Gaudi, but yet to be finished. It was amazing and a little surreal. Definitely worth the walk through town! We headed back for dinner and an early night after a long day of travel. The next morning we realized the room we were sent to wasn't all it was cracked up to be after all...we couldn't wait to get out of there as the sink was clogged and the shower didn't work. We gladly trekked back down to the hotel to see if we could check in. We were assured the room was now fixed and ready, but it was not cleaned yet, so we'd have to come back in a couple of hours. So...off we went to explore the rest of the city. Barcelona was much bigger than I could have ever imagined. The Barri Gothic area we stayed in was filled with charming little streets packed with stores. We spent the day getting lost in the streets, checking out little placas and exploring all that we could find. The next day we did more of the same, while also traveling the Rambla (main street in town) down to the port. Along the way we checked out the Boqueria (market), ate some tapas, and visited the main cathedral (which was sadly covered on the outside due to construction. Luckily, Steve knew a couple of people who were living in Barcelona and they were kind enough to take us away from tourist central one evening. We traveled by metro to a little area that held the most charming little restaurant. It was an old building which used to house a wine warehouse type place...we ate rabbit and snails and drank wine with good friends. It was a perfect night full of traditional catalan food! The next day we found our way up to Montjuic with its castle and olympiv remnants. We took a gondola (that took us high above the city and up the mountain) and you could see the amazing view of the huge city that is Barcelona. It was the perfect way to cap off our visit. The next morning we were off to home. A wonderful trip had come to an end, but we know it marked just the beginning of all sorts of adventures yet to come for us!
Pictures don't do any of the trip justice...but they are much more beautiful in full size...you can always click on them to make them bigger...sorry some are sideways...I am too lazy to change them.
Sagrada Familia
Steve posing on Montjuic
YUMMY tapas at the Boqueria
Not a true report without some fashion...Tapered pants were all the rage...ugh, thank goodness i don't have to do that!
Our usual meal of coffee and ham sandwich...they do love their bread and ham!
The square right around the corner from our hotel where we ate and drank and watched...
The Placa Catalunya...the main plaza area...it was filled with pigeons to chase and feed and apparently if you're 5, to sit down and hang out with.
View from the balcony of our hotel room (the one we liked, not the scuzzy first one!)
La Taverna de Marguerite where we ate with good friends, Marco and Savita
Some of the roman walls
Us high above Barcelona
Placa del Pi
Barcelona from up above
La Boqueria...where you can find anything from rabbit to snails to fruit to fish to tapa bars
Church passage way...so beautiful as it sits high above the street.
Good friends at dinner
sitting in the placa you see the strangest things...like dogs in side cars...how cute!
views in La Boqueria...who knew it was foreshadowing of dinner yet to come
Gondola to Montjuic
Graffiti is everywhere in Spain...most of it very artistically done, but everywhere nonetheless...from train stations to gates that pull down over stores...
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