Hola, Barcelona!

Okay, so this morning we arrived at the Madrid airport. At some point, the Holy Spirit whispered to to us to get an early start. It didn’t take us too long to figure out why. We were flying to Barcelona using a smaller company, and dedicated to go ahead and pay for the checked bag we brought with us. Well...as it turns out, both of our carry-on bags were American sized, and we were told that we would have to check them in as well. So for those of you counting, that puts us at 3 checked bags. The first two were a bargain at 50 Euro each, but the third would cost us an additional 70 Euro. WHAT?! The attendant saw our distress, and weighed our two smaller bags, and decided that, together, they were within the weight limit for one bag. So she sent us over to another vendor in the terminal that wraps your bags in plastic so you know they’re secure. So we had the two small bags wrapped as one, and we only had to pay for 2 bags instead of three. After we got through security, we HAD to find some breakfast...fast! Both of us were getting a bit hangry, and it was nearly 11 am. Chocolate croissant, apple/cinnamon muffin, a strawberry/yogurt smoothie, and an orange/kiwi smoothie.

Got to Barcelona and found our hotel. After deciding where to go and taking a breather, we finally headed out on the town at about 5pm. And again, we were hungry, so we stopped at a place we found on our way to the metro station. It was very good. We each had a chicken panini and shared a wonderfully flaky pastry topped with custard and fruit (kiwi, strawberry, and grapes). 

So, we hopped on the metro, and headed to the Rambla. This is a boulevard where EVERYONE goes to stroll, look at shops, and people-watch. At the end where the waterfront is, there was a huge 

memorial for Christopher Columbus and his voyage that took him to the Americas. We did a lot of exploring just off the Rambla and found some very cool shops. We also came upon a couple of Plazas
 where people were performing. In one Plaza, the performers were making a tower of people. They’re

called the Castellers of Barcelona. It was amazing they could build a human tower that big. And as a
cherry on the top, they had a child go all the way to the top and stick their hand in the air. We were able to see a couple of groups perform this feat. Wow, it was amazing. When we got to the cathedral, there was a small ensemble playing really cool music. In the Plaza there were many groups of people in small circles all performing a regional dance. We loved it! We also attended a Flamenco show and ate tapas (savory appetizers) on slices of bread. There was prosciutto, smoked salmon with caviar, and tuna. They offered us drinks, and we asked for Sprite and Sparkling water. The show was really fun,  but the sad guitar music was beginning to lull Sherry Ann to sleep. Then, the pace picked up and those feet were a-stopmpin’!

After the show, we strolled up the Rambla a bit further, and found an amazing gelateria. They put the
gelato on the cone in the shape of a rose. We each had a bit of 5 flavors with a macoron on top. From
there, we strolled some more to another Plaza crowded with people. When our gelato was gone, we
headed back to the hotel. Our plan was to stroll, but we both had to use the restroom, so we hopped
the metro, and went back to the hotel. And here we are! It has been a great day. We thank the Lord that we have been blessed with this opportunity.