No Reservations

Trying to live the life of Anthony Bourdain is pretty much unrealistic for us, but I felt we really got close today as we arrived in Barcelona and started to tour around on our own. If you haven't ever watched Anthony Bourdain "No Reservations" on the travel channel, I would highly suggest it. Although he is a little crude, he gives a great reflection of the culture from each city he goes to. Thomas and I became obsessed when we started planning our trip to Spain and Portugal. Of course we started our journey through the new international terminal in Atlanta which really makes you feel like you're flying in elite status...decorated with low hanging chandeliers as you approach the top of the escalator and enter into the main lobby and begin your way to your terminal which isn't nearly as crowded as the other part of the airport. We landed in Barcelona at about 8:30 in the morning (1:30 am central time). We braved the railway system blindly as we made it to within walking distance to our hotel and had a little entertainment on the way (note the accordion player). We barely made it through the afternoon without a nap, but made a morning of walking down the La Ramblas (the most famous and diverse street in the city). We ventured into the local street market where they sell fresh seafood (see the huge "prawns" in the picture), tons of fresh fruit and veggies and more candy than Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. We also wandered down to the coast and admired all the sailboats in the port. The best part of the afternoon was lunch where with "no reservations" Thomas ordered fried small fish tapas thinking it was more like small filets. Small fried fish is the same as small fried minnows (notice in the picture the beady eyes staring at you!) After taking a break in room, we ventured back out into the Barri Gothic quarters for an afternoon cocktail and stroll before we ended our night at a fabulous tapas restaurant at the end of the open air market.

We had a great day today on our bike tour. Stay tuned for more pictures and stories to come.