BARCELONA: Cathedral (La Seu); La Pallaresa; Mercat de Santa Caterina ; Santa Maria Del Mar; KAIKU for Paella; Flamenco (again)!

When we stepped out of our apartment this morning, the air was quite cool, and the sky a bit cloudy. The streets were very quiet, and the day won't really start to come alive until around 9:30 am. Perfect time for walking! I should comment on how clean this area appears to be. You do not see litter on the streets. It is well taken care of, perhaps they put more effort into it because there are so many tourists around. I remind myself as I walk along, to look up whenever I pause. That's where the true beauty of the buildings can really be seen. I notice that many of the balconies have tropical plants and cacti in pots. These plants stay on the balconies year round. It's surprising, because it gets quite cool here and especially at night. So, we decided to take a walk through The Call (Jewish area) again, and wind our way through the narrow, dark passage ways. You wish you could see back into the past even for just a few moments! We walked towards Cathedral(Le Seu) which dates back to 1298. We had visited this church a few days ago, but I'm glad we returned. I think this is one of the most breathtaking churches I have ever stepped into. We first walked through the cloister area. It was so quiet and peaceful. There was a garden courtyard in the centre, with the most glorious planters I've ever seen. In another area, you could see large, pure, white geese. Apparently these geese had a valid reason to be there at one time - they warned against intruders and thieves!

On our way back to the apartment, we stopped into the La Pallaresa. That's the chocolate shop, I mentioned that we happily discovered a few days ago! The staff are so sweet there. We shared another cup of the dark, rich, bittersweet chocolate once again which was accompanied by 5 fresh, hot churros. If you were sad before you went in, you won't be sad when you come out. What a joy!

As we headed back to our apartment to collect our luggage, we frequently stopped and read the wall plaques which adorn many of the doorways along the street. The plaques commemorate the artists, poets, musicians, writers and doctors who once lived in this bohemian neighborhood. Back to Friendly Rentals we went, dragging our suitcases through the streets. Fortunately, our next apartment in the La Ribera area was ready for us, so we headed through the little narrow streets, and by noon, we were settled in. The apartment is amazing. It's in an old building. The ceilings are very high and there is old Spanish tiles throughout. And again - very clean. Here's a picture of the kitchen.

We left and started to walk through and discover the La Ribera area. Very ethnic, and lots of varieties of eateries, and unique shops. We are within minutes of the spectacularly beautiful concert hall called Palau de la Musica Catalana, where we will see Flamenco Opera on Friday evening, (to celebrate 38 years married)! We also very close to Mercat de Santa Caterina (Market) - another fabulous fresh food market. This one was our favorite so far. It was quiet and was not congested with people. There were amazing varieties of ethnic foods, olives and every kind of fresh food, fish, that you could ever want! There is a great looking restaurant in the market also. It is called "Cuines" which we plan to try in the next few days.

We continued on and walked to the Santa Maria Del Mar "Cathedral of the Sea" - another massive, gothic cathedral dating back to 1329. There was glorious organ music playing in the background, and several, gorgeous stained glass windows. The main original rose stained glass window was shattered by an earthquake in the 15th century, but is now restored to its stunning beauty. From the cathedral, we decided to walk back to the Barceloneta area by the beautiful Mediterranean. We were in search of restaurant which was recommended by Devour Food Tours, called KAIKU. We found the small and very busy restaurant and fortunately we were able to be seated without a reservation. The staff were so great and the food was so delicious. We shared a green salad, and Smoked Carpier rice with vegetables and rocket (arugula). Ron also had a starter called Transparent Goby fish sauté with garlic and green peas. Such a pleasant experience...

Since there wasn't any fish in the paella, Ron ordered the Goby fish starter. Here's a picture.

After our lunch, we began the long walk back to our apartment for a bit of a break and to unpack. We weren't there too long however, because we didn't want to miss anything - after all, we're in Barcelona! So we walked around a bit intending to poke into some of the shops, until we walked by The Palau Dalmases, where a Flamenco performance was starting at 7:30 p.m. We decided to take it in, and got excellent seats in the centre of the room. The venue was just beautiful, with an old stone interior and glorious art work on all the walls. It was airy, and a lot less crowded than the venue for Flamenco on La Ramblas, which we attended last night. Again, we were awed by a stunning performance of an art form that is so unfamiliar to us. The dance is so passionate, and it is clear that the performers are utterly absorbed by their dance, singing and guitar. They are lost in it, and I think that is what captures you as you watch! The energy and the stamina is amazing. It is heartfelt and you cannot leave this performance without having been touched by the story that is being expressed...

Tomorrow, we go on the Devour Food Tour! Love to all, Karen