Today
marked the beginning of our actual travel around Europe. After six days of
seeing the sites of London, we boarded a plane at 11:20 this morning to fly to
Barcelona. As I alluded to in my last blog, I was most certainly ready for a
warmer climate and more diverse food offering. We landed in Barcelona around 2
p.m. this afternoon and immediately trekked to our hotel. We are staying at
Cautro Naciones, a hotel that such famous persons as Albert Einstein and Earnest
Hemingway once stayed at in their travels to Barcelona.
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| Barcelona Harbor's Sailboats |
After
approximately an hour of unloading our bags and becoming acquainted with our
rooms, we met up with the entire group to tour our immediate surroundings in
Barcelona. I was a bit nervous as we left the hotel because Barcelona is known
for its pick-pockets and shady individuals inhabiting the streets. I prepared
for the propensity of theft by placing my wallet in the front pocket of my
shorts, making sure I was aware of my wallet at all times. Once the group met
up, we immediately walked to the harbor and proceeded to walk to the beach. The
harbor held a plethora of sailboats, reminding me of my Dad and his affinity
for sailboats dating back to his days at Pawley’s Island.
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| View from the Beach |
Once
we arrived at the beach our group was ready to relax and enjoy a few cold
beers. I really appreciated the beautiful sights of the beach and great weather after the
cold and wet climate of London.
After
we visited the beach, the group proceeded to walk back to the hotel to prepare
for the evening. Barcelona is very different from the States in that most people
eat dinner after 9 p.m. Wanting to keep to the local traditions, about eight
members of our group including myself waited until about 9 to head to the
local venues to eat dinner. We ended up settling on a local restaurant with a
large menu, with items ranging from pizza to seafood. I settled with a local dish called paella, containing rice and fresh seafood.
To end the night, a few of us visited a local "cerveceria" to grab a quick beer before we headed to bed. Tomorrow we will be taking a bike ride through the city. While I have been incredibly impressed with the beauty of Barceloa this far, I'm looking forward to our ride tomorrow to see even more of the city.
Wow, I had no idea that Ernest Hemmingway and Albert Einstein stayed at the Cuatro Naciones. I wonder how many other renowned people have stayed there. I bet I stayed in the same room as Ernest, I felt the presense. I'm a little upset I waited until the last night to try out the paella... it was amazing. Remember we had the seafood paella at La Fonda. I had also been told about the pickpockets in Barcelona, and I did the same thing, put it in the front pocket and hold on to it while walking through the crowds.
ReplyDeleteTanner Stallings