Beach Barcelona

20 Apr - Day 37

Marcus had gone 35 days without touching a guitar, though he tried an unsuitable the day before at the El Cortes Ingles department store. So we decided to try again. Maybe a good second hand one. Where best to look for one than at the flea market, Els Encant on Place Glories Catalanes, the largest in Barcelona.



Els Encants flea market at 11 am was very crowded. They sell new kitchen sinks, furniture, CD, DVD, old XBoxes and Playstations, old and new electronics, and all sorts of old stuff - clothes, books, furniture, framed family photos (someone elses family I assume).

On the way there we saw a cigar shaped building called Torre Agbar. I am sure there is one like this in London too.

Marcus bought a pair yellow shades for 5 euros. We were having no luck with the guitar hunting, only saw a couple of bass guitars and a really battered one with no strings.

We went to the nearby Glories Shopping mall and much better luck here, and a Rochester acoustic guiter in blue was acquired.

No point dragging the guitar around, so it was home for lunch and siesta.

At 5 or so, we took the metro to Barceloneta, by the beach and Port Vell. The promenade there was full of cafes, hawkers, and plenty of people. And no wonder, it was a beautiful 20c, light sea breeze and warm sunshine.

The promenade and boardwalk went for miles. We walked from Mirador de Colom (at the end of La Rambla - Barcelona's main shopping street) to the casino.

These were lined with restaurants, a cinema, hotels, pubs, and a shopping mall - Maremagnum. On Joan de Borbo, there is an unbroken chain of restaurants.

We bought drink from a convenience store and sat on the beach a bit to admire the sand and an interesting looking Westin hotel. Looks like a sail.

Real Madrid was playing Barcelona tonight, and the pubs were very noisy with Barca supporters. I found out later it was an away game in Madrid. Madrid won 2-1.