We Will Miss Barcelona

Today is our last day in Barcelona. We have had a great time, but we are on our way to Paris tomorrow.

We decided to tour the mountains of Barcelona today. It was a very hot day. We booked a new hotel for today because of some previous complications. It is not nearly as nice as the other one, but it is very centrally located. Lauran says I needed to experience a trashy European hotel sometime on this trip. Anyway we left our bags there this morning and headed off to Tibidabo, my new favorite word to say out loud over and over again, just ask Lauran. Tibidabo is the mountain that overlooks Barcelona. It has spectacular views of the city and ocean, and at the top is an old amusement park and a beautiful church. We took the old Blue Tram and a funicular to the top of the mountain. It was really fun. We did not ride any of the rides at the top because the lines were a little long, and it was really hot today. Still, we really enjoyed seeing Barcelona from so high up.

We then ate the best meal we have had yet on our trip. It was at an old traditional Catalan restaurant. We ate fideo, it is like paella but with vermicelli noodles instead of rice. It had prawns that we had to shell ourselves, and it was also covered with allioli, a garlic mousse that is very delicious. We must try and make some when we get home.

The other mountain we visited today was Montjuic, where the old administrative center of the city was. It is a smaller mountain that is right in the middle of the city, beside the beach, again making for beautiful views. We walked around and went inside the Olympic Stadium. We were going to visit the Museum of Catalan Art, but it was closed. Instead we rode the cable cars to the top of the mountain where there is a really cool castle. It was a fun alternative and my first time visiting a castle. We spent some time sitting on a bench on top of the castle, gazing out across the Mediterranean Sea. It was beautiful and relaxing. The cable car ride was really fun too.

We are now just resting and cooling off, but we are about to head back to the Rambla in hopes of finding a cool flamenco show. We have loved Barcelona. It is a very laid back and beautiful city. The people are welcoming, and the culture is amazing. It has been a great start to our European adventure.