Michelle and I had a simple breakfast at Bar
Castells on the corner down from our apartment: cured ham in a baguette with
americano coffee and juice, while we awaited Ken and Shaz’s arrival.
The itinerary didn’t really make it much past
breakfast when we decided to catch the Bus Turista to get a good all round overview of
the city.
We walked up La Rambla to Plaça de Catalunya and
queued up for the bus. There were a lot of people, and everybody wanted
to sit on the top deck. We let the first few buses go, and it wasn’t too long though before some brand new,
and more importantly, empty buses rolled up. Then we were off.
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| Mother and Bird. Not what I thought it was.... |
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| Sangria on tap. Quick and cold. |
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| Gaby Sellanes - awesome |
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| Really, really, really good lasagna. "I'll have what she's having" |
Wow! Barcelona is totally amazing.
And I am only on a bus. Gaudi, whether you love or hate Modernista,
has left an unmistakable and unique imprint on this town. I completely love it.
We arrived at the top of the hill overlooking
Font Magica right on sangria o’clock, so I had a lovely Sangria with the most beautiful views across Barcelona.
Then this totally awesome Spanish guitarist, Gaby
Sellanes, started playing. As if the moment wasn’t perfect enough
already.
After enjoying some very lively and heartfelt
renditions of Hotel California, Everybreath You Take and some Spanish pieces I
don't know the name of, we continued our bus tour, getting off again in Port
Vell where we found a perfect little café to have seafood paella and mojitos.
Have I said how much I’m loving Spain??
We walked back through Barri Gòtic which just has
this beautiful medieval feel to it: tall buildings lining narrow meandering
streets, which then suddenly open up into treed squares surrounded by cafès
and restaurants; full of people enjoying the sunshine, food, wine and company.
I want to live here!
After ice creams, the girls went to the Catedral
while Ken and I visited Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat, or MUHBA Plaça del Rei.
Now this was truly amazing. You enter a
lift, which instead of listing the floors as you go down the levels, it lists
the years going back in time as you descend below the street level. You are
then walk through Roman ruins dating from before the 1st Century BC. Underground you travel along streets, past the remains of the buildings with evidence of the the crafts and industries conducted there still visible, such as fabric dying and wine
production. Amazing stuff.
We caught back up with the girls who were equally
impressed with Catedral, then wandered through these awesome streets some more, watching Jimi Hendrix puppet shows and lighting candles in churches until we
quite by accident stumbled across Plaça Reial. We found a suitable
restaurant in the afternoon sun and sat and soaked up mojitos, Estrellas
(grande!) and the awesomeness that is Barcelona.
Heading back, we explored La Boqueria
Market, which was just full of people, food, colour and smells. I love visiting
markets, and this was a really good one.
We found a lovely place for dinner, Julivert Meu.
Cured pork hanging in the front window, subdued lighting, stone walls and
huge low timber rafters. And oh the food! For entrée I went for a
plate of beautiful fresh prawns, and main was candied duck leg. Since I had not drunk enough today, a nice
glass of red to compliment. Yummo!
As it got dark, we grabbed a taxi over to Font Magica
for an amazing display of water set to music and coloured lights. Huge
crowds were there, all enjoying the show on a warm Barcelona evening; for one
of us it got a little emotional when Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On started to play…
Such a magic, perfect day, but wait! It’s
not over yet.
Back in the old town, we dropped into Bar
Castells and finished our evening off with coffees and dessert. The Crème
Brulee wasn’t quite what I expected as the sugar was just some crystals on the
top, and not a solid candied covering, but it was still very good.
Barcelona is my first taste of Continental Europe
and I am loving it. We have so much more travel ahead of us; can it get
better than this??
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