Barcelona Day 3
Woke late – 9:20. Groggy, Jenny and I rushed so as not to miss the hotel’s breakfast bar which shuts down at 10:30. Took the winding stairs down four floors (Ground floor is considered Floor #0), Got there twice as fast as the elevator would have transported us. Breakfastthere was amazing, not quite the enormous repasts we encountered in China but large and varied and definitely in a more refined setting. All the usuals were available highlighted by a wide array of bread and pastries. I became fond of the tasty whole wheat – whole seed croissant, and the chocolate infused croissant, crustless potato quiche, all the cheeses, all the juices and all the wonderful jellies and jams and cured meats.
While we ate, we The original antique show-posters on the wall were intriguing and invited us to try our hand at translating.
So, now, what to do on our first full day in Barcelona?
We took a long leisurely stroll to the sea. Along the way we took stock of the city and the occupants who peopled it. Early in the morning. The rush was on. It was a business day so we saw many men and women in business attire. One man stood out being old and stooped and casually dressed he moved with a slow steady stride, and a humorous grin looking on the hurried world rushing past him, rushing to beat the clock. We felt the same way - fre from the constraints of the workaday world.
The street alleys down which we walked were bordered by blocks of five to seven story buildings. Many of which easily stood the test of one and a half to two centuries – told by the aging stone and mortar and the wonderful ornamentation. We felt as if we were in a fantasy world.
As the morning rolled on we saw increasing numbers of tourists. We heard Spanish and Portuguese most often, English came next with a sprinkling of German, French, Italian and even Chinese. I couldn’t help but notice that the majority of women found bras to be extraneous clothing. Told this to Jenny saying I hope she didn’t mind my noticing. She replied, “Well, it is something that you WOULD notice.”
Most all the streets were tree lined and the shade was increasingly welcome as we had not felt this kind of humidity since Thailand and Cambodia. The gentleman on the plane had warned me about this. We were soon dripping. Had to strip off my t-shirt to keep from passing out. The air conditioning in the various stores we entered were a welcome relief. One store owner complained that the humidity was just as bad in the middle of winter (How’s that possible)!!!
We saw a number of businesses that would make the average American feel at home, KFC, McDonalds, Subway, Five Guys, Taco Bell and Starbucks. But the vast majority of stores were small local shops, bakeries, bars and restaurants. Tapas offerings could be found everywhere. There were probably two Super Mercats (hole in the wall grocery / liquor stores) on every block, along with at least one tobac and one or two t-shirt / souvenir shops. We found the Las Ramblas after noon, a miles long tree covered pedestrian street leading all the way to the sea. It possessed countless musical buskers, performers, refreshment and trinket stands and outdoor restaurants. Delightful but increasingly crowded with tourists. We purchased Mango-Passion Fruit slushies and walked on.
At the end of the Las Ramblas, we came upon a huge column (75’ or more) atop which stood a statue of Columbus - Yes Columbus. Beyond this was the harbor and the sea. In one direction was a forest of masts – smaller sailing vessels. At the nearest dock several tall ships were moored – three and four masted boats. In yet another direction was Ego Alley, a long series of super-sized luxury yachts each easily worth a small fortune.
We crossed over a long teak walkway to a three-story shopping center on the water. There we had lunch on the top floor at about 3:00. Some fantastic coffee, olives, wine, beer and tapas consisting of starry fried eggs with tapas bravas, cod and Iberian ham croquettes, crispy tomato bread (tomato bread seems to be a ubiquitous feature here and we are having fun comparing the various approaches to it). Sated, I stood at the balcony and watched an incoming fishing boat circled by a hundred hungry gulls. As the boat passed beneath me one of the crewman sorting fish looked up at me smiled and waved. Utterly charming!
All along the way we tried out various shoe stores, of which there are many. I neglected to bring the shoes I specifically bought for this trip (Grrr). Eventually found a pair of mustard-colored sneakers halfway back to the hotel. I’m very happy with them. Jenny is tired of hearing me talk about how very happy I am with them. Hey, Jenny. I love my new mustard colored sneakers and I am very happy with them!
Back at the hotel we showered and exercised – perhaps we should have done this in reverse. Rested, then out for a light dinner at 8:00. Note that Dinner in Mediterranean countries seems to start late - 8-9:00 pm. We first encounted this in Greece, when the restaurant we wanted to dine at didn’t open until 7:00 pm.
We had hoped to dine a block away in an outdoor setting but ALL the tables were already taken, as were all the tables at the next two restaurants we passed. The next establishment not only an open table but exactly what we were looking for, a light salad – Iberian hamon, walnut and goat cheese and spinach salad with honey vinagairette dressing, Tomato bread and an excellent bottle of red wine. Mmmmmm!
After dinner we walked it off specifically looking for a the bus stop that would take us to the city tour we were to take tomorrow. (By the ed of the day we had walked in excess of nine miles. Jenny’s pedometer said she had walked over 20,000 steps). If you are going to do serious touring in Europe or anywhere for that matter, know that you are going to be walking - a lot. Get yourself some good, comfortable shoes … then remember to pack them.
Found the bus stop. Walked home. Now we’re going to zonk out. Later.
Buenas Noches.
I am posting a selection of the thousands of pictures we took on Facebook. Look me up there and see what we saw!