Gothic Quarter & Port Vell Sun 24 Sep

Returned to 9 Placa De Les Ollies El Born Barcelona and dropped off some stuff. Then walked to a festival event in the Gothic Quarter main square. There were so many people arriving that the police closed off the area after we had got in. We saw a a parade of Giants entering the main square and then moved to the rear of the square to see acrobatic displays. Then back to 9 Placa De Les Ollies El Born for lunch and a rest. I went out and purchased food at the nearby Aldi which was a challenge as I could not read any lables and the staff did not speak English. Out again around 3.30pm and walked towards Port Vell encountering some of the Festival Giants on the way. Reached Port Vell around 4pm with its statue of Christopher Columbus and visited the Maritime Museum. It is located inside Barcelona Royal Shipyard a shipyard and former military building of Gothic architecture. Construction of the building started during the 13th century. The major exhibit in the museum is a full-size replica of the Royal Galley, made on site by artisans. The original craft was 60 metress long, with a beam of 6.2 metres and a depth of 2.08 metres. It was driven by 59 oars and 236 rowers. In additional, the original ship had a mainmast and a foremast with lateen sails. It was built in the Barcelona Royal Shipyard in 1568, as part of a great fleet that was to stand up to the Ottomans. We left the museum after 5.30pm and walked back to 9 Placa De Les Ollies El Born Barcelona.Read more