Barcelona

After being entirely worn out by Israel we spent a couple of days in Barcelona before the cruise started. It was such a long trip that we really hadn't done any planning in advance for these couple of days, other than to book a hotel room. (That was really all I needed since I just wanted to shower and sleep). We ended up taking a couple of walking tours of the city and had a good time, particularly after we found the much-searched-for laundromat!

One of our walks took us up to the Olympic Stadium from the 1992 Olympics. I've included a picture of the stadium here, not because it's so cool but because it's where I first learned how to use the panoramic setting on my camera. From the top of the hill where the stadium is we could see the distant Montserrat which we visited later on the last day of our cruise.

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We also walked around in the Mercat Boqueria in Barcelona. That was quite an experience! It's a huge market and they sell all sorts of things--tongue, dead chickens with their heads still attached, and lots of things I couldn't even identify. I found it fascinating and could've stayed there all day. They also had normal things like fruits and vegetables, but I admit to being drawn to the strange products.

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Another walk took us to a few Gaudi places. Jerel tells me this Gaudi fellow is famous, but of course I've never heard of him. I'm just not that cultured I guess.

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The most important thing we found in Barcelona (besides the laundromat) was just a few block from our hotel. Pizza Hut. Jerel is a bit of a picky eater. I would say extremely picky, but then that would start an argument, so I'll just say a little picky. Although I'm more into trying local foods and can find something to eat just about anywhere, the sight of the Red Roof was such a relief because then I knew Jerel would not starve to death on our trip after all. (Similarly, we ate at Pizza Hut last year in France and in England.) I think we ate at this one 2 or 3 times in our day and a half in Barcelona. It was pretty similar to the pizza at home but I was jealous because they had a much more extensive dessert menu than I've ever seen in the States.