Bits of Bremen: The Barcelona Escapades: Dia Tres

My last day in Barcelona I took it easy and rode the bus tour around for a long time soaking up the sites. I did go into the Poble Espanyol, an exhibit that features 700 years of Spanish architecture in one go. It was built as an example town for the International Exhibition in 1929 that showcases different architectural styles of Spain. There are also stores you can go into watch native craftspeople plying their trade. I bought a beautiful scarf (partly because it was gorgeous, partly because I was freezing in the rain).

I hopped back on the bus for more touring and stopped to get a chicken sandwich that was not like chicken sandwiches at home. I’m still not sure if I liked it or not.

After lunch, more bus tour, more cool Spanish market, and then more bus tour. I saw the Esació de Sants, Anella Olímpica, Fundació Joan Miró, Port Vell, Port Olímpic, Parc de la Ciutadella, and the Barri Gòtic. The Barri Gòtic, the Gothic Quarter, interested me so much I walked around it for a long time. There is supposed to be a museum dedicated to chocolate somewhere in it, but I couldn’t find it (but we all know my propensity for getting completely lost). It was fascinating to walk around it – I did see one of the last examples of the Roman aqueducts that had been built when Barcelona was still a Roman colony way back when.

I hopped back on the bus to the Palau Reial and Pavellons Güell. Palau Reial was first a private mansion for a family, then a palace for Spain’s royal family, now it’s a ceramics museum that I wandered through. The Pavellons Güell are these beautiful gardens surrounding the house/palace/museum. It was raining again, but the gardens were even beautiful in the rain.

I thought to head back to Origens for supper, but I discovered they do not serve dinner till 7 pm so instead I went back to my hostel to pack then eat dinner which turned out to be an excellent plan. I ordered stewed chicken for dinner which I mistakenly thought was chicken stew. No. It was a quarter of a chicken still attached to the bone with skin that had been cooked in olive oil. I created a mess of monumental proportions, but it was very good food. For dessert I indulged in Crema Catalana, the Catalan version of crème brûlée that is an eggy custard with caramelized sugar topping – pretty darn good.

After dinner I headed back to the hostel so I could get up bright and early at 4:30 am to get the bus that took me to the airplane that took me to the strassenbahn that took me to the train that took me home to the Blue House.

I got home around 1 in the afternoon on Thursday and chilled out for the rest of the day.