April 16th

Arrive in Barcelona and as usual Dud hasn’t read the disembarkation instructions and we have to be out of the room by 8.00. We were out by 8.10 after getting up at 7.30.

Got a taxi to our apartment and like Paris it was deserted and no one would answer their phones. So we found a great bakery, with great coffee and we ate ourselves into a sugar/caffeine high until 10.00 when the reception opened. Thank goodness someone showed up, on a bike, just like Paris.

We couldn’t check in until 2.00 so we left our bags and went for a walk, after coffee. We ended up at the water at Port Vell where we had a great tapas, cava and beer. On the way we spotted rides in a Ferrari or Lamborghini. So after lunch we thought we might go for a ride in both around the city. They offered for us to drive but we declined as we thought the power was a little too much for us to handle and they don’t drive on the right side of the road. So we had a quick drive around being shown a few of the highlights. Unfortunately, because the lack of English spoken by our drivers we are unable to tell you what we saw. We got to a top speed of 140kph in a 40kmh zone and we loved the sound of the engine in the tunnels. Part of the trip was around the old Formula 1 track. This was our third Formula 1 track but our fastest. The Ferrari was red of course and the Lambo was white.

Back to our apartment to check in and have a little rest.

Turning left out of our apartment took us to a seedier part of our district, but we found our way back to an area that had a square with restaurants around the perimeter.

Stood in line of one restaurant and remembered using Trip Advisor in Paris. Quickly got out of line and went to the Viana but they are booked out until Tuesday. So opted forMy Way. It was fabulous. The people next to us were from Denmark and recommended the chicken. However, one of the couples had been to Australia, in particular to visit a friend who now lives in Brisbane. They had even been to Mt Isa as that is where their friend went to work originally as an electrician. They love Princess Mary and said she works very hard and is doing a great job.

The meal was great. We started with tapas of aubergine parmigina graninated with parmesan and pesto and Andalusian style fried calamari; then chicken breast stuffed with buffalo mozzarella and bacon and basil accompanied with aubergine and tomato gratin with pesto and grilled tuna loin with sautéed Mediterranean vegetables and to finish Catalan crème and black and white mouse and coffees. Since we are in Spain it was accompanied with Sangria and not Chianti. The tuna was amazing!!!

We found our way home easier than we found our way out to the restaurant, thankfully.