5 November ’05, Saturday.
Now this is a big city that I could really get into. This first day in Barcelona was more than I had expected by a long way. It’s not that we did so much as it was that it just fit. I’m sure the weather had something to do with it, and the fact that it was Saturday, and the city had as many locals as tourists walking their way through the streets. Yep, it was crowded but yet comfortable. We saw all the mimes doing what mimes do, we thoroughly enjoyed all the street markets and the larger “farmers” markets, and we taste tested all the goodies that they offered us. After stepping off the train at Placa de Catalunya, we started our first walk down the Ramblas. The Ramblas is the main boulevard that runs from Placa de Catalunya for a mile to the waterfront and the Monument of Columbus. The Ramblas is a wide tree lined boulevard that has hundreds of sidewalk cafes, millions of mimes, musicians, a few beggers, and everyone that is anyone walking and enjoying a great day in Barcelona. After walking the full length of the boulevard, we turned around and started back. After reaching the halfway point, we ducked into the “la Boqueria Market. This was like walking into the Pike Street Market on a bright and sunny Sunday…people everywhere. Yes it was a crowd, but it was run. There are the stalls that sell poultry, stalls that sell produce, meat, and fish. An explosion of chicken legs, bags of live snails, stiff fish, delicious oranges, and samples after more samples. Also some of the most popular are the stalls that sell food from the counters. We were there at 11:30am and weren’t ready for lunch yet, but the seats were already taken and people waiting two deep. That is “THE” place to eat. As you know, I am into olives, so I had to find the stall that was known to have over 30 different types of olives available. After doing my “taste testing”, I made my decisions and left a happy man carrying his booty of the finest. Finally having the “Ramblas” under control, we went in pursuit of Barcelona’s Basilican Cathedral. Unfortunately for us, the exterior was completely covered with scaffolding, so we couldn’t see the magnificent façade. For us, we could only enjoy the beauty of it through pictures. The cathedral took over 600 years to complete after starting in 1298. The very spacious interior is very plain, but most of the 28 side chapels made up for being plain. They were sponsored by the wealth local guilds. We even saw the baptismal where Columbus’s captured North Americans were baptized. In the cloister they still maintain 13 geese. These geese were used as an alarm system during the early years of the church, but now they are just a reminder of those times. Leaving the cathedral, we went in search of a “local” restaurant. Finding one, we both enjoyed some local fare at local prices…a good value and a good meal. A little more sightseeing and we were ready to head home. At 5:36pm we caught a train…thinking it was the right one…here we go again…WRONG !!! It didn’t take long to realize we had made a mistake, so at the next stop we jumped off and ran to catch the next train back to where we had come from. Ok, we had that out of the way. Now to catch the right one and get home…which we did… Tomorrow..day 2 in Barcelona
Now this is a big city that I could really get into. This first day in Barcelona was more than I had expected by a long way. It’s not that we did so much as it was that it just fit. I’m sure the weather had something to do with it, and the fact that it was Saturday, and the city had as many locals as tourists walking their way through the streets. Yep, it was crowded but yet comfortable. We saw all the mimes doing what mimes do, we thoroughly enjoyed all the street markets and the larger “farmers” markets, and we taste tested all the goodies that they offered us. After stepping off the train at Placa de Catalunya, we started our first walk down the Ramblas. The Ramblas is the main boulevard that runs from Placa de Catalunya for a mile to the waterfront and the Monument of Columbus. The Ramblas is a wide tree lined boulevard that has hundreds of sidewalk cafes, millions of mimes, musicians, a few beggers, and everyone that is anyone walking and enjoying a great day in Barcelona. After walking the full length of the boulevard, we turned around and started back. After reaching the halfway point, we ducked into the “la Boqueria Market. This was like walking into the Pike Street Market on a bright and sunny Sunday…people everywhere. Yes it was a crowd, but it was run. There are the stalls that sell poultry, stalls that sell produce, meat, and fish. An explosion of chicken legs, bags of live snails, stiff fish, delicious oranges, and samples after more samples. Also some of the most popular are the stalls that sell food from the counters. We were there at 11:30am and weren’t ready for lunch yet, but the seats were already taken and people waiting two deep. That is “THE” place to eat. As you know, I am into olives, so I had to find the stall that was known to have over 30 different types of olives available. After doing my “taste testing”, I made my decisions and left a happy man carrying his booty of the finest. Finally having the “Ramblas” under control, we went in pursuit of Barcelona’s Basilican Cathedral. Unfortunately for us, the exterior was completely covered with scaffolding, so we couldn’t see the magnificent façade. For us, we could only enjoy the beauty of it through pictures. The cathedral took over 600 years to complete after starting in 1298. The very spacious interior is very plain, but most of the 28 side chapels made up for being plain. They were sponsored by the wealth local guilds. We even saw the baptismal where Columbus’s captured North Americans were baptized. In the cloister they still maintain 13 geese. These geese were used as an alarm system during the early years of the church, but now they are just a reminder of those times. Leaving the cathedral, we went in search of a “local” restaurant. Finding one, we both enjoyed some local fare at local prices…a good value and a good meal. A little more sightseeing and we were ready to head home. At 5:36pm we caught a train…thinking it was the right one…here we go again…WRONG !!! It didn’t take long to realize we had made a mistake, so at the next stop we jumped off and ran to catch the next train back to where we had come from. Ok, we had that out of the way. Now to catch the right one and get home…which we did… Tomorrow..day 2 in Barcelona