Barcelona Day 2 - Lots to see

So, we have three full days here and probably about a week of things we could see so it was time to start making some choices. We have seen lots of churches/cathedrals over our five weeks but we obviously cannot miss Gaudi's unfinished work, La Sagrada Familla. Pre booking of tours is a good idea so our first thing was to head to the Tourist Bureau at Plays de Cataluyna and book some attractions for tomorrow and the next day.

From there we walked down the main tourist track, La Rambla, jam packed even at this time of year on a weekday. This was the site of the terrorist attack that killed thirteen people earlier this summer but you wouldn't have any idea that heinous event had happened here based on the size of the crowds.

We were surprised at the number of flower vendors.

About half way to the waterfront we took a side street and started zig-zagging our way to the waterfront through some photogenic alleys and squares.

We arrived at the harbour area and walked the perimeter of the marina taking in the nautical eye candy.

The one thing that really disturbs me is how the Spanish Police disregard all of the Senegalese vendors selling FAKE COUNTERFEIT CRAP.  It really detracts from the ambience of the city and waterfront.

There is a nice promenade along the beach but half of it is covered with Senegalese vendor's FAKE COUNTERFEIT CRAP. I took special pride in stepping on as much as I could.

We walked as far as the Olympic Harbour, looks just like Kingston's except the yachts are a bit bigger.

From here we started to walk back toward the old walled city. We passed by a terrific water tower!

We saw many streets that looked like this...

On our way to the old city, we were going to stop in the Parc de la Ciutadella, the location of the Provincial Parliament Buildings. As we got near, we started to notice a heavy police presence and traffic barricades. Once we saw the armoured vehicles and automatic weapons we changed our minds.

Apparently today the Catalan Government was going to declare independence and a mass of supporters were gathering.  We diverted down a side street and found a nice outdoor cafe for lunch.

A number of the demonstrators were also dining there wrapped in their flags and enjoying a nice meal and some wine before heading to the celebration down the street.

We started following our Lonely Planet Guide walking tour of this area which included a stop at La Catedral, a large Cathedral that we decided not to pay 8 euro to see the interior.

We made our way back to La Rambla and stopped at Mercat de la Boqueria, a fabulous market with every food you could think of!

Making our way back, we passed by the Museum of Contemporary art but our feet were not up to a visit.

As we neared our area the apartment fronts became more elaborate...

We stopped at one our neighbourhood street cafes for a cold drink after our 20,000 steps and then retreated to our rooftop terrace to relax and plan tomorrow's adventure.

We only ventured a block away to visit one of Barcelona's top rated Tapas Bars. What a lovely spot.

You get to watch the kitchen staff prepare the meals as you are sitting at the bar.

We left the restaurant and walked a couple blocks south to see this fabulous illuminated fountain.

On the way back, we discovered the riot police had closed the street and taken up position right outside the Tapas Bar we had just eaten in. Time to get out of this location!

Here is the building we will be touring first thing tomorrow morning. A Gaudi masterpiece, Casa Batllo.

Time to get some sleep....