Barcelona, Spain – May 17, 2010
This is another quarterly visit to check on the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona.
On this trip, I rode with my good friend, Ron. We both had work to accomplish at the consulate. The trip is about six or six and one-half hours journey from the Embassy in Madrid to the city of Barcelona. On the way, one of the sights we drove by (actually under) is the arch at the Greenwich Prime Meridian. It is a large arch over the highway that marks the location of the Prime Meridian. Prior to getting to the arch, there are signs that include a map detailing the location of the famous line of longitude.
To drive to Barcelona is actually rather pricey. Drawing closer to Barcelona, one ends up on a toll road. The total of the tolls is about 35€ (US$43.40).
This trip marks the first time I actually saw the Mediterranean Sea while I was in Barcelona. Quite nice! Every other time in Barcelona it has been cloudy and rainy, so there was no need to go to the beach.
One night for dinner, we went to the restaurant Qu Qu (Quasi Queviures). It is located at Passeig de Grazia, 24, not far from Plaça de Catalunya. We both had steak. It was surprisingly good.
For our other evening meal, we went to a restaurant at the Olympic Port marina, La Fonda del Port Olímpic (The Olympic Port Inn). We had calamari, salad, olives, toasted garlic bread, mussels, steak, beer, and coffee. All of that was only 17€ (US$21.08) each! That is one of the best deals I have seen since I have been here in Spain. The meal was all very good, but the steak was not as good as what we had the previous night at Qu Qu.
The next day, it was back to Madrid.
That was short but nice.