We took a high speed train from Madrid to Barcelona about 500 kilometers in 3 hours - at top speed the train was traveling 300 km/hour. We checked in at our great hotel and walked around Barcelona. A completely different feel for us than Madrid. Madrid felt like it was throngs of people everywhere. Barcelona, while there are still alot of people, feels friendlier. We had an early dinner, churros and chocolate and then went back to our hotel to do some pre-planning for Italy and Greece in July. First thing on our agenda for the next morning was La Sagrada Familia - the famous church designed by Gaudi. We walked one half hour to get there to find the line to get in was snaking around the church for several blocks. We decided we did not want to wait and went back to our hotel and booked online for the next day which allows you to bypass the long line. We then walked to Placa Catalunya and down La Rambla - a famous but now very touristy pedestrian walkway. We did find La Boqueria - a famous market selling fresh everything - meat, cheese, fish, flowers, candy - you name it! we continued our walk down La Ramblas to the water where the Christopher Columbus monument stands - but on this day Chris was wearing a soccer jersey from FC Barcelona. We sat on the waterfront for a while and then snaked our way through the labyrinth of streets in the Gothic Quarter. So fun to get lost in these streets knowing that if you headed in one direction for long enough you would eventually hit one of the major thoroughfares. We had paella for lunch and then were hoping to top it off with churros and chocolate again but our little place from the day before was closed. Went back to our room to relax after walking all day. Bob did not feel well during the night again (similar to in Salema) and knocked him on his butt - we actually had a doctor come to the hotel and after 2 needles in the butt and about 5 medications, he is feeling better, but not before losing our last day in Barcelona. Beginning to think it might be a reaction to seafood ... oh well ... we are off to France in the morning.
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| La Sagrada Familia |
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| La Boqueria Market |
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| Placa Catalunya |
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