Barcelona: Day One

Because of the hassle from the taxi/metro strike and the long day of traveling for all of us, the camelridingcowgirl and I decided to keep our first night in Barcelona simple.  We let her jet-lagging parents rest a bit at the hotel while we walked downtown to pick up the Barcelona Cards that we'd purchased online a few days earlier.  (Note to future Barcelona travelers: In retrospect, if you're time-crunched, skip the card and purchase tickets online ahead of time to avoid the lines.  Otherwise, the discounts from the card are a small perk.)

If someone would have told me back in 2001 (when I went to Spain for the first time) that Barcelona would become one of my favorite cities in Europe, I would have been shocked.  In fact, if someone would have told me a few years ago that I would fall in love with architecture, I would have been surprised.  But a few short days proved both of these facts to be true.  I love Barcelona and I love its architecture.  I just walked around in loveatfirstsight awe.  

We went to a restaurant recommended by the hotel, and as always when we do so, it was a delicious treat.  We had gazpacho as a starter.  Then I had rabbit.  As a bunnykiller, it only seemed appropriate to eat rabbit.  I finished off the meal with Catalonian orange mousse.  If this meal was a clue to how the rest of the food would be for the entire journey...we were in for some good eating!