Today started much the same as yesterday, only just a little bit earlier. We decided that 2pm was just too late to be arriving back at the hotel and the rooftop pool and bar after token sightseeing. So we decided to get it out of the way (like it was a chore) earlier and hence were up and out of there by about 9:30am. We got breakfast at a little café on the street down below, and we started to realise that Spain was cheap! We got bacon and eggs, toast, tomato and a drink for about €5! We felt we could live a bit more like kings here, particularly after Paris. And I'm no backpacker (really - my bag straps even zip up to not look like a backpack, and it had wheels), so living like a king would suit my style. I'm wary that today's blog might be a bit on the short side because come this afternoon, all we did was the exact same as yesterday afternoon, and finding new and exciting ways to describe lazing around the pool is probably difficult. I also know that people live and breathe for this blog every single day (...) so I want to make sure it's something substantial for them! So I feel the need to insert a bit of a rambling on paragraph to give it some length and keep up the good times to my reader(s). This is that such paragraph. Anyway, back to the story (facts). After breakfast we headed towards the downtown area of Barcelona. Like everywhere else, we walked in. We say it's to get a good feel for the place from street level, but who am I trying to fool? We all know it's because we just don't want to deal with the public transport language barrier. Although, with everyone being so friendly in Spain so far, maybe we should've. I get the feeling they would've rolled out a red carpet welcome mat with each trip. Regardless of our mode of transport, we found our way into the centre of Barcelona, and in particular La Rambla, which is the main street running through the city. And I think walking was a good move! Along the way we saw the remnants of a car crash, so I think us walking saved our lives (that's probably a little dramatic, it was just a fender bender on the other side of the road, and we may not have been in that car if we were driving anyway). La Rambla was packed and full of energy, which is a far cry from most of the rest of Barcelona we'd seen so far. Seriously it was like they were all asleep everywhere else, the streets seemed dead! No wonder they've been in recession in Spain. Get out and spend people, you have a pretty nice place here! We made our way down La Rambla, with shops lining each side of the road and stalls scattered through the pedestrian centre. Along the way we stopped at the Mercat de la Boqueria, a massive market that is apparently a highlight. The markets here are actually pretty awesome. I've not been into them yet, but they spell market as 'mercat', which sounds like meerkat, and that's pretty cool because meerkats are awesome. And when you see a supermarket, it's like a super meerkat, and I just picture meerkats in capes. Hehe. More seriously though, I'm really not sure how markets can be that much of a tourist attraction. We went in there, and sure, the extensive range of meats, poultry, fish, cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables was impressive, but how is this of any use to me? If I was at home, with a kitchen and everything at my full disposal (and an ounce of cooking skill), this market would be so awesome to have so close; you could literally get everything you needed to cook anything you dreamed of, so fresh! But the problem is I'm a tourist, and like pretty much all tourists, I don't have any kitchen or any facility at my disposal to take advantage of this wonderful array of fresh food. I wouldn't even know what fresh food is at the moment! So I don't get it as being a tourist attraction! Having said that, I did get a big cup of fresh fruit. Yum! After walking past a heap more shops that all sold the same things, a big statue of Christopher Columbus signalled that we got to the end of La Rambla, where it opened right up to the waterfront. I don't think Spaniards like the water. We crossed over to the giant waterfront complex, which has restaurants, a shopping centre, cinemas, everything! Except people. It was seriously dead. I have no idea how a place like this even stays open! Dad and Daniel wanted to buy singlets for the pool deck later on so we wandered around until they found a couple. I didn't bother - my piddly little arms don't fill a singlet, and my skin's insistence on hating any form of UV means I try to keep as much of it covered as I can! Speaking of the sun and the pool, we could hear them both calling our names, and after a couple of hours of exhausting touring and singlet buying, we decided to head back for a well earned dip and relax! We walked back a different way that was a little more direct. Daniel chose to wear thongs into town today, a wise choice that led to them rubbing on his foot, forming a blister, popping that blister, and then rubbing some more, causing him some tremendous pain (whinger). Clearly this isn't the wise part of this choice. As a result of this pain, we went seeking some band aids to cure it. And this is where the wise part came in. We didn't find any band aids, but we did find a dozen beers. For €4! We knew Spain was cheap, but this cheap? 12 cans of beer for €4? That's insane in Spain! With a new skip in our steps and a dozen beers in tow, we got back to the hotel in the early afternoon, ready for a whole afternoon relaxing by the pool. We headed up, grabbed a burger and beer for lunch, then went and relaxed in and by the pool. Something new I know! It did give me a chance to write more of my blog, have a snooze and listen to some tunes too! I know you're probably jealous, but you're also thanking me now for finding that time to write my blog that you're all loving so much..! After a heavy afternoon relaxing, we got ourselves ready and headed out for dinner to a new paella restaurant to compare it to last night's. Or so I thought. I was a little more drunk than I thought at dinner last night, and it turns out it was the same restaurant. Oops. After dinner, we headed back up for a couple more drinks on the roof. I stuck around for a little longer to write a bit more and catch up with friends at home as morning dawned, before also heading off to bed! Another hard-slog day in Barcelona done. Oh yeah, and Daniel did eventually get some band aids. Not that you cared after realising a dozen beers cost €4!