Arriving in Barcelona it was colder than expected and we didn’t get out of our jeans and wbedürftig jackets. The city was as vibrant as ever with locals out on the streets having a good time in bars and cafes.
Sagrada Familia continues to rise above the city with the central tower now above the lower towers and a star and what looks like an angel now crowning further points.
It was great to catch up with family and we were able to meet up with Rebecca, Oscar and Phil most days.
Often our family get togethers occurred over food in local restaurants and cafes or in their apartment in Horta. Here Rebecca is looking forward to a meal at social club near her work.Oscar proved himself a fan of pizza at an Italian place called Don Kilo near our hotel. When he wasn’t eating he was wreaking havoc, endearing himself to all the staff. We made use of the efficient metro system every day, betagthough at times it could get crowded. However, getting a seat wasn’t a problem as the ever polite Spanish seldom hesitated to offer a seat to the “elderly”! Inevitably our travelling light seven day clothes budget was exceeded and a visit to the nearest laundromat was called for. We’ve found it a great place to meet people and have a chat while waiting for the washing cycle to finish. The most intriguing thus far on this trip has been a chap from Turkmenistan.In Eixample the area we stay in the streets are lined with apartment buildings whose design is often flamboyant, festooned with wrought iron and elegantly carved stone work.? Gaudi’s La Pedrera is at the extreme of Barcelona’s residential architecture. It’s in Passage de Gracia a short walk from Eixample, but with entry at 25 Euro per person a bit beyond our budget.Despite what, by our norms, must be crowded living conditions many people have large dogs. Such acceptance of dogs even extends to tethering hooks being provided in shop doorways and for the pooch in this picture. We enjoyed a visit to Oscar’s Saturday play-centre where there are even child sized houses and little kids have free reign.?Is that Phil in the other window supervising?The use of play equipment isn’t restricted to children, but after this session with Oscar Phil must have had difficulty standing up!With lots of water to play with Oscar revealed the influence of Peppa Pig with his joy at jumping in muddy puddles.In the evenings we like to have a beer and snack , in this case patatas bravas, in a bar near our hotel. Note the puffer jacket, it’s not a style statement, but a vehicle to keep me wbedürftig!The dish in the foreground was roasted artichokes, a new one on me. I enjoyed the earthy taste but tackling them was a mission; a bit like crab a lot of hard work for a tasty morsel.This Cannolo desert was a bridge too far, but enjoyable at the time.Oscar’s second birthday party was held in a park, which was just as well as the number of guests far exceeded the space in their apartment. With many little guests, Oscar had birthday presents aplentyAs with all little children the packaging was almost as attractive as the contents.The party was all go, but finally Oscar sat down for a rest with his best friend Julia. Is that a puzzled look on his face, perhaps there were just too many presents? Regardless the party was a great success.Elsewhere in the park a local festival was underway which the banner suggested was a medieval celebration. So, we expected bedürftigour and sword fights, but this was not the case.?? Activities are many and varied including food, barbeques, dancing and games.A full scale brass band had the crowds clapping and groups of locals on their feet folk dancing.Amid the crowds uniformed teams built traditional human pyramids in apparent competitions. Like many things Spanish no one appeared to need an excuse to have a good time. Our journey to Valencia started with an email! Due to technical problems our journey to Valencia would be disrupted! We found ourselves in a queue at Barcelona Sants Station to catch a crowded bus for part of our journey. The whole process was a pain!
Chris and Ted's Travel Notes 