Day 4: Day in Barcelona, Late Train to Madrid

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Geo: 40.4167, -3.70327

Because of our late evening train out of Barcelona for Madrid, we had the whole day to play. Had the breakfast buffet (with a fabulous pastry and fantastic Valencia oranges) at our hotel, checked out, stashed our bags, and headed for the Picasso museum five minutes away.

As what seems to be our serendipitous luck on our European trips, today was a regional holiday (also explained to us as a "strike" day for some workers). Many services and schedules were going to be affected due to the Independence Day nature of the holiday, an observance of the drive for regional (Catalunyan) independence from Spain. So the streets were alive with parades and demonstrations.

We lucked into a short queue to get into the Picasso Museum, serenaded by a couple of street musicians in the alley while we waited. Unlike most museums we've been in, this one was easy to navigate, in a logical chronological layout of Picasso's early life up to the beginnings of his Paris period, when he developed a modern, cubist style, along with some works from late in his life. (Really enjoyed his early works better.) Easy to read signage that included English translation complimented the exhibits.

The Santa Caterina market was closed for the holiday, so next destination was Placa de Catalunya to walk Las Ramblas, a rambling thoroughfare with a wide pedestrian walkway down the middle running all the way down to the Columbus Monument harborside, purportedly great for shop browsing and people watching. We found it somewhat tourist-tacky, clogged with people and choked with cigarette smoke (a hazard throughout Europe wherever large groups of people gather or mingle). It turned out to be our least favorite site or activity our entire time in Spain. Bleh.

The entire walk down Las Ramblas was salvaged toward the end of it, where we went down a side street to the Palau Guell mansion that Gaudi had designed early in his career. Since there was no waiting line, we walked right in.

At the Guell house, the stunning and creatively innovative architecture and light flooded rooms were topped by a rooftop full of whimsical chimneys. What a fun place!

Crowds thinned considerably by the time we reached the harbor, where we were welcomed by a nice breeze off the water and fresh air, great for a low-key and refreshing stroll. On the way back to the hotel to pick up our bags, we grabbed a quick bite (Sharon had pizza, I had tapas) and then headed to the Franca train station to take a crosstown train to the Sants station for our night bullet train to Madrid.

Arriving in Madrid at midnight, we navigated the Metro to our hotel right on the Puerta del Sol in the heart of Madrid. After a quick dessert from the cafeteria, we ended the long day gazing at the beauty and buzz of Madrid below our balcony. Sleep came easy.

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