Wednesday 28 August

We enjoy a full breakfast buffet at the hotel and head for the nearest Metro for a short trip to the heart of the city at Placa de Catalunya, which is where the 2 companies offering hop-on-hop-off buses have their base. Busy metro, but with the help of Mr Google we don't have a problem and get the front seats upstairs on the 9.30am bus. It's a sunny day with temperature up to 28°C so we takes precautions. The Red Route takes us for 2 hours around the central historical districts, the Olympic Park hill area which hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics, and the port area with the yachts, ferries and cruise ships. We pass the old part of the city that dates back to Roman times, which is where we will start our Tapas Walking Tour tonight.

Returning to the start point of the Red Route we take time for a coffee at Cafe Zurich before crossing Catalonia Square to start the Blue Route. Big bus day today. See everything and then select what is worth stopping at tomorrow. We travel past the Sagrada Familia, and Parc Guell both of which we have prepaid tickets to visit. If you don't book ahead you probably won't be able to visit as numbers are limited.

Barcelona is laid out between the Mediterranean Sea and a SSW trending line of hills so the street grid has a NNE trend along the ocean. Prior to the 1992 Olympics this was a rocky coastline with low quality housing and port related buildings. But as part of the "wash & brush-up" it was all redeveloped with marinas, shops, restaurants, and increasingly cruise ship facilities. They even created 5 sand beaches using sand drenched from offshore.

The Blue Route takes you through the foothills to the west and then back into the city past the university area and the local football stadium which we were proudly told is the largest in Europe with a capacity of 100,000. We finish the bus ride back near our hotel. Enough bus travel for one day!

We meet up with our small group of 6 visitors and 2 guides at 6.00pm in the Placa de Sant Jaume which was the centre (forum) of the Roman city of Barcino. Our fellow guests are from Toronto and Texas. It's a very pleasant evening for a stroll around the old city, and our main guide Pau (Paul) is an academic studying for a second degree (in philosophy) and working part-time. He has excellent English and seems to have worked in all 4 of the establishments we visit. Although the tour notes refer to 4 bars, in local parlance non are called a bar.

The first is a Tasca which is a "poor person's" eating place and the name is related to the Medieval tax levied by a feudal landlord of 10% of the crop. Tasca El Corral is a cosy, hidden restaurant with a rustic sawn tree-branch lined ceiling. Jamon hangs from the ceiling, queso and chorizo are on display. We are given a demonstration of pouring cider from a great height, and then some of us have a go ourselves. The local "Sider" comes in bottles but is flat and very reminiscent of scrumpy with a distinct vinegar overtone. Aerating a small serve and very quickly downing it in one go reduces the sour taste. Tony said it actually works, but being familiar with Somerset scrumpy, he found the drink quite acceptable (possibly the only one of the visitors to think so though). The sider was accompanied by sliced chorizo flamed and cooked at the table.

Another drink for which the area is famous is vermouth. At a Bodega the herbs and other ingredients are mixed in a large barrel and served by the glass or in reusable bottles (bring your own) for the same very reasonable price. Originally a Bodega was the warehouse used to store wine but is now the word is used to describe a wine bar. We enjoy the vermouth at Bodega Vidrios y Cristales, served on ice, anchovy stuffed olive, lemon slice and a final ice cube, in a thin glass. This was served with a potato omelette tapa, thinly sliced tuna with Marcona almonds, and a salted fish crostini.

Our next stop was at Bodega La Tinaja which is located in Barcelona's Born area near to the Estació de França station. It is a rustic and charming place to go for a drink. The restaurant is hidden behind a large wooden double door and inside is a traditional wine cellar. The atmosphere is rustic and cosy, with wooden tables, stone arches, hanging sausages and racked bottles of wine.

We are served a glass of Lasendal 2017 from Montsant (Garnacha Tinta and Syrah blend) and shown how the locals prepare tomato bread. A selection of sliced jamon, salami, cow & goat's cheese, blue cheese (mix in some sider to make it really creamy) and quince jam is served with the bread.

The final stop is at Bodega La Puntual on Carrer de Montcada. Here we are introduced to Cava (not kava) which is a sparkling wine with only a defined region in Catalonia being able to use the name. It has been made since the 1850's, comes in white and rose varieties, and is produced using "traditional" methods I.e. the same as champagne. For some obscure reason we had to drink it from a shared drinking vessel called a Porron. This is a traditional glass wine pitcher, originating in Catalonia and eventually spreading to other parts of Spain. This invention allows everyone to drink from the same utensil without touching it with their lips. Everyone tried it, and serviettes were a must for anyone without a good aim. Our food included Patatas Bravas (fried potato with special sauce), beautifully steamed mussels and octopus on thin mashed potato. We finished with some dark chocolate blocks on a small toast with olive oil and salt.