We arrived in Barcelona after a nice flight from Milan, with beautiful views of the coastline, all the way from Marseille France to Barcelona. The cruise season is just getting under way and several were lined up at the pier.

Late afternoon by the time we got settled, but we wanted to get some walking in, so we headed out and towards the Sagrada Famalia, which has been under construction since 1882. Designed by Antoni Gaudi, he spent the remainder of his life working on this project, and after his death in 1926 was buried in its crypt. It is a beautiful (and sometimes odd) building, and is now scheduled for completion in 2026, to commemorate 100 years since Gaudi’s passing.

Across the street from the Basilica, we found several groups of gentlemen enjoying (hard to tell for sure) their afternoon Bocce Ball games. Fun to watch as they study, and ultimately measure to see who is closest. They are very skilled, making some incredible shots along the way. Maybe my favorite was watching them pick up the steel balls with a magnet, so no need to bend over!

After a rousing game, one dejected player heads home with his balls in hand, while others discuss the results of the day on a park bench, while deciding who to bet on for tomorrow’s match!

The next day we head out for a longer walk to visit “La Rambla” - the famous walking street in Barcelona. Actually there are many of these esplanades in Barcelona. This city is incredible for people who enjoy walking, or biking, or using those electric scooters. Many streets are built with a very wide middle section, just for pedestrians, and separate bicycle lanes as well. And of course room for sidewalk cafes.

Before arriving on La Rambla, we pass by the Arc de Triomf and get to enjoy a little Elvis (another job option for me in the future), and other artists of the day. From here we head into the old Gothic Quarter, which is beautiful as well, with ancient streets you could wander for days.

We finally end up (somehow) on La Rambla, and soon find our way to the beautiful marketplace - the Mercator de la Boqueria. Amazing displays and incredible little places to sit eat and drink. Or just grab something for take-away and head back out to the street.

And after a long day of walking, one needs refreshment, no? YES! On La Rambla, we enjoyed a couple of these giant drinks (a Sangria and a Mojito) - 25 Euro’s each, but that was ok, as we could just sit and people watch for about an hour, which made for an enjoyable afternoon. Oh, and if you want the 8 person (a gallon?) glass, that will cost you 47 Euro! (Ours were only 1 liter).

We are loving this city. Certainly you need to be cautious - everyone talks about pick-pockets - but we found everyone to be very friendly, and never really felt uncomfortable anywhere. Of course we were also usually back in the hotel by 10 or so - just about the time the locals head out for dinner!

On this night, we made it back (after a long day of walking) to our hotel, took a short breather, and then headed down the local Rambla to find a place to eat. We ended up at “El 58” just a few blocks away, and had really good tapas and a glass of wine.

The next day, we continue with good weather so we head out again, but a little later in the day. This evening we are going on an AirBNB “Experience” called the Ultimate Tapas Crawl! We walk past La Rambla again today, and have a chance to see a few more interesting displays, and then also find a nice ceramics shop. Beautiful items - but no house to put them in (hooray!?)

For the Tapas Crawl, we met up with our group and our leader, Carla and took off to visit 5 different local Tapas bars. The food at each was great, as were the variety of drinks, beginning with the local Vermut. Oh my! It is awesome sauce!

We had a fun night with a great group - one young lady from the US, but going to school in Scotland - yes, distillery school - and she’d love to move to Coeur d’ Alene... Anyway, good food and drink, and got to know some good people. We did a similar tour like this when we were in D.C. and had a great time - this one did not disappoint either. So far, I would highly recommend looking for this whenever you travel to a new place - U.S. or international.

In Barcelona, if your business has been operating for more than one hundred years, they put this plaque down on the sidewalk in front of your business. Doesn’t matter what type of business - you can see various trades represented around the edges of the plaque. The last place we went to on the tour had this one in front.

A fun 3 days in Barcelona - enough to make us want to come back for more. Many places we would like to explore on a longer visit, and many day trips to other local areas. “Next time” we will allocate maybe 1-2 weeks to this city!

Adios for now, and remember, there are more photos to see in the album.

Next up, Madrid.