Barcelona Beaches!!!!!

Friday the 13th

We arrived at 10:30 am at Estacio de Franco, found the subway outside and around the train station and paid 2 euro for one stop. Then we walked through two placas (squares, or piazzas) to our hotel. It was AIR CONDITIONED, as the first thing we complained about, coming from the cold Paris rain, was the heat and humidity. Only one of the six rooms were available, so everyone piled their luggage into that room, got their bike clothes on and walked a block down and waited for our bike tour guide Clayton from Australia, He took the group on a wonderful historical tour and everyone was able to see the exteriors of Sagrada Familia,

Gaudi's famous cathedral that is still not finished, the Barcelona Cathedral, the Gaudi house, and other historical buildings that are less famous.

At the end of the bike tour, everyone was able to lay out on the beaches with a cold drink and food.
After returning the bikes, the unanimous decision was made to go back to the beach.


Everyone met at 8:30 in the lobby and walked a few blocks down La Rambla

to a dinner of 60 plates of tapas. WOW. It was a mixture of fish, chicken, pork and sausages.

After dinner, it was a night out to a few dance clubs, Razzmatazz was the main focus as there was a DJ that the group knew that went on at 4 am. Joel didn't bring his camera, and actually enjoyed his night out not working!!!!

Sabado the 14th. 

Knowing not to wake anyone up by now(...yes I have learned my lesson) I couldn't get anyone to stand in line for the Sagrada Familia interior tour at 9 am, so I blogged until they woke up (not bad, only about noon) then joined them all at an outing to a beach town outside of Barcelona. Just a mere forty kilometers south on the train, is the infamous Sitges beach. It was the most beautiful beach town. Think Venice Italy walkways all leading down a hill to the softest sandy beach, a wonderful wide walkway with cafes with outside tables overlooking the sand and umbrellas and chairs and warm water! An amazing do nothing day. (It was a topless beach and many of the travelers felt the sunny freedom and tried to tan any bathing suit lines away!)

Tonight after dinner another evening full of dancing, but its 11:11 and no one has come back from dinner to dress. Joel and Jeff are napping and I believe I am done blogging and better rest too if we are all going to be out until 4 am. I guess tomorrow the Dali morning trip might have to be postponed to an afternoon trip after all.

Tomorrow the line up is to take the train two hours north to Figerous up on the hill overlooking the ocean to see the Dali museum, then come back (another two hours) and then try to get them to stand in line to see the interior of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia then try to get them to want to take the metro north to Parc Guell and walk up a hill to see Gaudi's tile bench seats. It'll be like pulling muscles from a shell, but I will let you know how strong and convincing I am, I believe a night of dancing will win over any idea I have. I must work harder on my persuasion techniques.

ALL in ALL, everyone is healthy. The two girls sickness magically went away upon arriving in Barcelona. Hannah's foot was hurting this afternoon walking to the beach, but she is a trooper. The boys are cliquey and have their separate boy trip going, but we see them now and then to give them second hand directions. Joel pops in and out of various group tour trips and I am constantly encouraging them to "fit in a few monuments please" but today the beach won us all over. I think we miss home.

6 days and counting.