Barcelona and the Mediterranean

This afternoon, we arrived in Barcelona to temperatures well into the 30s.  It's Day 28 of our holiday, and we headed to the beach to catch our first sight of the Mediterranean Sea on this journey.  For the next six weeks or so, from various vantage points, the Mediterranean will be our constant friend and companion.

We strolled along the promenade, which was packed with pedestrians, cyclists, ice cream eaters, bikini-clad women, well tanned people, white as ten-pin bowling pin people, dark-skinned people, old men with white-haired chests carrying the wife's beach bag, kids running wet and looking for mum, and many other sights.  To the right on the beach, sunbathers were packed in on the sand, but only a few were in the water.  Soon, we realised why not too many were swimming.  Sadly, there's a little pollution in the water.

Jean and I kept walking.  We feel very happy to be here.  This is so different to Madrid.  Soon, we found a marina with a few hundred sailboats tied up there.  We ate dinner overlooking the marina.  I had a San Miguel beer, while Jean had a glass of red wine (only 2.50€ for the wine).  We both had Norwegian Salmon for the main, and for a starter we shared a Mediterranean Salad with a sprinkling of olive oil.

We lost 50€..........in the casino.

The marina

The beach looking west

The beach

The Mediterranean in summer