We spent today touring the city by hop-on hop-off bus. We find it is an excellent way to see the city, but especially in Barcelona is extremely popular. Unlike Toldeo and Valencia there are dozens of buses and each one full. The first bus takes us around the older part of town, the maritime area and Montjuic, the site of the 1992 Olympics. One thing we are finding is that the buses are a great way to see the city but not very conducive for photos. Scott would have liked to have spent more time around Montjuic and the Olympic Stadium but time didn't really allow. Each tour went for nearly 2 hours, and being the weekend, is very crowded. Not good to hop-on hop-off. The next route took us through the newer part of town and the beach area which we didn't really know was there. The beach is crowded as it is a really pleasant day.
We got off the bus at what was the highest point of the route and began walking up to Tibidabo and Sagret Cor which sits at the highest part of the city. At this point a young girl from Kansas US who is traveling on her own attaches herself to us. Must trust Aussies. Fortunately after about 2 km of uphill walk we came to a cable car which took us the rest of the way to the top. Google maps tells us it is 4km of windy road to go but the cable car manages it in minutes. There are magnificent views over the city from this vantage point and you can see just about all of Barcelona. It is hard to imagine they pack 3.6m people into an area this size. When you think about Sydney and Melbourne with larger and smaller populations, they are so spread out and to think you would have a vantage point to see the whole city is ridiculous. Col and Greg climb to the top of the church, I guess because they could. Our American friend thinks it is time to head back to the hostel for a beer. Fabulous idea thinks Scott but the others haven't finished plaing tourist.
We head out for dinner on the street on which we are staying, Rambla de Catalunya. There is a massive pedestrian boulevard in the middle of the street which is home to many dining areas. The restaurants themselves are on the roadside and the staff cross the street to serve tables. Of course there is a surcharge for median strip dining but there is a good vibe to it. We pick one that is so full we have to the restaurant itself. On the menu is grilled cow, which Greg and Scott set their sights on. That is, if we can get served! After a long wait we walk out and pickk another restaurant on the boulevard. It proves to be a good choice and the food is good and plentiful. A Great way to end the night.
