Barcelona I of III

So as was barely hinted at on my blog, this weekend Chrissi and I are in Barcelona. It was only mentioned once, and that was the fact that the trip had been booked. This was an overdue Christmas present to each other - having decided at the time that neither of us really wanted anything big, we thought it would be nicer to use that money to go away somewhere together. As the months passed and we waited for nicer weather, then never decided on where we would go, we made a quick decision in early September for fear we wouldn't get away before Christmas this year!

So it came to pass that this morning we were up early to go to the airport, and by lunchtime we were in sunny Barcelona. The weather is lovely - even in the evening it's nice and warm, and the majority of the day I've found it too hot in just a shirt and jeans - a lovely feeling for early October.

The main accomplishment today was a walk around part of the old town - we visited the cathedral, which was impressive, and via a random combination of alleys and pretty sidestreets worked our way across to Ramblas, which is the main street of Barcelona and the key tourist place to visit. Stalls adorn either side, street artists perform, the trees provide shade and the whole place is really very pleasant.

We came into this halfway down, and wandered the rest of the way down to the harbour. A walk along the front and then round eventually found us somewhere to eat, and we sat and enjoyed a nice meal. If there is one thing to say about Barcelona, it is a city which is so comfortable to just sit and relax in. There's not many places where you can just sit and feel relaxed and peaceful and just enjoy the calm atmosphere. I can't imagine doing that in London for one!