Barcelona, Spain: Basilica & Cathedral

Our day started with a morning at sea.

It was great to be able to relax a bit before arriving in Barcelona for our overnight stay … especially since I knew that no matter what we said about taking it easy in Barcelona, we would likely not be doing so.

Once Oosterdam was tied up and cleared, we disembarked, made our way through the terminal, and walked over to the stop from where we knew the blue port shuttle would be picking up passengers. Within minutes, we were on the bus, purchasing €4.50/pp day passes from the driver. The drive to the Barcelona World Trade Center, the drop-off & pick-up location for the shuttle, was no more than 10 minutes and soon we were off for a wander.

Having been to Barcelona numerous times, and not wanting to battle the crowds at the popular sites, our plan was to get lost (on purpose) in the side streets of Las Ramblas and see where our feet would take us.

Our aimless stroll found us in the Gothic Center, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy. The tiled dome had us going inside to check it out … and the sign advising that the “Mother of God of the Mercy” could only be visited when mass was not being said led me upstairs to a window from which I was able to get an aerial shot of the interior of the basilica.

Continuing to then follow meandering streets crowded with tourists, we made our way to the Barcelona Cathedral. Since we had never checked it out in all the times we’ve visited the city, we paid the admission to enter … mostly for a chance to go up to the roof for views of Barcelona from high above. There were indeed views … but they were limited because the walkway across the ridge of the roof was undergoing restoration.

C’est la vie. Or as the Spanish might say, “Así es la vida.”Read more