Barcelona and Beyond

Gaudi's Sagrada Familia - almost finished!

Private house by Gaudi

Next stop for Common Sense was one of several marinas along the coast near Barcelona - Premia Marina - close to the home of our friends Laura and Olivier. Again we had the delight of meeting up with cruising friends when Laura appeared on the dock with baby Mae - and a basket of Spanish treats to welcome us: three kinds of jamon, tomatoes, fresh bread and local sherry. Yum! Mae seemed to know her way around a boat and instinctively took the wheel while Terry (thoroughly smitten) explained the instruments to her.

We spent the next day in Barcelona itself, taking the obligatory Big Red Bus orientation tour and checking out the wonderful architecture, and taking a stroll up Las Ramblas to find Olivier's restaurant - another happy reunion, though he was a lot thinner and paler than he was as skipper of Hephaistos! Las Ramblas is the place to be in Barcelona with its varied restaurants and cafes, markets, innovative shops and thousands of people from everywhere in the world.

Las Ramblas

We had a day at the local beach where baby Mae courageously took her first ocean swim despite the choppy conditions - she is clearly destined for a life at sea. Next day the wonderful hospitality continued, with Laura driving us up to the Catalan national park of Montserrat, with its Benedictine monastery nestled in beneath the saw-toothed mountain peaks. It has a funicular railway up to the top for spectacular views, and the abandoned cells of the more reclusive monks are still visible in the mountainsides. The monastery itself is austerely beautiful and there is even a nice little gallery, complete with Caravaggio for my collection!

Montserrat

The last day with our friends was spent shopping and visiting a local brewery to sample its wares, then a sad goodbye to Olivier, Laura and Mae. Thanks for a wonderful time and we hope to see you again at home, at sea or perhaps even as our guests in Western Australia where we promise you won't get bitten by a shark, snake or spider!