Barcelona, first sights

"Here for less than an hour, and already having to eat legs" said Betty Rubble as the dish described by the waiter as "leetle feesh" turned out to be baby squid. However, the luncheon passd without further incident and the travellers girded their respective loins and set off to see Barcelona.

	The weather was not what you would expect of Barcelona. Whilst warm, there was a steady rain falling on the city. Rain is no impediment to the intrepid travellers, and so they headed up the broad boulevards towards Casa Mila. What immediately strikes you is the sheer variation in architectural styles that line the streets. There is the tenement style of Paris, the Georgian grandeur of Edinburgh, Moorish sytle, and of course the Gaudi architecture for which Barcelona is so rightly famous. Casa Mila was about 6 blocks from the hotel and we zigged and zagged a bit as we approached it. The view from across the road, in the rain, reinforced the nickname of "La Pedrera" (The Quarry), it certainly did have that hewn feel. At the ticket desk we were informed (before buying the tickets) that the roof was closed because of the rain. GF thought how different this was from home, where they wouldn't have told you that until they had taken your money.
Passeig de Gracia
	Deciding to save the tour for another day, the intrepid foursome headed back past the hotel towards the Gothic quarter of the city. Strolling through the rain we started to get a feel for the layout of the place. As we strolled we paused here and there to admire the buildings and the roof-lines that lined the Passeig de Gracia. This was an entrance to a university building
	An amazing contrast of styles between adjacent buildings.
	The elaborate rooflines. On the right is Casa Botilo which had been a fairly normal apartment block until Gaudi was given the task of redesigning it for the Botilo family.
Old Quarter
	Continuing past the impressive Placa de Catalunya the travelers arrived at the start of the old city. Before plunging into the labyrinth of passages and streets there were still some grand old buildings and shops. This subtle little light fitting caught the eye. One suspects it may be a bit much for the GF's lair.
	Two of the defensive towers of the old Roman all guard the passage alongside the Cathedral.
The Cathedral
	Entering the Cathedral by the side door the travellers immediately entered the cloisters. A tranquil area surrounding this garden, a contemplation pool, and small flock of geese.
	In the centre of the pool was this moss-covered fountain. The rain had driven many people off the streets and into the cloister for shelter. This did not, however, detract from the sense of peace that imbued the place. GF suspects that the grey skies and rain streaked walls were not contributing in a positve way, and that is full sunlight the area would be different again.
	Inside the Cathedral there was so much to see. It was dark, moody, atmospheric and must have been awe-inspiring to the uneducated masses that would have worshipped there in the past. For all the gold, the statuary, artwork, the carvings and the Gothic splendour, it was this juxtaposition of angles, curves, light and shade that intrigued the Gorse Fox.
Las Ramblas
	Leaving the Old Quarter we made our way towards Las Ramblas, probably the most famous street in Barcelona. This is a wide boulevrad with central pedestrian areas lined with artists, florists, restaurants and generally thronging with people. Only, it was raining and Spain were playing and international football match. So it was not really a throng, more a trickle. This did not stop your adventurers. We carried on, stopping in the large market for a look around. It was just closing up for the night, but still a riot of colour.

A brief search located an interesting looking Tapas Bar where a light supper was enjoyed by all - then a stroll back to the hotel. Seemed like a pretty good start to the trip. It had whetted the appetite for the next day.

[File under: Barcelona, Travel]