BARCELONA

After spending a wonderful day and night in Valletta, we said goodbye to Malta and headed to the airport for our flight to Spain.  We had a very early flight and a stopover in Barcelona on our way to Brittany.

We caught a cab to our Barcelona hotel but our driver had a problem finding it.  It seems that the only problems we have had in our  travels have been with cab drivers.  However, eventually we found the hotel, dropped off the suitcases and headed for the bus stop for a trip down to Plaza Espana to immerse ourselves in the Barcelona experience.   

As we got closer to the plaza we saw a lot of motorcyles (and I mean hundreds!)    We were impressed with how many of the Spanish used two wheels rather than four for getting around and we're giving them credit for conserving fuel and being ecologically aware.  However, we were in for a big surprise.  When we got off the bus at Plaza Espana, we were in the middle of “Harley Days, Barcelona.”   Thousands of Harley Davidson afficionados from all over the world, together with their bikes,  leather outfits, tattoos and music – seeing who could rev their bike engine the loudest…..well, you get the picture.   We just stayed long enough to get a bite to eat at one of the stalls and quickly headed to the metro for a ride to the beach.

Harley Davidson days in Barcelona

At the festival there were many food stalls of the usual types of junk food that you should only eat once in awhile.  Jann decided on a chorizo sandwich.  When in Spain—eat chorizo!  There was nothing exceptional—or particularly good--about the sandwich but at the end of the day she had such pain and was so ill we had to catch a taxi to the hotel.  That should have been a clue about Jann and eating chorizo but thinking it was a one off incident—until Lesaka--but more on that when we get to Lesaka.  Sufficeth to say that chorizo is off the menu for Jann.  Interestingly, that what is basically a sausage, can cause so much havoc to digestion!  Perhaps it's the fact it's cured; or, has too much fat; or it's dried and smoked; or excessive paprika.  Who knows? 

It was relatively easy to find our way on the metro around Barcelona but you have to pay attention to your surroundings.  (That's true wherever you are.)  A local couple pointed out a threesome watching us with the possible intent to rip us off.   The Spanish couple identified them as Eastern Europeans or gypsies.  It was a good heads up and made us aware of thieves and pickpockets who are very prevalent in Barcelona and it has a reputation for pickpockets.  (BTW, so does China.)  

We found our way to the beach without incident and landed at Barceloneta Beach.  We were very impressed with the beach.  The facilities - disabled access, showers every 200 yards and beach chair and umbrella rentals were plentiful and it was very clean.  Because of tourism, the city maintains and cleans the beaches daily.

Activitites on the beach in Barcelona.  Gorgeous beach!!!

Don't BREATHE!  We loved the beach area in Barcelona.

Do you think EVERYONE enjoys the beach in Barcelona?  I think so!

Beach bodies in Barcelona!

The "sail" looking building in the background is a hotel on the beach.

There are some amazing sculptures both on the beach or seen from the beach.  A metallic cubic installation made by the artist Rebecca Horn is a distinctive feature of La Barceloneta beach.   Also, very visible from along the beach is a sculpture by Frank Gehry, known as the Peix (the fish).  This "gold" metal structure was built for the 1992 Olympic games and sits on the Olympic Port Building and is huge. 

Rebecca Horn sculpture on the beach

View of the beach and the Gehry "fish" statue

We visited the casino but weren’t allowed in because we didn’t have our passports with us to verify we were tourists.   We were actually looking for a place that would be showing the Andy Murray/Roger Federer Wimbledon final.  We finished up taking a ride on a pedicab down the "boardwalk" on the beach to an Irish pub.  There, an entire expat community was happily and noisily watching Murray play.  We settled in for a great match, but unfortunately the usual ending happened and Murray was defeated!   Luckily everyone had had sufficient to drink so the disappointment was a little muted!

While Patricia was watching the tennis match, Jann took a walk around the beach area close to the pub and found more exciting things to see in Barcelona.  It reminded her a lot of walking around Manhattan because there were so many people enjoying the outdoors either biking, roller skating, running, shopping, eating at one of the many outdoor sidewalk cafes, and/or being with friends or family.

Vendor selling cheese at a stall along the marina with other vendors.

Olive tasting at a market stall.

This is how you get around in Barcelona.  I love this shot and hope you do too.  I love BARCELONA!

One thing Jann did notice was an intensive smell of a backed up "sewer" while she was walking around.  She checked it out on the Internet and discovered that an extensive amount of sewers have been rebuilt in Barcelona to replace an older system so we don't know what was going on the day we were there but it was nasty.   

We walked back along the promenade to the restaurants along the beach and stopped for dinner right on the beach with a magnificent view of the Mediterranean.  The food was good but we don't remember what we ate.

Dinner on Barcelonita Beach

A nice ending to a wonderful day in the Catalonia capital and we definitely agreed that it would be worth returning for an extended visit to better experience all that Barcelona has to offer.

After a good nights sleep it was back to the airport for our flight to Narnes.