Did you know there is a beautiful beach in Barcelona? After touring in the 100°F temperatures the day before, all I wanted was a cool swim. I knew the green route on the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus would take us there.

I was expecting the Mediterranean to be like the Gulf of Mexico. In appearance it certainly looked that way. However, swimming in it was cool and refreshing. There are chairs and umbrellas for rent at the beach. Most of them had been rented for the day, but since we were going to be there just a few hours, they rented us a set for that time with the understanding we would be leaving.

What I didn’t notice at first was that it was a beach where topless bathing was permitted. When I did notice it, I had a discussion with Danny. Being 18, he was pretty embarrassed and spent the rest of the time with his nose in his phone. I didn’t have any qualms but was not about to go topless bathing and embarrass him.

After a couple of hours we cleaned up at showers near the beach and had lunch at one of the restaurants there. The food was underwhelming. I supposed there’s a luxury of having a sort of captive audience near the beach.

We rode the bus around on all of the routes again. Danny collects t-shirts from all of the different Hard Rock cafes, so we stopped at the one near La Sagrada Familia. I was supposed to go on a tour through La Sagrada Familia with two of my friends that night, but skipped it since I didn’t want to be climbing around in the heat. I regret that decision.

The next time I visit Barcelona it will not be in the summer and I will tour La Sagrada Familia. I would also recommend paying attention to sunset as these beautiful pictures were taken just before sunset when the sunlight streamed through the stained glass. It’s just absolutely stunning to see.

The whole group was finally together and we’d made a reservation for dinner that night.

Before our trip, I’d been searching Yelp for good restaurants near our hotel and came across this one about two blocks away. We couldn’t resist the name, although the food turned out to be really good as well. We’d made a reservation for 8 and they seated us at what could be described as the Chef’s table since it was right next to the kitchen. I think we entertained the kitchen that night!

My son being 18 got to try his first drink here and was not impressed. Good on him for trying though. He tried drinks in several places throughout the cruise, and I’m happy to report it doesn’t seem he will be enjoying alcohol.

The menu was tapas, tapas, tapas and everything was delicious!

Danny tried it all, but in the end he went to get pizza across the street from the hotel. I still give him credit for trying lots of unfamiliar food. Everything was good. The only thing I didn’t try were the mussels and the shrimp in the mixed fish.

The next day we were boarding our ship. I would like to visit Barcelona again and see it in more detail, just when it is a bit cooler.