Barcelona – Saturday, September 21
I remember often on our Italian trip this spring one of the great treats was sleeping in. At home I get up between 5 & 6 – my bowl of granola, coffee at Starbucks, a bike ride etc etc etc. We slept in until 8:00 and 9:00 this morning! While Karen getting ready I went out on the street again for Starbucks and to once again try the ATM’s. The usual great coffee at SB worked, but the ATM’s still did not. I reverted to changing money at the hotel.
I want to stop here and thank Tessa, our assistant, for all the arrangements she made – our calendar loaded. This morning we arranged to meet Maxi and Ivan at one of the many museums. The only problem was our taxi dropped us off at the wrong museum. After texting numerous times Ivan realized we were close but at different museums. They found us quickly.
Getting out of the taxi I retrieved my iPhone from its shoulder pouch, and unknown to me, dropped my wallet. A motorcyclist stopped and made me aware of my error. I was so flustered I almost forgot my backpack in the taxi, but again the taxi driver retrieved it for me. Two lessons here: 1) I am old and everyone needs to keep an eye on me. 2) and most importantly – as I have said for many many years – people all over the World are the same – kind, honest, and helpful. Once again this proves what I have long believed.
The exhibition featured the work of Agnés Varda, a renown French photographer and film maker. It was a huge show with lots of video and even more photographs and memorabilia. The only problem for us was generally a lack of English translation. It made us want to go back and watch some of her films. We enjoyed the time there very much.
We had a casual lunch on the street – eating and drinking while we watched (and listened in the case of Maxi and Ivan) the people seated nearby and those passing by.
The Guys dropped us off at the original museum only to find it closed for the day. Karen and I soaked in the sights, sounds, and shops on our 30+ minute walk back to the hotel. Many of the “streets” are narrow passages full of people walking. All of the larger stores are closed on Sunday by law, the tourist shops and eateries are open. I spotted the Apple Store and a couple more places I will visit tomorrow.
Dinner tonight was at L’olive, a short walk from our hotel. WOW – a really beautiful restaurant! So beautiful that I took several photos of the interior. And the food and service lived up to that first impression. Maxi and Ivan told us that many, if not most of the workers in restaurants are Latino or Latina and that our young waitress sounded like she had an Argentine accent. When she returned I told her just that and she responded she was from Uruguay. They further said the locals prefer to work for the Government – steady, well paying, secure jobs. Does this sound a bit like home?
To top off the day we all visited a fabulous ice cream shop that we had passed on our way to dinner. We were attracted by the really beautiful design of the shop. Once again I have a picture here. And the ice cream was every bit as good as the shop was beautiful. The liquid toppings for the ice cream, such as hot fudge, continuously flowed from three spigots. So very cool! We will return tomorrow after dinner.
Spain & Portugal 2024 