Brindabella

We arrived at the port of Barcelona late afternoon or rather you think you have arrived, as it takes over an hour to get into the marina. You first pass the container port, then oil storage, then the ferry terminal and eventually into the area of the port which contains three marinas. We were heading for Port Vell which is the newest marina, right on the edge of the city itself. That evening we had just a quick walk around and ate onboard.

On Tuesday we walked down the iconic Las Ramblas and into the old town, taking in the cathedral. We then took a look in Santa Maria church and on to the park. It was busy as it was a public holiday. In the park there were a number of street food vendors, so we ate lunch from one of them.

After a coffee back on the boat, we then visited the Museum of Catalan History, which was right beside our berth in the marina. Great museum with a floor covering each period, and free entry due to the public holiday.

We finished the day with an evening meal in one of the restaurants above the marina. We had taken Bella with us to the meal and as normal, she crept in under the table and the waiter offered her some iced water. All was good until Bella heard some fireworks and gave a huge bark from under the table, startling most people in the restaurant! We finished a great day in the marina bar for a final drink.

Wednesday, we spent much of the day working. Fiona got the washing done, we restocked the boat and Simon polished the chrome. That evening we walked across to the beach and had some tapas from a couple of bars in Barceloneta, which was a really cool area of Barcelona. At dusk, a swing dance group set up some music and started dancing.

On Thursday, we walked a few miles up to the cathedral ‘La Sagrada Familia’. This was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Construction started 137 years ago and is still ongoing. Unfortunately, there were no tickets available for that day, so we could not see inside. We walked back into town and visited the excellent Picasso museum. Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga but spent part of his life in Barcelona.

On Friday, we went to the indoor market in Barceloneta to get some meat and vegetables for that evening. We also visited the beach that afternoon for a swim and some relaxation.

We decided that it was time for us to move on, so left Barcelona on Saturday. A great city and maybe we will visit again in Spring.

Time: 3:30 hours Miles: 18nm Total Time: 198:30 hours Total Miles: 1123nm