Taking it easy (or at least easier)

Monday was definitely a busy day. Tuesday, we had originally planned to go to Montjuic (a famous hill, translated as “Jew Hill” overlooking the city), and while I would have liked to, we opted to just walk and explore instead. There was supposed to be a cable car you could ride from a tower near our hotel to the hill and back, but it didn't seem to be operational.

I went for a quick jog on the beach which helped me wake up – got to stick my toes in the ocean (and see a couple naked old men, I know I mentioned this in an earlier post already, but eww) – and had some great stir fry noodles and veggies for lunch at a little place looking out on the beach.

Our afternoon was really leisurely. We wandered through more of the Barri Gotic, stopped at a bunch of shops (I bought some earring) and just enjoyed spending time in the city.

We also went back to the Mercat. There is just so much there – fruit (fresh and dried), vegetables, nuts, chocolate, seafood, meat, and cheese. Most fruit stands had pre-packaged fruit salads and fresh fruit juices with straws for people to enjoy on the spot. I opted for some dried fruits and a chocolate!

Yep, chocolate boobs! Not sure if they're any good - can't say I tried them.

The truffles, now those were good!

The colors in the market were just beautiful! Then, you guessed it, we went back to Artesia to enjoy another coffee – for me un café con leche desnatada (skim milk – pretty much the only Spanish word I learned).

Our feet were killing us, so we took a cab back to the W where we had another great dinner with some excellent wine and prepared to go out again (this time not until about 12:30). We just didn’t have another 5 am night in us, so around 2:30, we called it a night!

Wednesday morning, Reagan left the hotel at about 10. Maureen and I didn’t have to leave until about 1:15, so we had the hotel hold our luggage and headed to the Barcelona aquarium for a couple hours. My 0.99 guide says it is the second largest aquarium in Europe, and I love aquariums. Yes, there were some beautiful fish, but overall, for 18 Euros, it was a disappointment. (When I asked the concierge about it, maybe her response of “Yes, it is good, but it is a little expensive,” should have been a hint. But, I would pay $18 to go to the Boston Aquarium, so I didn’t think too much about it.)

A picture of our "welcome picture" taken with a fake shark. He does look scary though!

The only thing that made it really different was that there's a huge tunnel-like tank and you stand on a moving platform that takes you around the outside so you can watch the fish and sharks. I guess I had just wished there were some seals/dolphins/turtles or something else in there.

This was our last stop – from there, we headed to the airport and Maureen continued to Rome while I headed back to Paris to unpack and repack for Florence the next day!

Barcelona was wonderful and I can’t wait to visit again!

Oh yeah, I just found this amusing…vanilla – real or not real? You decide, but they were side-by-side in the store! Don't worry, we didn't chance it.