Barcelona Break

7.4.16:
Took the 9h30 train back to Perpignan and this time there were airport style security and ticket checks. The train was on time and I managed to get the bus back to the village which saved a lot of hassle. Had soup in the bar with Ann and Terry as usual and then pottered at home for the rest of the day.
Weather:
14°, sunshine and cloud. wind. Overnight rain.

6.4.16:

Christophe and family are spending a few days in "The Capital",  (ie of Catalunya North and South) as was pointed out to me when I said "Barcelona". Kindly, they invited me to join then for an overnight. Left the village at 8am to get to Perpignan for the high speed train that took 1h20. Not one single ticket check. Just my luck, I had my ear bent as we waited for the train by an old buffer (ex RAF) who was accompanied by his long suffering wife. Despite having had a holiday home here for 25 years, he complained about the banks and other French ways of doing things; didn't compare to UK! Of course he didn't listen to my counter arguments. He also commented that a gang of railway workers standing around were like those in England and where they would be called "Irish".  He back tracked  when I said that most families had Irish origins. What a ......!
The journey went well and there was a row of smiling faces waiting to welcome me at the station. We headed straight off for a visit to the Sagrada Familia. Thank goodness Valérie had pre-booked our tickets. You'll know what an amazing piece of design it is. The stain glass was just wonderful. http://www.sagradafamilia.org/en/photo-gallery/   Construction started in 1882 and is due to be finish in 2026 to coincide with the centenary of Gaudi's death. http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jun/03/barcelona-sagrada-familia-gaudi-history-cities-cathedral-poor-church-religion
By the time we'd walked to the restaurant that Valérie had picked out, our feet were well tired but it was a great place with healthy food and cold beer. http://www.granjapetitbo.com/
More walking was in store for us afterwards with a trip to the Parc Guell. just fabulous though bad luck for us as the main paying part of the park was not accessible until 19h because we hadn't booked our tickets. The kids had no desire to wait around so we headed back to the flat for a cuppa, a rest and then an apéritif. Walked to a nearby Moroccan/Lebanese restaurant situated in a lively street lined with bars, restaurants, tapas bars and pastry shops. Not bad at all.
https://picasaweb.google.com/114284735716067114333/Barcelona2016?authkey=Gv1sRgCOiNx67rk-XpjAE
Weather:
22°, sun. Windy in Perpignan