Saturday

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Saturday



It’s another hot and humid day. We walked down to the Cathedral in the Gothic Quarter, slipped passed the beggars at the entrance and watched Mass being said in a side chapel.

This Gothis cathedral is so different from the Sagrada Familia though still beautiful. The side niches were adorned in gold, silver, oil paintings and marble. The stained glass windows were lovely but not the brilliant colors of Gaudi’s creation. It was interesting to compare the two, both majestic, one dark and traditional, the other soaring with light and color.

We started out for the Olympic Park. Barcelona is such an easy city to get around. We walked two blocks to the Metro, transferred to a funicular, then a cable car and were at the Muntanya de Montjuic, an old fort with breathtaking views of the city and the port. Watched the Nieuw Amsterdam back into her pier and join the Celebrity Solstice and RCL’s Liberty of the Seas. It will be a crowded time on La Rambla tonight.

The sun and humidity are really getting to me. I am having dizzy spells and hope that that is all it is. Headed back to city center and lunched at the Hard Rock Café. We were both looking forward to air conditioning and a light meal. Then it was time for a siesta.

Around seven we headed back to the tapa bar we discovered the night before and enjoyed fried chicken chucks and a Spanish omelet (Joe) fried calamari and ham & cheese croquettes (me). Walked up to Dino’s for gelato, admiring all the wonderful buildings along the way. Even the newer ones have decorated facades and turrets or domes or something else interesting to see. Very few glass boxes here. As we walked we saw many Catalan flags hanging from the windows and a caravan of demonstrators circled the area honking their horn.

Catalonia really believes that it is not really Spanish and every so often independence movements spring up. There is to be a huge rally at the Plac Catalonya on 9/11. Not sorry we’ll miss it.

Tomorrow we board the M/S Ryndam. Yippee!

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