Barcelona, Spain…Breathe it in
Landing in Barcelona, Spain with zero sleep… who can sleep in coach. Waiting in very long customs line with little-to-no signage, Spanish or other wise, we managed to weave our way thru, get a stamp in our passport, collect our luggage and secure multiple taxis for our group of 12.
We were delivered to our incredible hotel located just off the Las Ramblas in the Gothic Quarter.
My husband speaks enough Spanish to make conversation with our taxi driver..a very nice man who grew up in Barcelona. He began our tour of Barcelona pointing out the Olympic Village, the Port as well as a few key statues and fountains as he quickly drove us through the busy city. It was very apparent that traffic lanes and stop lights are merely suggestions and not hard and fast rules.
Arriving in Europe for the first time sleep deprived, Barcelona was overwhelming…Fast moving cars, people everywhere, amazing architecture, intense aromas, so much to take in and it all comes at you so fast. It’s time to push the fatigue to the side and hit the streets and breathe in what is Barcelona.
Our hotel was Hotel 1898 one block off of Las Ramblas…our research paid off and this turned out to be a beautiful hotel in the middle of the Gothic Quarter and centrally located to many of the wonders of Barcelona.
First stop is the exchange office around the corner from Hotel 1898. As we are waiting on our large group to get Euros for their pockets I notice an interesting building across the street…and I immediately realize that this is going to be a city full of surprises.
A few blocks away we discovered the St Joseph Boqueria. Personally my husband and I could have spent an entire day browsing, eating and drinking our way through the many colorful and inviting booths. This market has everything from fresh fruits, veggies, sugary sweets, chocolate, olive oil, nuts, ham or fish as well herbs and spices, cheese and bread. If you can think of it, it’s probably available at the boqueria…
Now 24 hours without sleep, I am catching my second wind but it’s time to indulge in the wonderful Catalonia cuisine.
We are a group of 12 friends traveling together…of course we have very similar interests but deciding on a place to eat that appeals to everyone’s palette wasn’t the only challenge we had to overcome…Barcelona or maybe it’s Europe in general offer up one small cafe after another. Which would have been great had there not been a dozen of us to seat. However, we pushed on, a little grumbling along the way, understandably we were tired and hungry and dead on our feet. We needed libations to lift our spirits and then around the corner we found just what the soul needed…Beer, Wine and Tapas!
The place we chose had all of the appeal of a well appointed restaurant set in an old world building. The menu offered something for everyone…we ordered half of the menu and passed the plates around family style. Our waiter made excellent suggestions for wine and beer to accompany our food selections. What a gem Beer n Ale turned out to be. Now we were ready to take on Barcelona…
It’s Barcelona and it’s time to get lost in her culture. We wondered through the Gothic Quarter gawking as tourists do at the amazing sites. Snapping pictures with our smart phones of doors and fountains, spires and corbels, tile work and light fixtures, Italian leather shoes, bags and jackets, not to mention the shoppe windows overflowing with mouth watering macaroons and creamy Gelato.
The streets twist and turn and bend and meander and for all we knew we were walking in a circle. The particular path we chose lead us to a very, very old church. Yes, you say there are lots of old churches in Barcelona. Of course you are correct but this particular old church was tucked away in a tiny courtyard.
Most churches in Europe have certain dress requirements, head, shoulders and knees covered, which we were not prepared for on this particular day. But this particular church overlooked our summer wardrobes and welcomed us in…We were greeted by a young woman, she gestured for us to come in and look around…but she was most insistent that we take the narrow staircase, with an estimated 150 stone steps, up to the roof. As we laughed and cutup, we worked our way up the stairs, not knowing what was waiting for us at the top. We would discover a breath taking panoramic view of Barcelona…This is one of those moments in life that I will never forget and will never be able to duplicate. I do not know the name of the church or how we managed to end up in that particular courtyard…it was just meant for us at that moment .
Once we caught our breath and snapped a few selfies and of course took a picture with our newly acquired Barcelona Soccer team flag we began our descent and our slow walk back to Hotel 1898 for a hot shower and a good nights sleep…at least that was the plan.
She said, ” Do you think we can find our way back?”
He said, ” Follow me.”