Today it is William’s 5th birthday – happy birthday
Will! We made sure we got to talk to him on Skype – there was a bit of a drama
as Alison’s computer was having problems or a password had been forgotten or
something so we Skyped Moops who rang them and they raced down to her place
while we were still online. We told Will we were going to Montserrat today and
he said “Monster Rat!?” – I’m sure he’s wondering why Grandma and Aunty Carly
could possibly want to go to such a place.
We headed off at 8.30am for our city tour and were immediately
blown away by the most amazing sight of the Holy Family Basilica, a church
designed by Antonio Gaudi that continues to be constructed and will be finished
in 2026 – I’ll have to come back and see it then – it will be stunning. We
didn’t get to see inside as people were lined up for miles waiting but the
outside was impressive enough!
Continuing along on the tour we headed for the mountain on the
edge of the city where the view was absolutely magnificent – of both the city
of Barcelona and its port. We had a brief stop to take some quick photos and
then it was back on the bus. On the way we passed the Olympic stadium from 1986
and saw the famous “cauldron” where the flaming arrow was fired to light the flame
and commence the games. The guide showed us the red lever that was the back-up
in case the arrow missed!
Back in the city centre we had about 45 minutes of free time to
explore and grab some souvenirs. We also needed to find some sunscreen for CJ
as she had left hers at the hotel and it was already 21 degrees at 11am and she
could feel herself burning. We found a pharmacy and puzzled over a number of
products but in the end had to pay almost €20 for a small bottle of SPF 30. Oh
well, I’m sure it is of great quality!
When we re-joined the bus at 11.45am we set out for Montserrat,
about an hour’s drive outside of Barcelona. The drive up the mountain was
breathtakingly beautiful although CJ, who was seated by the window and
overlooking the sheer drop at the side of the road, mainly found it
breathtakingly scary! At the top we left the bus and spent a couple of hours
looking at the church that holds a famous statue of a “black” Madonna, checking
out the fantastic views, eating (calamari – yum!) and browsing in the markets
and gift shop. The temperature in Barcelona was 21° and it was only 14° up the
mountain so it was just as well we had been warned to take a jacket. The bus
ride back takes you around the other side of the mountain so you get a slightly
different aspect and different views. It was such a beautiful, clear day we
could see all the way to the Mediterranean in one direction and also to the
snow-capped Alps of the Pyrenees mountains in the other direction.
So back in Barcelona it was 22° at 4pm – this is the warmest
temperature we have encountered since we left home by far. We took the
opportunity to rest and tidy up our bags a bit before it was time to head off
again at 6pm. We arrived in the city centre at 6.30pm and had half an hour to
take in the atmosphere of the famous Les Ramblers – the main street – where there
were markets, shops, cafes and general festivity. At 7pm we entered the
restaurant for our excellent buffet meal accompanied by ample wine and then at
8.30pm we were ushered into another room for the flamenco show. Wow! It was
absolutely fantastic! There were singers, dancers and, of course, guitar
players and we were treated to an hour of awesome entertainment. It was very
impressive.
So everyone was in high spirits after the show and a few put on
some free entertainment for passers-by on the way back to the bus. Back to the hotel and then it’s back to France
tomorrow as we head for Nice and the French Riviera.
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