Day 12: June 25 (Barcelona)

Las Arenas shopping mall

Miro sculpture

We didn't wake up until after 10:00 am.  We had breakfast at the hotel and then set off for the metro station to head back to Sagrada Familia. Our intent was to pay the entry fee and see the inside.  On the way to the metro, we walked through the Parc de Joan Miro.  It had a very different park design with a monumental Miro sculpture in one corner.  There was a dedicated dog park.  There were various game courts which were in use, including outdoor ping-pong tables with metal "nets". Most of the park was gravel, with palms and other trees.  The sculpture was set on a grassy lot with weird metal things sticking up (vents from underground parking?)  We then went into a giant arena which housed a huge shpping mall.  We stopped into a "Best Buy" sort of store to buy a new memory card for the camera because the one we have is close to full.

at the blue Mediterranean

When we finally arrived at the church, the line to get in was way too long.   We did a quick change of plans, went back down into the metro, and headed for the beach / harbor area.  We walked down the boulevard from the metro stop to the beach and then turned right to the end of the walk path.  At the end, there was a big hotel "W" in the shape of a sail, very shiny and very fancy.  We hadn't seen open water so far on our trip, and it was a pleasure seeing the blue Mediterranean.  It was a hot day, about 88 or so, but there was a breeze that kept things nice. It seemed that there were few people in the water, compared to the number on the beach.  The beaches were pretty packed!  On our walk, we puzzled about the use of the beach and different umbrellaed areas.  There were some private beach clubs with swimming pool facilities on the side of the walk path opposite the sea. Neil was thrilled to see some windsurfers and at least one kiter.  Neil took off his shoes and put his feet in the water, which was warm.

We walked back to town via the Barcelonetta harbor area to the Columbus monument / pillar and the spot where Las Ramblas hits the harbor.  Heading up into town, we toured the cathedral.  We were not that impressed, although it was very crowded.  For the first time on our trip, I noticed someone (three different people) refused entry because of their clothing.  I thought that this was odd especially because what they were wearing wasn't that different than what I was wearing; and I've seem people wearing more revealing chothes in other churches we have been in.  We continued our Barrio Gotic walk trying to find a shop that Frommer's says has "the best in the world" chocolate cake, but couldn't find it.  We did, however, have a nice lunch in another Frommer recommendation, the Bar del Pi in the Placa del Pi.  We sat inside in the bar and ate gazpacho, an empanada, and a Catalon sausage sampler (including blood sausage).  We continued toward Las Ramblas and found La Boqueria market, advertised to be the best market in Europe.  I think it lived up to the hype.  It was huge and crowded, with beautifully displayed foods of all types.  We bought cherries and some chocolates, although we did have some difficulty finding a nice place to sit and eat our chocolates before they melted.  We took the metro back to the hotel.  I was not feeling great, very tired and worn out due to sensory / people overload.  I definitely needed the afternoon rest!

Fun at the Gay Pride Event

Montjuic Fountain of Light show

At dusk, we went to the Placa Espanya to see the fountain light show at Parc Montjuic.  Set up in front of the fountain was a stage and stands for the Barcelona Gay Pride festival.  There was a lot of flamboyant strangeness happening as we walked through.  The fountain show was very impressive and the grounds were spectacular.  There were thousands of people milling around on this beautiful warm night.  We were very impressed by the civic effort involved in providing this kind of entertainment two or three nights a week during the entire summer.

We walked back to the hotel backtracking along our morning path.  There were a fair number of people on the grassy lot in from of the Miro sculpture, which had been deserted in the morning.  No one seemed to be in the park interior.  We arrived at the hotel with the thought of having a drink in the rooftop bar.  We checked it out but it seemed too smoky and very expensive, so we passed.