We left at 5am, dark, 7-8 degrees Celsius, and reached sunny Barcelona with some 20 degrees. The easiest way to get to the centre from the airport is via the blue bus, which left us at the University, not far from Hostal Central. Very well located, 5 minuts walking from Plaça Catalunya, a pivotal point for starting city exploration.

There’s an underground tourist info point, from where we got tickets for the touristic bus. 21 EUR for 1 day, 26 EUR / 2 days. There are 2 companies, services are very similar. We spent the first afternoon entirely on the sightseeing bus, 4 hours on the red and blue line, was good to a feeling of what there is to be seen as well as whereabouts.

I had decided NOT to take too many pictures and enjoy the moment more. Which I managed pretty well during the tour – pictures from the bus are not that good anyway. I did take a few however, making an exception for the Monjuic communications tower from example, knowing that I wont come back here this time. Remember Barcelona ’92? 10 points for who knows how the mascot was named.

After finishing the bus tour we went for a walk on the famous Rambla,

And took quite some pictures of balconies.

Houses look very nice, colorful and well-maintained, and I wondered if they were like that all the time – I knew that they had a massive refurbishment going on for the Olympics in 92. And indeed – it seems that it looked quite differently before.

Moving along streets, yards and palm trees (picture idea stolen from M.)

we reached the harbor at dusk,

right at Coulomb’s statue.

Columbus, that is.

I remembered this bridge from last time,

but not the boats,

where I broke the commandment and took dozens of pictures, trying to adjust settings to catch the perfect light.

The sun was setting, as Columbus is showing (apparently in the wrong direction, not towards America),

so we crossed the windy bridge, which I like a lot,

looking at people gazing up from the water

into the firesky.

Once the bridge crossed, we… went back

the same way.

The day ended on the Rambla, at a terrace which turned out to be of a Chinese restaurant, but they had sangria, and that was the deciding factor.

(it’s not cerveza in the glass, it’s sangria. good.).

Buenas noches. Or actually, since we are in Catalunya, bona nit.