Spain Road Trip: Days 5-8 (Barcelona, Tortosa, Moraira)

     Our last full day in Barcelona was a lot of fun.  We rented bikes and rode all around the city.  Barcelona has lots of bike lanes and other places to ride in relative safety.  We saw lots of things we wouldn't have seen on foot and had fun doing it.  Here are some photos:

Statue of Columbus, Who Left Here on His Second Voyage

That was enjoyable.  Plus, we had a great lunch (11.50E for two really nice dishes, beverage and dessert!):

We biked and lunched for 5 hours.  Then we had to go back and see our dog at the hotel.

     That evening, we went and saw the Casa Mila.  This is a Gaudi-designed apartment building. People come from all over to see its bizzare shape.  We felt certain that the English word "Gaudy" must come from the architect's name.  But we Googled it, and it turns out the two words are not related.  Anyway, here are some photos from the roof of the Casa Mila:

     The next morning was Thursday.  Before we left Barcelona, we went to see "The Cathedral."  It doesn't have a name . . . they just call it The Cathedral.  Supposedly when Columbus brought back some Native Americans, they baptized one or more of them in The Cathedral.  We would have known more . . . Averil tried to eavesdrop on an English-speaking tour group but she was "caught" and told that it was a "private tour" by the snooty tour group leader.  Anyway, here are some pictures from our last morning in Barcelona:

     We had a good time in Barcelona and learned a lot.

     Then it was time to navigate our way out of the city and head south to our next destination -- three hours south in Tortosa.  But first we stopped in Sitges and had a dip in the ocean:

     The reason we went to Tortosa is that there is a river there called the Ebro river.  And in the Ebro river there are giant catfish and carp that you can fish for.  So we booked a fishing trip with an outfit that also provided accommodations.  It turned out to be a sort of compound run by British people -- a mother and son (our guide) and the father (who we never saw).  It was all bit odd in some ways, but the accommodations were fine and we ended up spending a pleasant day fishing by the river.

     Unfortunately, it was a slow day and we didn't get a single fish for the first 5 hours (we read books while we fished).  A lesser group might have given up.  But not us!  Toward mid-afternoon we got our first fish, then a second, and a third.  We ended up with a 7.5 pound catfish, an 18 pound carp (Ford's fish) and a 4.5 pound Canadian Catfish.  Here are pictures to prove it:

Ford's 18.5 lb. "common carp"- decidedly uncommon to Ford, who was THRILLED

First fish-- 8 pound Wells Catfish; the guide estimated it to be 2 years old

4.5 pound Canadian catfish

Ivy was happy to be out in the country again too:

     The next morning was Saturday.  Saturday is a very special day, because it is the day before El Generalisimo's birthday.  And on her birthday, we are going to sing Happy Birthday in three languages.  But on this Saturday we voyaged from Tortosa to our new base of operations in Moraira, three hours south (about 1.5 hours south of Valencia).  

     The Spanish housing market has been killed in recent years.  This is bad if you own real estate, but good if you want to rent a nice house for a week is Moraira.  Which is what we did.  They call it a "villa," but it is really just a nice big house with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a swimming pool.  And it's cheap!  So we're staying here for a week and we'll make little day trips here and there.  And we'll post pictures of the house and the pool (which Ivy and the kids adore and use together even though it's not very warm outside).  But the posting of these photos will have to wait because El Generalismo is demanding a foot rub, and it is birthday's eve . . . .