The promised rain arrived, so our decision to take the cable car yesterday had been a good one. We had a quick breakfast before setting out for La Rambla (http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/La-Rambla/_xMCfM9AMDl_lKCezjRpMoGJiIpYeTZYhe7lbJhRdnng), a pedestrian friendly avenue from Plaça de Catalunya (Catalonia Plaza) to the wharf. The rain dwindled from steady showers to an occasional drop or two as we strolled along, trying to avoid the crowds. Unsuccessfully. We ducked into the La Boqueria marketplace as it had been mentioned as a must-see destination along the route. It is a huge covered food market, similar to the one we visit in Malaga. This one was a little more extensive and included some bars where you could buy some wine and grab a quick bite. We settled for some nuts (pistachios, shelled pecans, and mixed nuts) to munch later. Leaving La Boqueria, we turned down a side street and found the Basilica Santa Maria, but didn’t go in. A knife store on the opposite side of the plaza caught our interest and we went in to buy a replacement paring knife that we have misplaced somewhere in our travels.
On our way to the Barcelona Cathedral (http://www.catedralbcn.org/index.php?lang=en), we saw some kids playing football in a concrete courtyard and discovered some Roman structures (portions of a wall and aqueduct). We went inside the Cathedral to get out of the rain that increased just a bit. The Barcelona Cathedral was glorious, although not quite as spacious as the one in Seville, and we reveled in the relative quiet. After resting up for a bit, we strolled down the street to check out the colored tile roofs at the Santa Caterina Marketplace. We had enough wandering for the morning, so it was time for lunch. Tapas!
