Day 3 – Barcelona

Today we were up early and set out to plan our day.  I made us some tasty scrambled eggs and onions for breakfast with fresh fruit on the side from the produce market…so yummy!

We took a couple of metro trains to reach our destination… beautiful Parc de Montjuïc. Once we reached Montjuïc, we took a funicular up the hill where there is a castle.  Montjuïc is referred to as “Jewish Mountain” in medieval Latin and Catalan documents, and the remains of a medieval Jewish graveyard have been found there also.  Because of its strategic location at the foot of the Mediterranean, and alongside the Llobregat River, Montjuïc was the birthplace of the city of Barcelona. The park in on a broad shallow hill with a flat top. It has sheer cliffs on one side. There is a castle and fortress on the top which dates back to 1640 In the past Montjuïc Castle has played a decisive role in the history of Barcelona, becoming a symbol after the Catalan defeat to Spain in 1714, date that has become of significant importance. During the Napoleonic Wars, the French Army entered Barcelona, and, on orders from Napoleon, they also captured the castle without firing a shot as the troops guarding the castle were ordered not to fight the French.  Since then, the Montjuïc cannons have bombarded the city and its citizens on various occasions, and Montjuïc has been used as a prison and torture center repeatedly for three centuries.

Montjuïc is also the site of the Olympic stadium and other sporting venues for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.  Today the area is a park with beautiful gardens, hiking trails and various museums and the castle holds museums, a café, a visitor center and a municipal center.

After exploring Montjuïc we headed back down the funicular and took the metro to Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is a .75-mile-long, tree-lined pedestrian street.  It is the most famous street in all of Barcelona and has a melting pot of tourists making it fully busy all day long. On this street there were typical newsstands, kiosks selling souvenirs, cafes, restaurants, fruit and flower shops.  As the walk progresses, more untraditional establishments and peculiar characters start to appear, such as the human statues and street performers, a must-see spectacle in La Rambla.  The Columbus Monument marks the end of Las Ramblas. The Gothic quarter and El Raval borders the street.

We bought a couple of small souvenirs and enjoyed some people watching, but this touristy atmosphere is not really our thing so we ducked back into one of the larger squares off La Rambla. The square called Plaça Reial, is a lively 19th century square with tall palm trees and street lamps designed by Antoni Gaudí, We sat at one of the outdoor cafes and had some pedron peppers and a huge cold beer. Then we went to the market called Boqueria. It is one of the oldest markets in Europe and is a colorful emporium of different food products (which we gladly sampled when offered) and sensory overload. Wayne had a snow cone of anchovies. Gross!

After our whirlwind tour we headed home for siesta…The Wayne headed to his computer for work (TGIF) and I went shopping, made a nice dinner (Why are the tomatoes so tasty here??? I don’t even really like tomatoes at home) and then we walked for a couple of hours in Gràcia. Did I mention that we love Barcelona???

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