Bits of Bremen: The Barcelona Escapades: Dia Dos

Día dios got off to a rocky start with me wandering around for over an hour lost, trying to find something, anything I recognized. I eventually found Plaça Catalunya and was relieved to see the giant "i" that means tourism information. I made a quick decision to get a bus tour right then and there - my feet were killing me and I don’t do well being lost in any city period. The bus tour turned out to be a good idea with two different routes and the hop on, hop off thing. I saw the northern half of Barcelona including the Passeig de Gràcia which has La Pedrera, an apartment building also designed by Gaudi that is meant to resemble rolling waves, the outside of the Sagrada Família Catedral, Mount Tibidabo (the tallest mountain on the outskirts of Barcelona), the outside of the Monestir de Pedralbes (a convent for the order of the Sisters of Saint Clare, but also a museum), the Futbol Club Barcelona, the Diagonal (a shopping district), and where the Museu d’Art Contemporàni de Barcelona (Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona) is. I confess I didn’t get off the bus for two reasons – 1) I was scared to death of getting lost again and 2) I had signed up for a walking tour in the afternoon and didn’t want to miss it.

By some miracle the bus tour dropped me off in front of the Hard Rock Café where I had a real traditional American cheeseburger and onion rings for lunch (and got another T-shirt!).

After lunch I had more time to kill than I expected to, so I took a walk down La Rambla that my tour guide said everyone should walk down. I had no idea what to expect, but I was very surprised. There were tons of street performers and pet kiosks. You buy your pets from vendors on the street apparently. I took pictures of this to prove it because it seemed odd to me. I eventually found a fabulous market, Mercat St. Josep, which completely overwhelmed all of my senses. There were stalls that sold seafood, meat, fruits, vegetables, candy & chocolate, spices, fruit drinks. It was really cool to wander around. I did buy four small chocolates that were absolutely delicious.

I moved on to my Picasso two hour walking tour. While I was waiting for this tour to start the rain began. The kind of pouring rain that makes a person grateful that they can sit inside someplace warm. I got to go on a walking tour through it. The good news was that I had brought an umbrella with me. The tour was interesting and introduced me to new parts of the city, but even with my umbrella I was fairly soaked by the time we wound up at the Picasso Museum. I took my Aunt Maria´s approach to the museum (walked through it quickly) but enjoyed the gift shop immensely.

After leaving the Picasso Museum I stopped at a beautiful cathedral. It was really peaceful and I loved spending some time there.

By this time it was 6:30-7 and time for some dinner. I found a place so authentically Spanish they barely spoke English. I ordered the daily special salad (very good except for the raw fish on top of it) and paella which I vaguely remembered from a video in my high school Spanish class. I figured this was going to be wonderfully authentic. I was surprised to discover that paella included various kinds of fish, including a whole crustacean skeleton with eyes plus rice and sausage (I think). I ate a considerable portion, but will probably never order it again.

From there it was back to the hostel in the pouring rain. I was fairly exhausted and my feet really hurt. It was great to get back, take a hot shower, dry off, and relax.