We arrived in Barcelona in the evening. After a very mild couple of days in Paris, we thought we might actually have some summer weather now that we were in southern Europe. Surprisingly enough it was still the same mild weather. But who can complain, it was in the lows 70s and sunny. Great sightseeing weather. We checked into our hotel Regencia Colon, which was right off a square on which the Catedral de Barcelona was on - just a short walk from Las Ramblas, which is the main drag in Barcelona. Our hotel was very tropical. It reminded both of us of a hotel you mind find in Miami. Lots of pastel colors, everything had a floral pattern. We had both heard that pickpockets were an issue in Barcelona, but as soon as we checked in the hotel clerk sternly warned both of us. He immediately told us to keep our bags on us, make sure they stay out of sight from people walking by on the street, because the thief's in Barcelone were ruthless! Then he informed us that we were not allowed to take our room keys out of the Hotel, and must leave them with the front desk whenever we left the hotel. We definitely took him seriously!
The first night we ventured out onto Las Ramblas to watch the street performers and find dinner. We stumbled upon a Tapas Bars obviously targeting tourists. While one would like to find a place with a little more character, it was about 9pm so we were both starving and the place looked inviting and clean. We ordered traditional tapas dishes such as some fried calamari, antipasta, and a couple other dishes which neither of us can remember the name of. Of course we accompanied it with Sangria!
The first full day in Barcelona we decided to take a Tour Bus recommended by the hotel clerk. It took a loop around Barcelona and you could get off and on wherever you wanted as many times as you wanted. It was great because it came with headphones, and you could pick the language you wanted commentary in. So as you were driving around the city you had a guide in your ear providing detail about what was passing. It was a beautiful sunny day, and this provided a great way to see most of the city and learn a little bit about everything. Most of the pictures below are from the tour bus, some of the sites include Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, Playa de Catalunya, the Olympic Village, National Museum of Art, and many other things. Also of course, breathtaking vistas of Barcelona. We both agreed that was the best way to see Barcelona in one day. Now that we know the layout and sights of Barcelona next time we're going to pick a couple to dive into more deeply.
The last night we decided to eat at a restaurant that was right on the square outside our hotel. This turned out to be a great decision, as the people watching kept us entertained for hours. We met a couple from Denver that was in Barcelona for a medical conference. He was a neurosurgeon and she was a lawyer. They had been there for a week and in the time had figured out how the pickpockets worked in Barcelona and made it a nightly habit to sit out on the plaza have a few drinks while they attempted to see pickpockets in the act of stealing the wallets of unsuspecting tourist. They had become very good at this, and shared with us the pick pockets tricks. Basically this is how it goes: There are a series of people in the square trying to sell various items, flowers, beer, kids toys. Their whole job is to provide a distraction and make you as comfortable as possible with people invading your personal space. So tourists begin to think "this must be how people are in this country, very touchy, get close to me". Also when people are being asked to spend money they tend to unknowingly show where there money is located. If it's a man, he will grab his back pocket, or a woman clutching her purse tightly. Or if they’re really lucky you actually buy something, then they really have you. They really have no interest in actually selling their junk. While this is going on there is another person observing. This person is going to be the person that is doing the pick pocketing, he picks up on the cues, and once he has the information he needs, he swoops in while the tourist is being distracted and steals their wallet, ect. At the end of the night, the big boss man comes, pick pockets give him the money and everybody involved takes a cut. We were riveted for hours!!
The next morning we got up and grabbed a cab to the port. And now we were off to the next part of our honeymoon! The Cruise!
