Barcelona

Monday, June 29

Walked to Boqueria Market – fruit salads were €1, chocolate croissant €1.30, water €1.50. Took a bike tour with Fat Tire, lots of riding – narrow streets, people, cars, poles – challenging for us older folks, although DD had a blast. Hot & humid, my hands sometimes got slippery from the sweat! We stopped at different sites where our guide, JJ, would tell us about it. Initially challenging to find Fat Tire – we got several answers when asking for directions, and forgot that some people will direct you even if they have no idea, deeming it impolite not to help. (Sometimes I wish some were not as “helpful”.) The bikes have hand bells, which no one pays any attention to, so they’re useless – a loud horn would have been better. Riding in the street with all the cars is fun, also. The park by the zoo has a Gaudi inspired fountain and a lake where rowboats can be rented. We also stopped at the beach. After the tour, we stopped at Café Imes in the Eixample area for a nice deli lunch (€5.10 each) – a sandwich or baguette w/ meat & cheese, a plate of tapas salads, and a drink (includes wine or beer). PS: American portions at restaurants are twice what they are here, so it seems you are paying twice as much for half the amount. But very few fat people here. The humidity is also a factor in this!
Needing detergent (in the cruise bag) & shampoo (pre-cruise), we found a great grocery store – Caprabo – on Calle Consell de Cent 301. Amazingly low prices, esp. on their generic brands. Bought 1L OJ @ €1.20, 1 ½ L water, € 0.42, shampoo (2 for €3), detergent €1.73 bag. Wondering about soda prices? One small grocery was charging €22 for 24 Coke cans. In Caprabo: a 12 pack for €5.30!
Nice department store, El Corte Ingles, by Plaka Catalunya – bought several fans. Prices range from €2 to €45 or so, with lots of selection in the €6 to €12 range.