After touring La Sagrada Familia my brother and I met up with our sisters to walk La Ramblas. We took the metro to get closer to Plaza Cataluyna. Instead of transferring to another line that would drop us right at the plaza, we got off at the closest L2 stop and got a bit lost getting to the right starting point.
The nice thing about our brief diversion was the sights along the way.
I loved the public art on display.
The architecture in this part of the city was scenic as well.
When we found Plaza Catuluyna we were ready for refreshments. We selected a familiar fast food option with twists.
This McDonalds had touch screen ordering system and unique menu options plus beer and wine. We also knew we could get clean restrooms!
Ordering was easy from the electronic displays with several language options. It saved time at the counter but you could still order traditionally if preferred with longer lines.
I went for a burger for 1 euro with the large fries (loved them).
The have a sauce option called deluxe which was delicious. It was like a onion sour cream dip.
Once refreshed, we headed down la Rambla boulevard.
Using our Rick Steves guide we were able to see the highlights we were interested in.
It was pretty crowded and I can only imagine what it was like at night!
Without the guide, we would never have known about the Roman necropolis (graveyard) 100 feet off the main street.
From this perspective you can see the modern-day street is 10 feet above where it was in Roman times. We then took a narrow passageway to get one block over.
This fountain is still in use today and the decorative tile tells the story of Barcelona.
Back on La Rambla, we continued admiring the architecture.
Next we passed the 17th century Betlem Church.
Continuing down the boulevard we ran into the flower stands (which I did not capture digitally) and shortly after La Boqueria Market.
As you can see it was packed! But oh my the sights. We saw meat stands…
Stands with fruit and veggies…
There was seafood…
Juice stands…
Olives..
Eggs…
In addition to a few restaurants, there were many stands with prepared foods.
And of course dessert to top it all off!
The market was overwhelming with the crowds, options and layout. I would like to go again and buy a couple of things next time. 🙂
We continued down the Ramblas and saw a protest in addition to many other sights. It got wider towards the end with lots of outdoor cafes serving oversized drinks in addition to other wares.
We then passed through the Raval area with street performers and I’m sure pickpockets in the crowd. I headed straight towards the Columbus Monument which was pretty impressive.
A closer look on one side…
It’s an impressive structure. Across the street at the port was this building which I found out later is an old customs building. Beautiful!
We walked back to the Drassanes Metro station and navigated our ways back to the apartment. We even figured out where to transfer to another line!
After a rest we were ready to eat an early dinner which is a problem in Spain! We returned to the restaurant we went to the first night and after ordering a round of beverages couldn’t get the server to come back and take our order for tapas.
We finally gave up and paid for our drinks and left. We tried another restaurant a block over. We were successful here plus the waiters spoke English which made it easier to order.
For the most part, we enjoyed our meals of tapas. I had croquettas…
and potato/onion tortilla.
Sister T had the tortilla and olives.
My brother had the American sandwich; a bacon and egg sandwich which wasn’t served American style.
Sister M had chicken wings and french fries. We walked back to the apartment to start packing and rest. Tomorrow starts the cruise portion of our trip!
If you missed the other parts of the recap the links are below.
Next Vacation: Barcelona and Norwegian Epic
Barcelona Flights and Lodging Plans
Norwegian Epic: Port Call Plans
Traveling to Barcelona
Barcelona Day 1
Monserrat
Cava Winery Tour/Taste
La Sagrada Familia
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