Spain; Barcelona to Zaragoza

Hello from Barcelona. After a wonderful 4 days in London we taxied, trained then flew to Barcelona. What a different world. We are in a very central area, the streets pumping with people, stalls, markets, shops and tapas bars galore. Very noisy and colourful. The markets in particular are a revelation with the incredible diversity of foods, arranged in spectacular displays and with throngs of people pushing past. We cruised the place for several hours sampling some of the food and drink then finished with a further bite is a great little restaurant. Now in bed (7.30 pm) having had enough for a day that had a 6 pm start and plenty of scrambling between venues. One very cool moment was we had arranged to be picked up at B airport for a private transfer to the hotel. A v well dressed gentlemen met us at the airport gate and took us out to his large, brightly polished black Mercedes for a a very luxurious trip into the city. Hotel quite nice but down a very narrow alley that leaves the Main Street. Some fairly noisy customers in the alleys around here already teeing off for the night, so probably another night wearing earplugs, after the very noisy place we had in London. Traffic, partying, yahooing, etc most of the night. But also the wonderful sound of St Pauls cathedral bells chiming on the hour. 
L Hello again, we are on the move and currently in the mountain village of Jaca ('Haaka'), in the Pyranees mountains, very close to the French border. Snails are even appearing in the menu!.

We left Barcelona on a 300 km/hr fast train to the city of Zaragoza, then drove ourselves today (yikes!) to Jaca.  Getting hot, now in the thirties.  

What to say about Barcelona? It's a powerhouse of people and places, an assault on the mind and senses. Have a look at the Gaudi cathedral called 'La Segrada Familia.' It is monumental in scale and as tall as any cathedral, but insanely designed and crammed with exceptional features and minute detail. Truly a dream made real and the product of obsessed brilliance. What an experience walking around it with thousands of others all shaking their heads and marvelling at it. We also walked elsewhere through Roman ruins on which now sits a building where Royals greeted Columbus after his first trip to the new world. A section of the Roman town has been excavated below ground level for you to descend to and walk through, under lights. Otherwise Barcelona is crammed buildings, milling crowds, plazas and tapas bar in every direction.

Zaragoza also has a fabulous cathedral with large plazas around it, plus an excavated Roman amphitheatre that you can walk or drive around.  We stayed on the edge of the plaza looking at the cathedral and the throngs visiting it.  Yet another incredible lunch, with plenty of cold while wine, and then our first siesta, if crashing after far too much lunch is a 'siesta'. That's probably exactly what it is!  The cathedral district is populated with swifts, quite a large version with long narrow scythe shaped wings and a fast wheeling flight that seems to slice the air.  Fittingly their call is a thin, high pitched, almost demonic little shriek as they tear around at rooftop level. We often heard their sharp calls and looked up for the briefest glimpse of a band of them passing high above. Such a wild little creature living a life apart in their rooftop landscape.  Now in Jaca they are gone, probably without the monumental buildings to live around, replaced by lower buildings and the smaller, seemingly more domesticated swallow. 

How good to see the mountains today after the dry flat and dusty lowlands. Not mountains like we are familiar with but more dry, weathered and angular.  The look of the vegetation continues to be very arid and the soil poor, as it has seemed everywhere.  Scrubby pine plantations, bare earth and rocky ground. Patches of vines and olives also some occasional paddocks of grain, but nothing very verdant. No wonder bread, olive oil and wine seems to feature everywhere!  Plenty of derelict stone buildings litter the landscape if you feel like buying a bit of a do up?

We are both well and into the swing of it. Doing enough but not too much is an issue. It's hard resting when you are surrounded eg in Jaca by the most fascinating old town, but it's also draining and the engine starts to run out of gas. Conclusions on Spain so far: there is not enough time to do more than scratch the surface and you can only eat and drink so much in one day!

Love from us both,

S&S