Barcelona!!

 

We're almost 2 days into our stay in Barcelona and will be getting on the ship tomorrow. Yesterday we had a well deserved sleep in after the 24 hour travel day, so we didn't do much in the morning. Our schedule for the day centred around Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell. Being both brave and stupid, we thought we would walk to both places. The front desk guy thought that we might be better off taking a cab from Sagrada to the Parc as it was quite a bit uphill, but we decided he didn't know what he was talking about.

The walk to Sagrada wasn't too bad and we were there in time for our scheduled guided tour. We learned quite a bit about it and it was spectacular. I could spend 20 paragraphs describing it and I still couldn't do it justice.

It has been under construction for over 130 years, so we thought it must have been built by civic employees. When we were done at Sagrada, we started the trek up the hill to Parc Guell. The front desk guy apparently knew more than we thought and it was quite an uphill walk. Here is Gord and I having a rest just before we made it to the Parc.

The Parc was beautiful and was full of trails and neat spots to sit and visit as well as great views of the city. Of course, you are bound to get good views when you climb 200 meters. Here is Angie and I with the city below us.

 We wandered around the park for a couple hours with Gord and Cheryl. Here is a picture of me pointing at something with no idea what I was talking about.

We eventually made it to the highest point in the Parc and heard the sweet sounds of someone strumming on a guitar. We couldn't believe our good fortune when we came upon this fellow and a few of his feathered friends. 

After the park, we smartly decided to take a cab back to the hotel. Smart decision! We went to dinner at a nice little spot where we had some traditional Spanish Paella.

This morning we decided to go on the Hop On Hop Off bus tour around town. We got to see a lot of things that we wouldn't have otherwise, with the highlight being the Barcelona Maritime Museum. Barcelona has been a very important port city in the Mediterranean Ocean for hundreds of years. The highlight in the museum was a recreated Gally Boat that was powered by hundreds of slave rowers. It didn't look like the most enjoyable job. Gord and I are hoping we won't have to do any rowing on the cruise ship.

Right outside of the museum was the famous monument to Christopher Columbus.

Just like Mike, he appears to be pointing at something he knows nothing about.

We are now back at our room getting a little rest before supper tonight and getting on the boat tomorrow. Stay tuned for more riveting adventures!