Barcelona Spain
We awoke and ate breakfast as the ship pulled into port. I adore sitting and watching as the ship docks. Today I watched a fishing boat pull into port and the birds flying around waiting for breakfast. It just seems so peaceful, I know the fisherman are tired and have been up for hours but watching the birds fly around the boat and wait for scraps, listening to the squawk and sing just seems so serene to me.
We left the ship around 9-9:15 which worked perfectly to be the first on the hop on hop off tour that starts right outside the cruise terminal around 9. Personally I like to take the hop on hop off bus in a new city or in a large city where I want to see all the sights but I am limited on time. I have been to Barcelona before, in fact I have spent multiple days in this beautiful city before. If have never looked at an overhead photo of the city, it is amazing, each city block is rounded on the corners. To think about the city planning that went into this unbelievable!
Jack had never been to Barcelona and we wanted to see as much as possible as quickly as possible. We rode up the mountain. Tried to get off and go up the tram that goes to the top of……. but it doesn’t open until 10 and we had an appointment at the Sagrada de Familia.
(If you are headed to Europe it is imperative that you make reservations at the most popular sites before so that you are able to get in, otherwise you stand in line for HOURS waiting to get in) We got back on a bus and traveled to the stop closest to the Sagrada de Família. It was about a 30 minute walk from the bus stop. We could have stayed on the bus and waited for the stop right in front of the church but it was going to require transferring from the green line to the orange line and that would take too much time We had a reservation at 11. We made it just in time. (The entrance to the church is located on the side opposite of the bus stop, there are a few security officers under white umbrellas to check your tickets and then send you on through the main security and metal detectors) We headed into the famous church in complete awe of the fact that is has been under construction for over 500 years! We marveled at the creativity and the craftsmanship. The foresight was amazing! The sculptures the stain glass the symbolism. If you do the tour buy tickets ahead of time and get the audio on your phone. We then downloaded it and each had an AirPod to listen. After we did the church tour (bathrooms on the outside by the exit but turn left instead of right to sets and the set at the bottom of the hill we not as busy) we exited, crossed the street and got in line for the bus again.
We took the green line this time and saw parts of the city we hadn’t seen. We got off as we got close to LaRombas. There we walked the city tree covered central walk. Very crowded. Very touristy. We were headed to the famous market. We stopped and grabbed a quick lunch from a stall at the market. Hindsight we should have walked and looked a bit more before we ate. It was good just didn’t realize the choices before we ate. Seats are at a premium! If you find one grab it and take turns going to find something to eat. The bars up against the seafood looked really neat. I adore the market and the energy around it! In fact as I think back about my travels I always seems to gravitate towards the open air markets, the fishmongers, the true culture of the region. There is amazing shopping in Barcelona, however I am not a huge shopper, I prefer the markets and photographing the culture.
We walked around a just took it all in it is a must see. We took a few side streets but decided to return to the main Blvd.
We walked to the ocean front and sat and took it all in. We people watched and got a drink at the “mall” at the marina. Barcelona has so much to offer, mountains, ocean beaches, big city, art, culture. This was the last day of our trip and we were quickly running out of steam! The relaxing end to day was the way to go!
