5-7-11 Barcelona

Up till now, we have had perfect weather, but this am the sky is overcast and the forecast shows rain.  Later: the only time the rain came down was while we were indoors, so it was no problem, although it was a bit chilly so we had to wear a couple of layers.

When the tour group assembled at 8:30 am, the tour director handed each of us a radio and earphone for use when we are being guided so we can all hear the guide even in very crowded areas, or in churches where the guides can’t talk loud.  We started with a walking tour of the Barri Gotic neighborhood, the old Jewish area.  The guide pointed out that las Ramblas is no longer an enjoyable experience because there are too many people either trying to sell you something or steal your wallet.  As we walked part of it later, I could see what she meant and agree completely. 

Next, we toured Gaudi’s Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, the church that was started in 1882 and probably won’t be finished for another 40 years.   The exterior didn’t look much different from our last visit, about 10 years ago – still surrounded by scaffolding and cranes. 

la Sagrada Familia

When we last visited, all I remember of the interior was a lot of dust on bare concrete, not very attractive.  This time the interior was jaw dropping.  The main architectural feature is concrete columns soaring perhaps 4 stories overhead, with grace that one normally doesn’t attribute to concrete pillars. 

Columns in la Sagrada Familia

Marge's shot of the altar area

For lunch, I wanted paella.  Our tour director recommended Restaurant 7 Portes.  It is a 175 year old restaurant not far from the harbor.  Cousin Teri joined Marge and me for lunch.   We got there around 2 pm and were promptly seated.  By the time we ordered, there was a line of about 10 people waiting to get in the door, by the time we were eating, there must have been 20 people waiting, and there were still people waiting when we left around 3:30 pm.  The interior of the restaurant had a lot of wood and windows, and the waiters all wore white dinner jacks.  We started with crusty bread and had a choice of 4 different olive oils in which to dip the bread.   We ordered a paella for 2 people, and the 3 of us couldn’t finish it.  It was a brownish color instead of a yellowish color from saffron that we expected but it was very good nonetheless. It was filled with seafood, sausages and chicken   Wine went well with the dish. 

Paella at 7 Portes restaurant

Since we all had a good, late lunch, we opted for dinner at a tapas bar.  Ciudad Condal is a very popular tapas bar a short stroll from the hotel.  Once again, shortly after being seated, around 7 pm, the line to get a table started, and by the time we left, a little over an hour later, there was a crowd of people waiting to get in.  We had 2 small dishes: asparagus & mushrooms, and mussels, washed down with a glass of Shandy.  Ann had a pimento stuffed with a whitefish and a plate of small fried fish. They don’t sound tasty but were delicious.

Tapas at Ciudad Condal

Waiting for our tapas at Ciudad Condal

   Tomorrow we leave Barcelona for our next stop.  This has been a fun start to our trip.   Good food & drink and wonderful architecture more than made up for the difficulties we had getting here.