LOCATION: Barcelona to JFK
WEATHER: Barcelona – sunny, high 55. JFK – unseasonably warm. High 60

Our flight wasn’t until 6:00 PM, so we were excited to spend another day in beautiful Barcelona. After a coffee in a coffee shop/bakery (they are everywhere), we stored our bags at the hotel and headed off.

Our destination was Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s famous pedestrian mall. It starts at a major plaza then goes all the way to the port. Since it was a sunny Saturday, seemingly all of Barcelona had the same idea and the boulevard was full of people, mostly Spaniards.

It is lovely to see the old buildings and the stalls along the way – souvenirs, flowers, and snacks

Little restaurants were getting set up for tapas and wine

We strolled and strolled, and made it all the way to the old port area. There is a beautiful maritime building…

And a statue of Christopher Columbus….

It didn’t seem all that touristy, but Barcelona can fill up in the summer and/or when cruise ships are in port. It is quite a problem.

We decided to head back to the hotel through back streets, and boy were we rewarded! We peeped down little alleys where people had their clothes drying on their balconies…

Spaniards love to be out and about, and the streets were full of locals. We found a cute wine/beer bar. I had the house wine, again served in a juice glass, and George tried a different beer. Our tapas were Spanish icons – Manchego cheese and a portion of Spanish tortilla (like a potato omelette – not to be confused with Mexican tortillas)

Alas, we had to leave for the airport. The flight was 8 hours, leaving at 6:00 PM, and arriving at 9:00 PM (NYC time). Our bodies, however, told us that is was 2:00 AM.

We stayed overnight at an old Howard Johnson motel – in Jamaica, NY which is the JFK location. It is pretty dicey. During the night, I heard gun shots and a lot of roaring motorcycles. Welcome back to the USA!