Exploring Barcelona (cont.)
After all the walking and sightseeing we decided to just take a lazy day with some quality time relaxing. The next day we booked a ride on the one of the double-decker tourist buses that drive past high points of the city. We did 2+ loops to catch both routes of the tour. It was a nice relaxing way to get an overview of the city out to areas we hadn’t seen yet.
The next day we decided to visit Barceloneta Beach, the most well-known beach in Barcelona. We took the metro over to the waterfront and then walked down to the beach area. It was cool to see a lot of the boats and general ambiance. We discovered they were running the 37th America’s Cup yacht race in Barcelona, an event that only happens every 3 years. After we got to the beach we could see some boats and a helicopter in the distance. Ultimately New Zealand won. Apparently the US hasn’t won since 2013. We spent some time on the beach getting some sun and taking some periodic swim breaks in the Balearic Sea (Iberian Sea). The water was warm enough, but not overly so. There were a lot of people there, but it was still a nice relaxing place. There were a few topless bathers on the beach, but not many. Apparently there is a full nude beach a little further away from where we were. After a few hours we walked back to metro. We ran into crowds gathering for the last day of La Mecca festival which was taking place up the hill from our Airbnb. We couldn’t get to the top of the Areas for dinner so we ate at a place where we often ate breakfast. We decided to avoid the crowd and just go to the apartment … but that was close enough. They had a big concert with synchronized fireworks just a few blocks away. We could see to top of the fireworks during an impressive 30 min display. We were also able to see in in a clearer view as it was being live-streamed.
Montserrat
In our only adventure outside of the city we took a train trip to Monserrat. A normal train took us to the base of the mountain, then a rack railway took us up the steep pathway to the Benedictine Abby near the top. Even though our tickets included it we skipped the last crawler railway that went up from the abby to the top of the peak. There was a great view of the surrounding area, but Maddy got a little vertigo from the ride up and needed to sit for a bit before looking out over the edge. There were lots of people there. The place had a nice ambiance and lots of shops for tourists. We skipped the long line to go into the Abby, but saw a lot nice sights and had a few snacks. I’m glad I visited it, but seeing it once was enough.
Winding Down
The next day (our last full day there) we took easy, doing some walking around, getting some souvenirs doing a relaxed preparation for travel. In the evening we had a final dinner at La Lola.
The next morning (Friday) we headed to the airport and took our respective flights home (mine being substantially longer). I made it home uneventfully. By Monday I wasn’t feeling well with a fever that was eventually diagnosed as Covid (my first time as far as I know). Apparently Maddy also got it. Luckily we were essentially healthy during our visit and I’m glad we didn’t come home with anything until we got home.
This first trip to Spain was great. I got a very good taste of what Spanish (or at least Catalan) culture is like. People were nice, and it was great to see how everyday people lived their lives, including friend groups gathering for long breakfasts, elderly folks out for daily constitutionals, lots of people with little dogs including a surprisingly large number of Dachshunds. I enjoyed it a lot, both the photography and the tourism, and I will happily visit again someday.