April 25, 2012

We arrived in Barcelona on April 25, 2012 at 11:00 AM, for a stay of two nights. The first afternoon we took a shuttle to the Columbus Monument, walked the Ramblas and took in the Mercat Boqueria before returning to the ship. Later that afternoon we sat on our veranda watching the local fishermen returning with their catch.

The next two days we spent on the “Hop On Hop Off Bus” touring the entire city. Along the route we got to see the Customs House, on our way to Port Vell, the old port and now a modern shopping area. Here we had views of the Customs House, Columbus Monument, the Rambla de Mar (a waterfront extension of the Ramblas) and the Real Club Marina. After leaving Port Vell, we traveled past the Agbar Tower and then into the Barri Gotic with sites of Cathedral Santa Eulalia, Placa Antonio Maura, and past many interesting Architectural buildings like the Ohla Hotel. Continuing on we came to the main square, Placa de Catalunya, before traveling up Passeig de Gracia, with its Gaudi designed buildings.

From there we passed the Gaudi Church, La Sagrada Familia, on to Diagonal Avenue, which splits the city. We then saw 2 parks, and then proceeded to Montjuic, passing the Arenas de Barcelona and the National Museum of Art. Once on Montjuic, we passed the unusual Telecommunications Tower (Calatrava Tower) and had some beautiful panoramic views of the city.