Leaving our friends Doug and Janet in Venice (as were driving north to continue their European adventure), Tony and I boarded our flight from Venice Treviso airport, Barcelona bound. I had a window seat which gave me the perfect wing shot on takeoff and those of you who know me well, will know I love wing shots. We had a shuttle booked as part of our Ryan Air flight and the driver gave us a running commentary of points of interest and famous buildings on our drive into the city, which was a bit of a bonus.

After checking into our hotel it was time to explore. Barcelona had a great feel to it, it was hot and sunny, the streets very clean and the atmosphere vibrant. Walking down La Rambla there are many unique buildings designed by the very famous Spanish architect Gaudi, at the bottom of the Avenue a statue of Christopher Columbus. It was a photographers heaven for a couple of paparazzi like Tony and myself. The metro train system in Barcelona is very efficient, the stations very clean and the trains frequent. We bought a T10 pass which gives you ten trips for €9.95 and two people can use the same ticket, so very cheap at only €1 per person, per trip. We took a train to visit the magic fountain, disappointment, there was no water and after sitting around waiting with hundreds of others for the light and water show to commence we discovered the night display is only on Thursday to Sunday nights and it was Tuesday! The tapas and beer at, Matea Tapa Bar, were however not a disappointment and it was a great way to finish our first day in Spain.

Our second day in Barcelona was once again hot and sunny, in fact we haven't seen a single spot of rain or more than a whisp of a cloud since leaving our New Zealand winter. First up we had skip the line tickets to La Sagrada Famillia, an incredible famous cathedral that is still being built despite construction starting in 1882, it's estimated finish date is 2030. The architecture inside and out could only be described as breathtaking, it's immense size, intricate ceilings, incredible stained glass windows and massive towers are quite mind blowing. We took a lift 55 metres up the 'Nativity Tower', there are fantastic views of Barcelona from the top and as you also as you cross a stone bridge through into the next tower then wander down the steep spiral staircase to again reach the cathedral below. Gaudi certainly knew how to design to impress. In the early afternoon we visited Park Guell, yet another of Gaudi's architectural creations. The beautiful garden areas filled with intricate mosaic creations and buildings that look like 'gingerbread houses' were amazing to wander through. Following another visit to the magic fountain, this time in daylight and with all the fountains filled with water and demonstrating what all fountains should do, we headed to the beach. Only twenty minutes walk from the hotel, the beach, even at 6pm, was packed with locals and tourists, stretched out in the baking sun cooking like gingerbread men in a giant oven, some of them not wearing much more on top than gingerbread men (women) either. After a cooling dip in the Mediterranean Sea it was back into the city where we once again enjoyed tapas before having a cooling drink at the rooftop bar of our hotel and retiring for the night after what had been yet another action packed day.