Saturday 20 February

The façade of Casa Batllo is quite organic

I woke early as usual. Got up at 8.15. Breakfast was rather dull as usual. We had no plans for the day.

We met the others and decided to walk to Casa Battllo, another Gaudi design. The façade was spectacular but we queued for tickets to enter. Those with bus tour tickets could get a discount. We had an audio guide which was necessary as there were no captions and few artefacts, just the unusual design. We climbed up about seven floors to the roof, admiring the Gaudi features on each floor - colourful mosaics, organic shapes, ingenious design features. I took lots of photos.

Inside were unusual features of design in all the rooms

A spiral ceiling

After the tour which took about two hours, we had a beer or coffee in a pavement cafe next door. Then we walked up Passeig de Gracia to Cerveceria Catalana and this time got a table for eight in the family area by the back door. We ordered patates bravas, fried small fishes and fried hot green peppers. Plus we had an Albarino white wine, a Mar de Frades 2014. David N ordered red, a Ramon Bilbao.

Me and Joan in Placa Catalunya, a good meeting and sitting place

After a nice lunch, Richard, Grandma and I walked down La Rambla, crossing Placa Catalunya. We visited the Mercat again and saw more tempting fish, fruit and veg. Then we took a taxi back to the hotel.


We had our last dinner at Rene. I chose tortilla omelette, chorizo in cider (delicious) and cod and chick pea paella which I shared with Richard. We had another white Rioja, then a Sin Palabra Albarino, and a red Rayon Viva Rioja. For dessert I chose a tangerine sorbet with cava in a glass. A very nice meal.

Back to the hotel for more Excipial lotion and Locoid Crelo for the bad bits of my rash, which is all over my body now.