20th April Spanish stroll


 As Mink De Ville once sang. Barcelona, despite the throngs of tourists, is a remarkably easy city to weak around, with broad pavements, pedestrianised areas and parks.

 Provided you can remember not to step out into the the designated cycle lanes where a mix of electric bikes, scooters and the occasional Segway rush by at breakneck speeds. Even the narrow alleys of the old city, where we headed today were easy to negotiate even for a holy man accompanied by a disabled.

Having decided to try to organize our days out around certain sections of the city, to avoid too much retracing our steps, yesterday we hit the area around the cathedral and old city. We didn't have a plan as such as TOM just likes to wander, so that's what we did. 

The sun was out and so despite the wind that occasionally caught us unaware, it was lovely to just follow our instincts. One of which told us we didn't really need to pay 28 Euros to go inside Barcelona Cathedral, or pay the clowns and white faced  Pierrot like figures to have our pictures taken holding a heart shaped balloon!!!. 

Instead some coffee and a Pan au chocolate in a local nearby market and then a meandering mouch through the narrow streets and alleys sufficed. And whether by luck or good fortune we managed to tick off the main highlights of the area almost without trying.

 Time whizzed by as we combined narrow back alleys, wide boulevards, the green oasis of Parc de La Cuitedella and the pedestrianised plaza  in front of the Arc de Triumph (not the Paris one I hasten to add). Pausing to ponder, people watch and photograph, it was a lovely way to spend five hours in the heart of the city known locals as 'Barna'.

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