We dragged ourselves out of bed at about 9.30, got ready for the day, and went down for breakfast. It took a while to find breakfast, winding through the succession of lavish rooms downstairs, but we eventually stepped out into the grandest, most beautiful breakfast area, under a huge marquee. In awe, we took our table under a (n unnecessary) heater, and went to explore the mountains of tasty food that was there for the taking. I started with cereal, then had a fried plate with toast, eggs, sausages, bacon, and then a plate of yoghurt and fruit. I really wanted to be able to try the cheeses and meats, the waffles and fruit compote, the cake, the Chinese breakfast, and the many other things that were set out. Most amazing breakfast ever.
We met the other Rackers in the foyer, and waited for everyone, some who hadn't had much sleep at all. There was a funny little man dressed like a Jew milling around. We were divided into groups, and given a bag, instructions, and a booklet to write our answers. Our group was me, Christian, Steve, and Kathrine. We set off as per the directions to find a fountain.We went past lots of fountains, but had difficulty finding the right one. In fact, we had difficulty finding the right street (La Rambla). Eventually, by asking people, we found the required fountain, which was in fact a drinking fountain in the middle of the shopping street. Apparently if you drink from it, you love Barcelona forever. We didn't. We wrote down the quote that was carved around it. We went on to do a number of other challenges, involving assembling the ingredients in the amazing food market to make Crema Catalana, counting palm trees, making bruschetta wearing boxing gloves, listing museums, looking for the names of city mayors and Roman emperors, etc. We were meeting for lunch, and so were getting short on time, though not even halfway through the booklet. We gave up, and got a cycle rickshaw thingo up to the restaurant. It was fun, though slightly scary when sharing the road with the traffic.
We took our seats in the nice restaurant with many floors, and had beers, and many courses of tapas served. Again, it was nowhere near as good as the place in Malta, but it was very pleasant. From there, we went our separate ways. Christian and I went back down La Rambla, having a look at the markets again, and buying ham and chocolate, having a look at the theatre with a view to a tour (the timings were wrong), and buying a few gifts. We ended up back down at the harbour, but further south than we'd been the night before. We had a wander, took some photos, and waited for the pedestrian bridge to let us further into the harbour complex. As we were waiting, I suddenly got very tired again, and we decided to walk back, looking for food places on the way. Back at the hotel, we asked the concierge where might be good for dinner that serves paella. He directed us to a restaurant called Farga.
After resting for a while at the hotel, we went back out for dinner. Farga was very smart, and the service was snappy. We had some very tasty sangria, and the paella was absolutely delicious, and very voluminous and not too expensive. We meandered back to the hotel, and turned in for the night, quite early.
We met the other Rackers in the foyer, and waited for everyone, some who hadn't had much sleep at all. There was a funny little man dressed like a Jew milling around. We were divided into groups, and given a bag, instructions, and a booklet to write our answers. Our group was me, Christian, Steve, and Kathrine. We set off as per the directions to find a fountain.We went past lots of fountains, but had difficulty finding the right one. In fact, we had difficulty finding the right street (La Rambla). Eventually, by asking people, we found the required fountain, which was in fact a drinking fountain in the middle of the shopping street. Apparently if you drink from it, you love Barcelona forever. We didn't. We wrote down the quote that was carved around it. We went on to do a number of other challenges, involving assembling the ingredients in the amazing food market to make Crema Catalana, counting palm trees, making bruschetta wearing boxing gloves, listing museums, looking for the names of city mayors and Roman emperors, etc. We were meeting for lunch, and so were getting short on time, though not even halfway through the booklet. We gave up, and got a cycle rickshaw thingo up to the restaurant. It was fun, though slightly scary when sharing the road with the traffic.
We took our seats in the nice restaurant with many floors, and had beers, and many courses of tapas served. Again, it was nowhere near as good as the place in Malta, but it was very pleasant. From there, we went our separate ways. Christian and I went back down La Rambla, having a look at the markets again, and buying ham and chocolate, having a look at the theatre with a view to a tour (the timings were wrong), and buying a few gifts. We ended up back down at the harbour, but further south than we'd been the night before. We had a wander, took some photos, and waited for the pedestrian bridge to let us further into the harbour complex. As we were waiting, I suddenly got very tired again, and we decided to walk back, looking for food places on the way. Back at the hotel, we asked the concierge where might be good for dinner that serves paella. He directed us to a restaurant called Farga.
After resting for a while at the hotel, we went back out for dinner. Farga was very smart, and the service was snappy. We had some very tasty sangria, and the paella was absolutely delicious, and very voluminous and not too expensive. We meandered back to the hotel, and turned in for the night, quite early.
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