Today was our first full day in Barcelona! We took the Metro to Catalunya - an area in Barcelona - to walk around. We first went to a market called Mercat de Saint Caterina. It was full of delicious, fresh food - lots of fruit and veges, meat, salads and bread. The tomatoes were amazing! After the market we went to the 'Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar' - a Gothic church built in the 14th century. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside as it was closed but it was still really cool. 

 We then walked through the Barri Gotic area which is the oldest part of Barcelona . It was full of small streets, quirky shops and some really cool architecture. We walked to La Catedral - a cathedral begun in the 13th century and not finished until six centuries later! That was really cool but we didn't go inside again as it was too expensive. You were also not allowed in if you didn't have modest, respectful clothing on - so no shorts, singlets, skirts or hats! 

 Next stop was Place Reial - a huge square, then onto a small part of La Rambla. It wasn't the main part as we were near the end of it but if you looked back you could see all the trees lining the street. We walked through some little streets towards Barceloneta beach. When we got there it was packed! People were just everywhere.We swam and sun bathed for a few hours and it was a nice change from our past lake swims in Provence. We then headed back to the Gothic Quarter for an early-ish dinner at a local tapa bar. We ordered way too much and by the time we'd finished it we were stuffed! It was delicious though. By the end of the day we were all tired but we all agreed that Barcelona is fantastic!

Written by Isabelle