We have been to Barcelona for a week a few years ago so we had no intention of running around and seeing all the sights, but instead we had planned a leisurely day with a nice lunch, with our friends Nick and Sue.

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and is the second largest city in Spain. Famous for the Gaudi cathedral and architecture and the entertainers on the Ramblas. We walked up the Ramblas to watch the street entertainers and around the narrow back streets to shop and stop for coffee. Nick is a big train fan and he had already looked up where the best model train shop was and we found some eco friendly Tuk Tuk drivers who offered to take us there.

It was time for lunch and we found a delightful Spanish restaurant close to the Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi Cathedral but without any tourists, where we had drinks and tapas.

We stopped for photographs of the Cathedral but we didn't climb the towers this time. We remember from our last visit how our legs ached so much from the climb and we were younger then too! We did a little more shopping and watched the Spanish world go by at a coffee shop before we headed back to the port to board the Queen Mary 2 for the last time, for our journey back home to England.