September 9: Barcelona - Day 2

Casa Batlló
I thought that since we were off the ship and my bed in the hotel is relatively comfortable I might be able to get a good nights sleep last night, but no. I woke up at 6:45 am and my back was killing me, granted I have a low tolerance for pain, but it still sucked. Anyway, Auntie Shirley wanted to go out and get some breakfast so my mom and I went with her to try and find the famous churros and chocolate of Spain. We went to a bakery about a block away from the hotel and unfortunately we should have researched a little more. The churro was more like a French pastry (and not a good one) and not a donut and the chocolate was like regular hot chocolate, not like the super thick stuff Spain is known for. Not only was it not the authentic food I expected, but it cost an arm and a leg. After breakfast we went back and got everybody else and hopped back on a bus tour. 

The tour today went to the northern part of Barcelona and covered more of Antoni Gaudí's works. Our first stop was at La Sagrada Familia. Gaudí started construction on the Temple in 1882 and they have been working on it ever since. 

The tour guide said that during his lifetime Gaudí only finished about 15% of the project and currently it is about 60% completed.

After La Sagrada Familia we went to Park Güell where Gaudí lived before moving into La Sagrada Familia. The park was originally a real estate development, but only one house was built (Gaudí's) and the project never took off. 

The park has some beautiful fountains and sitting areas that are very unique and it has a great view of Barcelona.

After Park Güell we got back on the bus and headed back towards the hotel and looked for a place for lunch. Everybody wanted to eat close to the hotel and the only restaurant I had researched was a high end one named Casa Dario. It was a Galician seafood restaurant that was a little bit expensive, but it was good. 

I had some grilled langostinos or prawns, my dad had some monkfish in a lobster cream sauce (baudroie a la crème de langouste), and my mom shared a seafood paella with Auntie Bev. 

The best dish in the group though was Uncle Jim's sautéed cod in a tomato sauce. After lunch we headed back to the hotel to relax for a few hours and then we headed out at around 8:30 pm to wander. We walked from our hotel down to La Rambla and spent some time browsing the area. 

It was a pleasant way to end the day and I'm really looking forward to a good night's sleep (finger's crossed).

view from the top of the hotel, Casa Batlló is the brightly lit building in the middle left of the picture.