Barcelona - day 2 - old town

On our second day in Barcelona we did some serious sightseeing. We walked and walked around the old town, the port, the central boulevard of Las Ramblas... none of which were too crowded but I could imagine a sticky summer day spent bumping against tourist bodies. It's a city worth seeing.
Here are some highlights:

La Boqueria is a covered market that's been operating for hundreds of years. Markets are another thing that I love to visit and Brian doesn't care so much about. This one was pretty cool, though. You can by fancy Spanish hams and fresh juices and empanadas and tripe (nicer word for guts) and lambs with no skin but eyeballs intact.

La Seu Cathedral is a huge gothic church in the historic area of Barcelona. While Santa Maria del Mar was beautiful, La Seu was impressive, imposing even. The arched ceilings were so high and the side altars so ornate that I remembered how cathedrals are (or were) more about showing off than about faith. Right under the altar is the tomb of St. Eulalia, Barcelona's patron saint.

Near the port we tried to go to the Maritime Museum, which is housed in the shipyards where the Armada was built during the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, it was closed for rennovation. So instead we looked at the memorial commemorating Columbus and his conquests, pondering whether anyone in Barcelona wonders whether Columbus deserves a memorial. The statue of the Spanish priest showing a humble naked savage the way was particularly interesting. Then we sat by the water watching boats come in and soaking up the sunshine.

We walked to the point of exhaustion, hunger, and related crankiness (me, not Brian), then stopped for eats and drinks and collapsed back at the hotel.