Blogs from La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, Europe - page 4

We took our time getting moving this day. Jacob is trying to establish a structure for school work and we were tired from the walk. By afternoon we were ready for the beach. On our way we found a perfect pastry shop with excellent ham and cheese croissants. It's hard to pick a shop, there are so many; this is something I wish we could import to Saskatoon. Christie's is good, but I'd rather have more competition and not in the guise of muffin shops. The beaches are long and even here there is architecture. At one end of the beach there is a huge bronze/copper (?) fish. I want to get closer to it to see just what it is. At the other end of the beach is a sky scraper with interesting design and ... read more

Barcelona 11 and 12 September 2013 This was a city I was looking forward to visiting! We arrived at the campsite which was 30 minutes out from the city by bus. We checked in and then walked down the beach, which we parked next to. People were playing soccer and fishing. All the campers were lined up and we always look at the number plates to see where people are from. We spotted one that had a kangaroo stuck over the EU symbol so we decided to knock on their door. We met Grant and Helena from Adelaide and his sister Sharon from the Gold Coast. We ended up having dinner with them at the campsite restaurant, and had a lovely time. They had bought their camper 3 years ago and stored it in France over ... read more

Here are some pictures of our view from the hotel. I wanted to test the picture uploads to make sure everything works alright. This blog isn't the most intuitive so I apologize that I don't know how to make it a little more appealing. I'll see what I can do. We are about a block away from Las Ramblas, which is Barcelona's tourist hot spot. It is the most central part of the city and has a number of shops, restaurants and attractions. We took a short walk around earlier today but we were all so tired we didn't make far. For lunch we stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe. I know we have one in Ottawa but everything else seemed a little too overwhelming. We didn't want another starbucks experience. It must be famous here ... read more

These lines I write while crossing the Spanish countryside; we are heading to France. The wooded hills and pastoral landscapes are bringing much needed relaxation and reflection to the trip. Down the train, a gaggle of loud girls seems to be having a great time. I didn’t know Europe had obnoxiously loud girls too! (No offense, obnoxiously loud girls.) Barcelona was a blast. The gothic architecture, artistic influence, and laid-back atmosphere gave this coastal city a truly unique feel. Catalán, a provincial dialect, is still an official language, and reflects regional differences further exacerbated by the recent economic crisis. Speaking of which, we ran into even more fervent protesting in Barcelona. On one night, labor unions had organized a large gathering in the city streets. Waving flags and shouting through PA systems on the back of ... read more

Fortunately, the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain and not on the coast. It seems that we were dodging liquid sunshine across the Mediterranean. Our first stop was in Malaga which used to be famous or infamous for the lager louts who would come down on holiday looking for suds and sex and soccer. But now Malaga is a beautiful old city which has done well with its infusion of EU money. The entire port has been refashioned and is a showpiece that can vie with Barcelona’s striking waterfront. The home of Picasso and the Costa Del Sol, this Andalusian city reflects both Moorish and Roman influences. The city is just coming alive from its long winter slumber and all the sidewalk cafes and shops are opening just in time for the arrival of ... read more