Barcelona - Sailing and Wandering

Sailing * Gothic Quarter

Before we left for Europe I had tried to get tickets to sail the Barcelona Harbor on a big sailing ship that's been sitting in the Harbor for years (think the ship Columbia at Disneyland) - but it was being repaired. This got us thinking about doing a private sailing trip in the Mediterranean so we found someone on trip advisor with 5 stars and went for it.

We sailed with Skipper Dave from Scotland on his 1947 sailboat he bought 8 years ago from someone who decided he wouldn't be sailing around the world in it - but it is perfect for a 3 hour sail in the Mediterranean.  We enjoyed the peaceful quiet escape from the busy city.  The ship traveled slowly on the way out and down the coast but on the way back the wind picked up and so did the waves.  We were clipping along and the boat slanted in the water so that water splashed over the bow and up the sides.  It made me a tad uncomfortable to be sailing along at a 45* angel rather than flat in the water.  I wondered how scary it must be sailing in really big waves.  Before the wind and waves picked up we took a quick swim in the Mediterranean just because.

We spent a good chunk of the afternoon getting ready for our flight tomorrow and worrying about how to package our liquids and sharp objects - we would have to pay for each bag we checked.    We decided we deserved another night of Spanish food so we did dessert first (highly recommended) of churros with chocolate and then wandered around for a couple of hours to get hungry again.  The old Gothic center is perfect for wandering - we stumbled on a few street musicians one of which we sat and listened to for a half hour.   We ate at a fancier Spanish restaurant - ordered a couple of  appetizers, a couple of salads, and meat dishes to share.  I don't know if the restaurant staff appreciates us ordering family style, but this way we get to try a wider variety and spend less.  My favorites tonight were the potatoes with a red sauce (somewhere between a BBQ sauce and spaghetti sauce on top) and small steak with a leek purée and steamed veggies.