We had no where to be at any time so we slept in today. There is a little pastry shop just a couple hundred feet from our hotel so we head there for breakfast and coffee. Dawn get’s some chocolate pastry thing and I get a little cured meat sandwich. Cured meat sandwiches are everywhere in Barcelona. They seem to be the goto quick-grab-a-bite street food. There are shops with them just stacked up in a display case. They’re so simple to: bread + cured meat + olive oil + optional cheese. It’s all about good ingredients.
We start our sightseeing by walking towards La Sagrada Familia which is the famous incomplete Gaudi cathedral. We take a circuitous route there walking through a few less touristy and more residential parts of the city. By luck we stumbled upon Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf. I wasn't aware that Barcelona had a massive arc... Dawn was but had no idea where it was… now we know where.
When we finally get to the Sagrada Familia it’s packed…. like super disgusting crowded. We decide that the line and wait aren't worth it...especially if we are going to be packed in like sardines and the church was undergoing heavy restoration. Dawn said she really wanted to see the Parc Guell. The walk to the Sagrada Familia has been about 1.8 miles...considering our non-optimized route I’m sure it was longer. It was at least another 1.3 mile walk to the park...as we soon found out the second half was mostly uphill. When we got there we found out that you had to buy tickets to get into the cool Gaudi designed portion of the park… and all of the tickets were sold out until 6:00 pm (it was like 1:00 pm). Fortunately it turned out that the rest of the park was free and you could see a good deal of the Gaudi stuff without actually paying. So we decided to walk around the park We did a lot of walking and a lot of climbing of stairs while at the park. From the top of the part there are some amazing view of Barcelona. The stone work was very cool and worth it, but by the end of the visit my legs were shot.
We both barely shambled to the nearest metro station to get a lift to somewhere much closer to our hotel. After that we took a break to catch our breath and rest our weary lower appendages.
After a brief rest we decide the thing to do is visit another plaza and wile away our time with snacks, drinks, and people watching. As luck would have it a highly rated bar, Bar Pi is just a stones throw from our hotel. First we entered the bar and took a seat, but after 5 or so minutes we realized that no one seem to care we were there and it was very loud inside. We decided to try our luck elsewhere. Once we were outside we noticed that the same bar had outside seating in the plaza and the weather was ideal… so we waiting a second (the outside seating was full) and grabbed a table. We must have grabbed the worst table because it seemed like we were purposely being denied service. Perhaps it was the invisible table. After about 30 minutes of waiting we gave up. I was more than a little agitated. We regrouped and decided the thing to actually do with our afternoon was to head out for the Born district of Barcelona… It’s a hip district adjacent to the gothic quarter that we’re staying in. On our way there we find another small plaza with available seating and try the whole snacks, drinks, and people watching thing again. This time it works perfectly. We order sangria which comes to our table pretty plain compared to some of the elaborate version we’ve walked past on the Rambla. Once I taste it I have zero complaints. It may not look fancy but it taste great and is super refreshing. That and a small tray of cured meats (what else!) and I’m a happy camper.
While we were in the plaza Dawn realizes we’re extremely close to the Picasso Museum but it’s closing time is 7:00 (the time was just a bit after 6:00). We settle our check and hustle over to the museum. By the time we get there and buy a ticket there’s only 30 minutes left to look at the exhibits. We decide to go for it and try to cram as much culture as we can into 30 minutes. The museum focuses on Picasso’s time in Barcelona and covers the period between when he graduates art school and when becomes a celebrity. The works aren't really famous but do a good job illustrating Picasso finding himself as an artist. He experiments with portraits and landscapes in more traditional styles. Gradually you get to see the shift to the Picasso the world knows and loves. Pretty interesting stuff.
After the museum we wandered around the Born district and look for the “secret block” supposedly hidden in the Born district. By the time we locate it we realize we've walked down that street twice looking for the damn thing. Not super impressive, but a fun hunt none-the-less.
As 8:00 approaches we realize we should start walking towards the waterfront district to make our dinner reservations at a place called La Barca del Salamanca that the concierge at our hotel set up. When we get there I am dismayed. This is not the kind of place I’d have chosen for us. It lacks a certain elegance (especially compared to last night!) The dining room (which is actually a covered dock area) is very cramped with tables and diners. While the wait staff is well dressed, if feels more like if Shoney’s operated a cruise ship. We ordered the seafood paella and a bottle of cava. The paella is good, but a little salty for my taste, and there is no burnt rice at the bottom. The portions are huge. The staff is prompt and attentive. After dinner they bring us a sponge cake dessert accompanied with a bottle providing as many shots as you like mystery liquor (our bright green liquor came in a olive oil bottle). At the point I figured it out. A place with good (if not slightly salty seafood), with good prices, huge portions, good service, and all you can drink shots for dessert. This would be the most popular restaurant no matter what beach you put it on. The owners had cracked the code.
After the restaurant we found a nearby cab as Dawn was refusing to walk any further than absolutely necessary. The cab driver didn't speak much English (and forgave our abysmal Spanish) and got us to where we wanted to go promptly. A short walk later we were back at the hotel and Dawn refused to leave again… even though it was only 11:00 pm and we were in Barcelona… a city that was practically just waking up. I wanted to make one last trip out for the evening. I had read about a place not too far from the hotel called London Bar that is an iconic Barcelona bar that’s been open for more than 100 years and has been a water spot for a number of famous artist including Picasso, George Orwell, Steinbeck, Dali, etc. Dawn points out that Steinbeck was an asshole and I retort that he seems like the kind of asshole who could pick out a good bar. Her feet are destroyed by the day and I’m informed if I want to go I’m going alone. This concerns me due to my famously bad sense of direction. Eventually I decide I need to make this pilgrimage for both history sake to add my name to like of notable figures that have patronized the bar. I head out alone and promptly get lost and wander into a sketchier part of the gothic district. In the course of my trip I’m propositioned by one prostitute and offered a number of cans of beer by people hawking them at street corners. Eventually I get my bearings sorted and find La Rambla and then my destination. The bar is hot and packed. There is live music and its standing room only tonight. Fortunately there is standing room near the bar so I stand there and order a gin and tonic (I hoped Steinbeck would approve). The bartender asks if Bombay Sapphire will be OK. For a place that looks like a dive bar I’m happily surprised and consent. I’m eventually handed a glass full of gin and a bottle of tonic. Not too shabby. I decide that only a single drink is prudent being I have to find my way back to the hotel and being inebriated isn’t going to make the task easier. I actually managed to navigate a very direct route and return to the room without any further incident or adventure.
You said Hemingway when you were talking to me, that's who I called a jerk. I don't know anything about Steinbeck.
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