Exploring the "Heartbeat of Ancient Barcelona"

Hola!!  It's been a busy couple of days and now I find that I have two days of writing to do!  Everything is wonderful here and I am enjoying my stay tremendously.  Most prominently is the generosity of my host Carlos, and his willingness to not only suggest places that I should go, but to spend time, painstakingly explaining to me how to get there.  He's a saint, and while fairly comfortable speaking in English, there are times when he cannot find the words for me and needs to refer to his Spanish/English dictionary.  I haven't been able to get a photo of him yet, but will try to remember to do that before I leave.  In case you were wondering... I found this lodging on a nifty website called AirBnB, where private citizens all over the world, offer their house, or space in their house/apt. to strangers from god knows everywhere.  Sound enticing?  Luckily, they are verified by the company and also visitors write reviews about their hosts and their stays and so when I was looking for a place, Iwas overwhelmingly encouraged about my choice when I read what others had to say about Carlos. And, only $42 a night!!   I too will be leaving a glowing review about him when I leave.

I started my day on Wednesday, late as usual... but what's late when you're on vacation??? I left the house about 11:30 a.m. and set out for the Barri Gotic (the Gothic Quarter).  This suggestion came from Carlos and he was absolutely right on!   It was about 15-20 minutes walking to get there and once inside, it was exactly as one might imagine it:  tiny cobblestone streets, lined with little shops and bars and tapas restaurants.  Also there was a grand Spanish church, many large plazas (or placas, pronounced- "platha), and no shortage of charm and oh yeah... tourists!  Here are some shots I took while I meandered through the Gothic Quarter (with no map, I might add... just getting lost and finding my way out).  Perfecto!!

You get the picture?  So charming and quaint and just the way I envisioned old Spain... but better.  Some of the highlights were:

Ordering a "cone" of Jamon Iberico (finally).

Ordering a beer in a Cervecarea (sp?) and not realizing that I ordered "alcohol free" beer.  Nevertheless, was probably a good thing since alcohol makes me break out into a sweat, and with the temps they way that they are here, I didn't need anything more contributing to the constant "glow" that I have had since I arrived.

Visiting the Barcelona History Museum... (what??  Me, a museum???).  This one was different.  You had to take an elevator down below ground, with a digital timer that started on the year 2014, lowered to -100 while we were going down.  This museum was built around the archeological remains of the original city of Barcelona, and there was an audio tour included that explained how intricate the city was and all of the "technology" that the Romans... ummm early inhabitants... (I should have paid closer attention to the audio tour), used in the city, including laundry, wine making, fishing and spa/thermal baths.  It was really fascinating (said the teacher who can't demonstrate my understanding with evidence... Teachers wil get that.).

I was treated to a beautiful performance by a musician on a stringed instrument, like a harp, but it was laying down (she didn't make it in this pic).

This is the main cathedral in the Gothic Quarter:

This is me standing in front of it: (evidence)

And... lastly,the salami sandwhich I ate so that I could get free wifi:

Well worth the price and calories!

When I arrived back at the apartment, Carlos wasn't home yet.  I cleaned up and later on he came home and we began a long, long, convoluted conversation about EVERYTHING Spanish and American.  Dictionaires, gesturing, pointing at the large map on his wall, and googling pictures of things to explain them, all occured during this conversation, while we waited for some other AirBnB'ers to arrive.  Also, during this grand conversation, Carlos invited me to join him in his dinner, which consisted of a Spanish omelet (totally different from American... not folded), with ham (he had to run across the street for more), asparagus, and onions.  He also made toast, with olive oil and tomato smeared on top.  This was very kind of him and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!  (Travelers note: it should be ackowledged that Carlos is a married man, with a 4 year old son.  His wife and child spend the summer in Ireland, so that their son can attend a Montessori English only school.  He's going to visit them on Sunday.  Just sayin'...).

Finally, after being 3 hours late, the new guest arrived, Patricia and Jakob, a young Polish couple that live on Cork Island in Ireland.  At 1:30 am, no less!!!  Luckily, by that time, Carlos and I had polished off a bottle of Cava and so our lively conversation continued on after their arrival, till about 2 in the morning.  It was good times, and even though I didn't get to sleep till about 3am, I managed to sleep till 10:45 this morning!!!  A good 8 hours!!  

The next day... Gaudi Day.  Stay tuned!!   

Thanks for reading and for letting me know you're reading, whether of FB or on the blog itself!

Buenos noches!