Hey friends, as was to be expected after my early morning arrival back to the room, I didn’t get up until around 11:30 AM, and even then I was about an hour more before heading out. I didn’t have a clear mission in mind today, but for the moment all I knew was that I wanted food, and boy oh boy did I find it!
I wasn’t sure about what to do today, but then I remembered that everyone says you are supposed to go to La Rambla, so I figured that I may as well tick that off the list as well. It was a short subway ride, and by 2:30 PM I was exploring.
So I had figured that I wouldn’t need much time to see La Rambla and I was right. Thus, before heading out I decided to take a chance and book a flamenco show for 5:30 PM at City Hall Theater. This was very close to La Rambla (It might even be right on the boulevard; I don’t remember now.) so I knew it would be easy to arrive after I was finished. The cost was about 25 USD, as I had chosen a mid-range seat. The cheapest would have been about 20 USD. Surprisingly, and happily, I think this was one of my best purchases for the trip. It was only about 50 minutes, but it was worth every penny and I highly recommend it should you get the chance.
Pictures alone really don’t do it justice. The combination of the live music, the intensity and precision of the dancers and the dramatic snap of their heels on the floor was mesmerizing. I can’t speak for other flamenco shows in Barcelona, but this one was spectacular. These were true artists, fully dedicated to their craft.
Exiting the theatre I noticed lots of people headed down one street and in the distance I could hear cheering and music. Like any good tourist, I once again decided to follow the crowd. It was a Pride parade and I was really impressed with both the organization and even the way they were immediately cleaning up as the parade finished passing by.
By the time the parade had finished going by, it was almost 9:00 PM. I didn’t want a repeat of last night’s desperate hunt for food so I resolved to just go into the first decent looking place I saw.
As luck would have it, I saw a fairly large restaurant called Wok Dao which had many people entering, most in modest clothes, so it seemed likely that the food must be both good and reasonably priced. The place was packed, and I was immediately seated by an efficient hostess. When I asked for the menu, she told me that it was only a buffet, but that it really was very delicious, so I should check it out. Having had such a large late lunch, I wasn’t eager for a buffet, but I also didn’t want to hunt for another restaurant. So I decided that 25 euros would be fine for my final dinner in Barcelona, and I went up to check it out. Clearly the biggest draw of this place is its seafood, and it DID look amazing, but I’m allergic (anaphylactic reaction) to shellfish, so all of that was out with me. However, the staff assured me that there was no cross contamination of food during preparation, so I guessed it was safe. Even without the shellfish, the buffet was definitely worth 25 euros. I ate way too much again, and enjoyed every bite.
From here, it was a quick and easy trip subway ride back to my lodging, arriving by 11 PM. I wanted to get a good rest as the next morning I would be traveling to Madrid by train. I hadn’t expected my final day in Barcelona to be all that interesting, but once again, fate kept me happily occupied all day long. Let’s hope that things in Madrid also go this well. Anyways, thanks for reading, and let me know if you have any questions. I’ll do my best to help with any additional details as needed.
Travels with Jay 