Barcelona, Spain Shore Excursion and Port Reviews I just completed a Mediterranean cruise that ended in Barcelona. A group of us decided to spend an extra couple of days in Barcelona before flying home and I am so glad we did! In fact, there was so much to see and do, we needed more than the 2 nights we allotted. Of course, that only means that I will have to return to this fabulous city to complete my exploration. Barcelona, second largest city in Spain, is a beautiful, cosmopolitan city nestled between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean. The city is a center of modern architecture and stands as a tribute to the works of Gaudi, Miro, Picasso and Dali. We arrived at our hotel, Royal Hotel Barcelona, on Las Ramblas early in the morning. I can highly recommend this hotel for its convenience and value. Our very reasonably priced rooms included a full buffet breakfast that was quite good. Arriving too early to check in, we left our luggage with the concierge and headed off to explore the city. Our tour began just a block from our hotel at Plaza Catalunya where we boarded one of the double-decker tour busses for a city tour. For 17 Euro we were given an audio headset that provided a guided commentary of the sights in 8 different languages. The busses, running a continuous circuitous route, allowed for unlimited on/off privileges at 20 stops, with pick-ups scheduled about every 10 minutes throughout the day. If you are only in Barcelona for one port day, the bus makes a convenient stop at the World Trade Center, directly in the middle of the Cruise Ship Terminal and at the foot of the Columbus Monument, the location of the shuttle bus drop-off for many cruise ships. This tour allowed us the opportunity to explore La Sagrada Familia. This Cathedral, one of Gaudi’s most famous works, begun in 1882 is still under construction even though Gaudi died in 1926. Hopping back on the bus, our next memorable stop was the Park Güell. Located on the outskirts of the city, this was Gaudi’s attempt at a garden city. Although unfinished, the unusual benches and beautiful gardens are reason enough to make this a “must see”. Continuing on our tour we drove through Av. Diagonal, the commercial district, on our way through the Olympic Village and a stop for lunch at Poble Espanyol, a quaint artisan’s village. We completed our tour passing by the cruise ship terminal, World Trade Center, Columbus Monument and Gothic Quarter. We could have spent longer exploring the Gothic Quarter with its magnificent Cathedral and monuments, but we were getting weary and ready to return to our hotel for a short rest. After relaxing and reenergizing ourselves, we met at 9:00 pm for what would turn out to be an excellent late night dining experience and some interesting nightlife discoveries. No visit to Barcelona would be complete without a visit to a tapas restaurant. Our concierge recommended Ciudad Condal, just north of Plaza Catalunya on Rambla de Catalunya and we were not disappointed. In addition to being quite reasonable, the fare was superb and ambiance even better!!! While it was close to midnight by the time we finished our meal, we weren’t quite ready to call it a night and found a few interesting cafés/bars to entertain ourselves before retiring. Sunday morning found us well rested and ready to begin the last day of our journey. Unfortunately, we had not planned today’s activities very well. We were eagerly looking forward to doing some serious shopping along the many side streets along Las Ramblas, but had forgotten that almost all stores are closed on Sunday. Oh, well! In retrospect it was probably a good thing that my bank account remained intact. On to Plan B: We took a leisurely stroll the length of Las Ramblas to the Columbus Monument, stopping along the way to sample the sangria and people watch. We were rewarded for our efforts on this day, by being in the right place at the right time. While enjoying our walk, we watched the Olympic torch parade passed us on its way to the opening ceremonies of the summer Olympics in Athens. We never did make it to the Picasso Museum or the Miro Foundation, but as I stated at the beginning of this review, I have a reason to return to this vibrant and exciting city.   Ever thought of becoming a part time or home based travel agent? Follow this link to see some of the books Tom Ogg has authored.