Palm Sunday

We farewelled Di and Bruce as they are off to Salamanca to meet up with Bruce's son Jordan who lives here.

It is Palm Sunday, and in such a catholic country as Spain that means street parades and music and dance. The gothic cathedral is just around the corner and a large band set up on the steps and people came from everywhere carrying their palms, and formed small circles to dance to the music. It really made me feel I was somewhere else, as the cultural expressions of religion are so different to those at home.

We walked to the Petite Place another of Gaudis creations, stunning in its ornate style so totally different from everything around it.

We walked to the gardens on Montjuic and climbed the hillside to have lunch in a restaurant with a magic view over Barcelona. We rode the cable car back to the water front and strolled through the crowds, people on segways, motorised pushbikes, in rickshaws, past multi-million dollar yachts and bustling restaurants, around men selling sunglasses on sheets laid out in the street which are very quickly wrapped up as they run away at the approach of any police.  There were markets and music ... The town is vibrant and colourful and so alive.  We stopped for a drink in a restaurant to rest our tired limbs, wandered further to a little square and found a restaurant for dinner, and then home through alleyways of chocolate shops and sweet shops.

We must have walked at least 6 k today, and our feet are a little sore.  We have done quite a lot of walking here in Barcelona which is, of course, a fantastic way to see the city.

We loved Barcelona, it is clean, friendly, bustling and entertaining, and as long as you gaurd your personal property very carefully, you should have a great time here.