Thursday, May 1
We awoke to glorious sunshine - the sort of Mediterranean weather we had expected. The temperature was only forecast for 17 Celsius but with full sun, it always seems warmer.
Once the ship was cleared for passengers to disembark, we were off. We walked the 2 kms out of the port area because queues for shuttle buses were quite long as there were three cruise ships in port. We made our way to the Paralel-lel Metro station and enlisted the help of an English speaking girl to master the ticket machine and ascertain which platform we needed to catch our train from. It was reasonably straight-forward and within an hour of leaving the ship, we were outside Sagrada Familia. It seemed to be covered in even more scaffolding than when we saw it a few years ago and we smiled when we read it is due for completion in 2026 - maybe!! We thought getting there early would ensure we could get in but no, we should have (& maddeningly, could have) booked on-line. At that early hour they were selling tickets for the 3.00 pm tour onwards and we felt that was going to be cutting it too fine to do the tour and get back to the ship in time. Oh well, we will just have to return to Barcelona again. We both agreed on a return trip so with that thought in mind, we set off, not too disappointedly, on a walking tour of Barcelona with a map that was falling apart quickly despite little use. We found a lovely little cafe that had wifi, so enjoyed an espresso & croissant while catching up on news from home, etc.
Al outside Sagrada Familia
Sagrada Familia still under construction (construction began in 1883!)
On checking our now-segmented map, we found we had set off from the rear of Sagrada Familia and therefore had headed in the opposite direction to that intended. It was not a problem because the weather was so lovely and Barcelona is such an interesting city that we enjoyed every minute of it. Once "re-aligned" we made our way to another Gaudi site, Casa Mila. We were definitely not meant to see Gaudi's work today as this site was covered in scaffolding and a huge Versace billboard!
Casa Mila behind a Versace billboard
Casa Batllo (one of the few "uncovered" Gaudi sites)
We decided to make our way to the main square in Barcelona, Placa de Catalunya, because that was only a street away from where we stayed last time, so we knew our way around there (at least Al did) as our map was now not much more than a jigsaw. We spent some time walking up and down little back streets reminiscing and just enjoying the atmosphere. Today is a public holiday (Labour Day) so many shops and businesses were closed but there were lots more people out and about. We took photos around the area then came upon a nice looking restaurant that specialized in paella so, wanting to eat something Spanish, we decided to go in. We had the most fantastic paella that was loaded with prawns, mussels, chicken and saffron rice - just delicious! We accompanied it with a Sangria, also loaded with pieces of fruit. Anyone would think we hadn't eaten for days but it really was a memorable meal.
Well sated, we continued on our walk and took little alleyways off La Ramblas as well as wending our way back on to La Ramblas. The crowds were definitely thickening but really added to the happy, family atmosphere. In many little squares or garden areas, elderly Spaniards were sitting on benches enjoying the sunshine (& the ubiquitous cigarette) while toddlers and young children squealed with delight as they chased balls, balloons or each other. People sipped glasses of wine, ate what looked like mountains of seafood, etc. or just sat and enjoyed each other's company. You couldn't help but feel happy in Barcelona today.
Al at the Port area (note the clothed sunbathers behind!)
Later in the afternoon some shops opened and we did a little shopping before returning to the ship. We sailed out of Barcelona's port in broad daylight (6.15 pm) while families on shore waved goodbye. We were then treated to a glorious sunset - truly a great end to a great day!
Sunset from our cabin window
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