A Day In Barcelona

Thanks to generous and trusting friends of friends, my one full day in Barcelona was not limited to eating trail mix and husbanding my last seven euros for the metro ride back to the airport (as I thought it might upon my arrival).  Nuff said about yesterday's series of unfortunate events. I had one day to explore Barcelona for the first time and was not going miss the opportunity.

I am staying in the Gothic Quarter, and started the day by by downloading and following Rick Steves Audio Tour of Barcelona, as recommended by my seatmate on the flight over. My intent was to see and do everything there was to see and do in Barcelona. I assumed one day would be enough. Herein a selection of photos on how I did.  You be the judge.

Placa de Calalunya and The Rambles - Wherein I learn that one can sit on a bench on a busy pedestrian boulevard and not bury your nose in your phone.

Catedral de Barcelona - Where I learn the significance of 13

Jewish Quarter - Where I learn that in 1492 Ferdinand & Isabella not only sent Columbus to sail the ocean blue, but also purged all Jews from Barcelona.

Placa de Sant Jaume - Wherein I learn the administrative center of Barcelona and Catalonia is frequently the site of large protests attended primarily by young attractive women and girls.

Sagrada Familia - Wherein I learn you can get almost anything built in 150 years or less, and there are 400 scary steps down from the Passion Tower.

Picasso Museum, Friezes and Watering Hole - Wherein I learn I can make my wife jealous by exploring the art and locations to be found in the location of Picasso's formative years.

Tapas - Wherein I learn that tapas are like... um... uh... Martinis! Three are too many, one is not enough.

I intended to take a siesta after my tapas snack, then head back out for a late seaside Catalonian dinner. But I never quite recovered from the siesta after the frenetic activity of the day. That leaves something left to do when I return, and I certainly will someday.

Once or Twice in a Lifetime - The Return of Morpheus

Five years ago, I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a mostly non-sailor like myself. I sailed across the Atlantic Ocean as part of a crew of four on a 50 foot sailboat. It was a great experience, and I enjoyed almost every minute of it.  Since then, Captain Jim and First Mate Debbie have been exploring and enjoying the Mediterranean on board the Morpheus.

Turns out it will be a twice in a lifetime experience. Morpheus is returning to the Caribbean, and I'll be on board. First I had a few assignments from the Captain to pick up and bring along.

Then it was time to get to where Morpheus is - Tenerife in the Canary Islands. This story started as a typical "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" trip ...

Uber to OAK, Norwegian Air to BCN...

 ... then the Metro train into town and a walk to Nouvel Hotel in Barcelona. This being my first time in Barcelona I decided to stay a couple nights before proceeding to Teneriefe.

Upon emerging from the Metro station, I am immediately charmed by the Barcelona architecture as I walk a few blocks to my hotel while wheeling my bag behind me.

Here I must digress from my usual travel narrative. We've done a lot of traveling and posting on this blog about our almost universally positive experiences. So, when things go bad I feel I should 'fess up and admit it on the blog.

While on the flight, my seatmate offered a suggestion for this first-time, short-time visitor.  He suggested I download the Rick Steves travel app and take his audio walking tour of the Gothic section in Barcelona. On that app Rick Steves warns about the well-heeled pickpockets that work the streets of Barcelona. I also received a text message from Captain Jim describing Barcelona as the pick-pocket capital of the world.  But I did not see or hear either those messages until it was too late.

Instead, on this day, in a jet-lag fog, I am traveling crowded Metro stations, strolling down a Barcelona tourist magnet boulevard, dragging my bags, stopping to take pictures of the architecture, with my wallet in my back pocket and pretty much carrying a giant neon sign over my head saying "EASY TARGET HERE".

And by the time I got to the hotel, I no longer had my wallet in my pocket. Fortunately, my passport was not in my wallet, and after an angst-ridden discussion with the hotel front desk, panicked wake-up call to my sleeping wife in San Francisco, and a scramble to get valid credit card info to the Hotel, I was permitted to check into my room.

Not much of a view, but I didn't care. I'm just glad I had a room.

So I spend the first night in Barcelona with a total of 7 Euros in cash, no credit cards, and wondering WTF I am going to do.

A solution soon arrived with a little help from my friends.  But I feel compelled to post this as, in addition to cash and credit cards, I also had ID's and business cards that reference this blog in my wallet. So this is a message to whoever "found" my wallet. Keep the cash. The credit cards are stopped. Use a little of my cash to send my license, cards, and wallet back to my home in SF.  You've got the address. Thank you.