A quick stopover in Barcelona

---

We flew out of Casablanca on Royal Air Morocco. As we boarded the plane, I hoped the maintenance crew had done a better job than the check-in staff. Check-in was a shambles with only one person serving all the flights and the passengers trying to get to the front of five lines of queue.

We stayed at the Sunshine Hostel just off La Rambla in Barcelona. It was fairly ordinary and we had the worst bed of any we have slept in on the journey to date. I was pleased that we had to endure it for only one night.

After searching for about 30 minutes, we found the recommended “Sinatras” restaurant where we were welcomed with a free glass of bubbly. This got us off to a good start followed by a good meal washed down with some sangria.

In the morning we rambled along La Rambla before having lunch in Mercat de la Boqueria, a large undercover market selling an extensive and wonderful array of foodstuffs. This vibrant and busy market, which has existed for over 300 years in various forms, is well worth a visit. It is a delight for the senses and, if you are like us, your wallet will probably want to share the experience!

After lunch we collected our stored luggage from the hostel then hailed a taxi to take the exciting short journey to our ‘little tramp steamer’ for our trip to the United Arab Emirates.

I liked Barcelona a lot; first world facilities and a relaxed atmosphere. As we sat in the taxi being driven down La Rambla General MacArthur's famous words came to mind, “I shall return!”

---