Day 2

Day 2 started with a much neeed run through the heart of the city. These guys don't mess around when it comes to food and in order to get down on a stack of tapas every 2 hours a run is needed to keep the appetitie going. Plus it is a great way to see the city. Of course all of the locals look at us like we are a couple panda's in a zoo as we run by at 8:30am without a cigarette in our mouth (smoking is big here). We had a chance to run by Danelles old apartment, through a local park, and down some of the more scenic the streets. Local vendors were setting up for a festive Saturday. Running around that early allowed us to beat the crowds which would come out in droves by lunch.

The city is geared perfect for runners and bikers alike. Each street has its own bike path.

After running we enjoyed a tasty breakfast of sandwhichs and egg at a spot right by our hotel. Being able to actually set outside and not get rained on is a huge plus (even though it has been raining at night).

Guell Park was our next stop and we crammed into a bus with about 213 others and headed the few blocks up the hill. It was amazing the amount of people up there and the views. Everyone seemed in great spirits. As a matter of fact that is one thing I have noticed, people here as a whole seem happier than back home...maybe that is just because I can't understand what they are saying.

While coming down from the park we each picked up a jersey for the soccer match that night. I went with Barca's and Argentinas star player Lionel Messi .Danelle went with David Villa star of Barca FC with Messi and the Spanish National Team and current World Cup champion.

After the park we hoped on foot and started looking for a place to eat. We ended picking a great place to eat called Taverna Medderteraian. After lunch it was time for a nap and the big game.

Barcelona FC plays in Camp Nou which is the largest football stadium in Europe. We had got great seats from our hotel through a season ticket holder (row 19 right behind the home goal). A few things that were interesting about the game...the first is they sell beer, but it is 0.0% alcohol. Sin alcohol they call it, which I didn't know and still ordered one, and while it tasted great it wasn't nearly as tasty as the Diet Coke Danelle went with (the use cane sugar here for the pop vs. the fake stuff in the USA...makes about a 5x difference in terms of taste). To make up for the lack of booze they do allow smoking, all game. At times a cloud of smoke is just hanging over the field.

The team they were playing was from Pamplona and wasn't great. Early on it was obvious FC was clearly the better team. Messi didn't play until the second half but when he came on the pitch you'd like the Beatles were taking the stage. Clearly the best player on the field we were lucky enough to see him score with less than 4 mintues to play in the goal directly in front of us to give Barca FC the win.

After the game it was tapas and wine at La Bodegueta Provenca where there was a wait at 11:30 pm for a table. We enjoyed oursevles but were exhuasted after the long day and couldn't wait to get to bed.