Barcelona

We finally got to reschedule our trip to Barcelona (the one that had to be cancelled in October due to the visit of the SecState).  We were supposed to leave at 615 in the morning but found out the afternoon prior that the morning flight had been cancelled and we were rebooked on the 445 flight out.  It was disappointing to lose a full day in Barcelona but it was nice to have the morning to relax and pack without the stress.  We flew Air Algerie.  Their flights are often delayed and it is a bit disconcerting to hear the safety briefs in Arabic!  They also do them in French.
We arrived at the airport to a 10 foot sign at the door that says No Smoking....as we entered through the door, we walked into a cloud of smoke!!!  It is certainly not the States!!  The Algerians smoke everywhere.  We checked in and went to our gate, only to find that this flight was delayed more than an hour.  We started to wonder about this trip and we hadn't even left Algeria yet.  We boarded the plane, enjoyed a tuna sandwich and a water on the 50 minute flight.  At least there was no one smoking on the plane!! LOL

We took a train from the airport to Sants Estacio, a large train station, which just happened to be right next to our hotel.  There was also a Metro station there, which proved to be very handy.  It was after 8 by the time we checked in.  We upgraded to a room on the 20th floor with a super view of the city.  We went down the bar to grab a bite to eat and discovered some really great white wine.  We proceeded to drink 2 bottles.  It was called Le Perro Verde, the green dog, and the corks were bright green!  We kept the corks and added them to our collection when we got home.

The next day, we got a map from the concierge and took off to explore.  We found a bakery just around the corner from our hotel where we enjoyed our breakfast each morning.  We walked all over the city, enjoying the architecture of the buildings and the wonderful shops & restaurants.  Antoni Gaudi is a famous architect and his most famous building is called La Sagrada Familia, which is a huge cathedral that has been being built for over a 100 years by different architects.  It is from where we get the term "gaudy", because there is a whole lot going on with this building.  The style is quite unique!  But once we walked inside the cathedral, our jaws dropped.  It is the most impressive building I have ever seen.

We ate lots of ham while we were there.(since we can't get pork in Algiers).  There is a special type of ham called Iberian ham.  It is so good!!  We got lots of sandwiches, made with a baguette, ham, cheese and olive oil/tomato spread.  Yummy!  We brought a bunch home with us, along with 6 bottles of wine and a big wedge of fresh parmesan cheese!!  Thank goodness we packed a cooler bag in our suitcase! You learn to work around the restrictions in Algeria.

We walked along the beach, enjoying the Mediterranean coast line and watched the surfers.  I thought it was pretty chilly to be in the water but the surfers didn't seem to mind.  It was sunny but cool and we had jackets on.  There was a great shopping center down in the old port, along with wonderful old buildings and great statues.  There were fountains and statues everywhere. 

The main street running through Barcelona is called Las Ramblas.  It is a huge street, filled with shops, restaurants, street vendors, and street performers.  There is a section called the floral district, where all the street vendors sell flowers.  We walked this street several times, shopping and eating along the way!  We had tapas (a variety of small dishes, like appetizers) and paella.  I had some great sangria! 

There were a wide variety of street performers to entertain us, including a little dude dressed in this white fuzzy costume which made him look like a tiny version of the Abominable Snowman!  He was just following people around on the sidewalks, scaring them, posing for pictures, and stopping at the tables asking for money.  There were the people dressed as statues, just posing and waiting for you to take their picture (which they then expected you to pay for the photo).

The second day we walked around more, finding the shopping district on Avenida Diagonal.  We found a great little place to have lunch, which served the ham sandwiches along with a glass of cava (the local term for their champagne).   What better way to take a break from shopping and walking
than eating a delicious ham sandwich on a baguette with a cold, sparkling glass of cava.  We were the only tourists in the place...everyone else were locals on their lunch breaks.

We found a bullfighting arena that had been renovated into a shopping mall.  The concierge at the hotel told us that they don't do bullfighting in Barcelona any more.  The only place it is still conducted is in Madrid.

We shopped some more and then headed off the find the Magic Fountain, which is in front of the beautiful National Art Museum.  This fountain performs shows with music, lights, and lasers every evening after dark.  Kirk and I got there early and got good seats, maybe too good since we started getting mist blown on us!  It was beautiful.  There were alot of people gathered for the show.  I can only imagine what it is like in the summer! We headed back to the hotel and made reservations at the hotel, which was on the 23rd floor.  The views were stunning. 

We hopped on the sightseeing bus on our last day, to see all the sights that we didn't get to on foot.  It was a great tour of the city.  There was quite a bit more that we didn't get to see.  I guess that means we will have to go back!