On the Rambla with Andrea, Vincent and the boys
The plan, after my morning of sketching with Urban Sketchers at 48H Open House was to meet up with my friends in front of the Liceu Opera House on La Rambla and join them for a late lunch. Since it was a Sunday and I was now far outside the city center at Torre Bellesguard, my friend Melanie suggested I take a taxi and had one called for me. I waited and waited outside for what seemed like a terribly long time, with no taxi in site, when she and the other sketchers emerged from the tour they had taken inside to discover me still standing there! She was so kind! She called them again (I had no cell phone service there) and insisted on waiting with me this time to make sure I got off OK and before too long I was zooming along virtually empty streets. The taxi driver told me it was because it was lunch time on Sunday and everyone was indoors eating!
I scurried down the Rambla to find Andrea and Vincent and the boys sitting at an outdoor cafe having just recently arrived themselves! I ordered myself one of the giant sangrias that seem more like a bowl than a glass, added my order to theirs and relaxed. We ate, we talked, we laughed until it was clear the boys were ready to move on and so off we went in search of new things to see and explore. They had not yet been to the Gothic Quarter or El Born so we wandered and window shopped and meandered until we arrived at this seductive bakery with the most delicious desserts in the window, not only yummy, but beautifully displayed. We simply had to go inside! It was called Caelum - I couldn't find a website for them or a Facebook page but it's famous for its tasty baked goods, coffee and tea selection and simply lovely interior. The name comes from Latin, which means heaven and it was! Nearby is The Rubber Duck Store kind of strange to see, but El Born has all kinds of interesting shops, so what the heck, I guess, tourists will buy anything!
We stopped near the Santa Catarina Market for the boys to ride their scooters since there was a nice broad sidewalk there and not too many people, quite different from the Cathedral Square where Mercat de Mercats was in full swing! A "Market of Markets" it was filled with stalls selling all kinds of food and drink and a very celebratory feeling was in the air. It was also very crowded and with two little boys and their scooters plus a stroller, we opted to walk on by but I did snap a few photos as we headed in a different direction. I think we ate dinner near there, but to be honest, I can't remember! We were together and that's what really mattered.
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