Madrid, Spain

September 9th and 10th, 2006

I arrived early Sunday morning. Madrid was beautiful and is supposedly the cleanest city in Europe.  Not as exciting as I had hoped but the fact that it rained both days and I was there on a Sunday and Monday may have been contributing factors. The Mayor Plaza, where my hotel was located, was especially nice and there were sidewalk cafes everywhere. It rained too much to take many pictures. After checking out Monday, I still had 10 hours until my late overnight train to Barcelona. It was still raining so I spent most of the day on the hop on hop off bus to see the sights and stay dry.

Barcelona, Spain {Las Ramblas}

September 12, 2006

This morning I walked down Las Ramblas to the port. Street performers, sidewalk cafes, markets and flower and bird shops line this beautiful pedestrian street. At the very end of Las Ramblas is the iconic statue of Christopher Columbus next to the port. After watching the sailboats at the port, I continued walking to the beautiful beaches located in Barcelona. Later that evening I went to a sidewalk cafe for my 1st experience with Paella,  similar to Louisiana Jambalaya,  and ordered Sangria. As soon as I ordered it began to storm. I ran inside to eat and drink and 5 hours later the torrential downpour stopped. It was now 12:30 am but as luck would have it, the Tapas Bars were in full swing. Spain eats and parties late.

September 13th. 

More rain. Used the hop on, hop off bus to see the sights but not picture worthy due to weather. Train to Cannes, France leaves at 4:32 pm.

Barcelona, Spain (La Sagrada Familia and Port}

September 11, 2006

When I arrived in Barcelona it was storming. Fortunately, I had packed a poncho. I found my hotel which was located near Las Ramblas, one of the most famous streets in Barcelona. It is a tree-lined pedestrian walkway that stretches 1.2 km connecting Placa de Catalunya with the Christopher Columbus Monument at the port.  Immediately I realized I had not planned enough time here. It is so beautiful and there is so much to do. Later I visited the Sagrada Familia.  Construction began on this enormous incomplete, roofless masterpiece by the eccentric genius Antonio Gaudi in 1882. He was run over by a tram in 1926 before he could complete his most controversial creation.  The construction is still ongoing.