Last day in Barcelona

We went for dinner last night at a restaurant recommended by Denise for the paella but I was really disappointed with it, having eaten much nicer earlier in our trip. Thankfully the pitcher of a Sangria helped. Anyway we filled the evening by sitting at our beach side restaurant and made our way back to the hotel a couple for hours later. The beach front and big boardwalk were heaving with people. Thankfully our hotel was quiet even though we are only one block back from the beach.
After breakfast we were on the coach with our local guide Amara to show us around the city. It was a bit humid but no rain and 27 degrees forecast. We headed for the Eixample district for a visit inside Antonio Gaudi's extraordinary masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) church. They have been building it for 123 years and have tentatively put a completion date at 2026 but the locals aren't holding their collective breath, nor do they really care as it has been under construction for all of their life times and are non-fussed as to it ever being finished. I was über impressed with the interior. I saw the exterior 8 years ago and thought it quite an eye sore, but have a different appreciation for it this time around. Not sure I will ever be back again to check on its progress though. We then drive along to Passeig de Gracia which has different buildings that are quite beautiful and extraordinary. Gaudi's influence is clearly seen in some of them. The wrought iron street lamps are quite lovely against the flamboyant modernist buildings.  We are dropped at the start of the Rambles and have time to wander in one of Europe's largest and most famous fresh food markets, La Boqueria, but as we had no interest in looking at lots of fresh produce for 40 minutes we found a cafe, that Richard and Donna were already at, and had a cupo vino blanco with them. The sun had gone down over the yardarm somewhere and it was almost midday! The afternoon was then at our leisure. We elected not to go back on the coach to the hotel as I really wanted to find something very 'Spanish' that would be a bit special and remind me of this holiday, however my efforts were in vain as absolutely nothing jumped out at me. I was soo not buying t shirts, magnets, key rings or football regalia. So instead we found a big square that had lots of eating places and we both had salads and wine for our lunch and then proceeded to walk back to our hotel along the beachfront, which took an hour so we well and truly walked off our lunch.
We have our finale Celebration Dinner tonight where we are being taken to a special restaurant which should be nice. Some of our group have early starts in the morning so it will be the last occasion when our group is all together. Thankfully we don't get picked up till 11.30 am so I am desperately
hoping for a lie in in the morning. I shall worry about packing the suitcase then.
Jo had a bottle of red that she wanted to share with Richard and they had a bottle of white chilled that Donna and I could share, so after showers and a freshen up, we went to their room and had our last happy hour together. They head off at 7.30 in the morning and I'm no where nearly good enough a friend to offer to get up at that time to see them off when I don't have to. So a very enjoyable happy hour spent with them, and I hope we really do keep in touch because they were our kind of people. Then we all trundled off to our celebration dinner with everyone in fine spirits. A very nice dinner at
a waterfront restaurant and all too soon time to head back to the hotel. Fond farewells to all, including Rui our driver and then up to our room. Time for bed and the last night of our Grand Adventure in
Spain and Portugal.
Reasonable night's sleep and ups out 8. Breakfast and farewells to two other couples who are staying on a couple of days, then back to the room to pack. Have bought very little so no problems with closing the suitcase or worrying about overweight... apart from the excess baggage in my hips and stomach! Even have time to update the blog, and because you have been such good and faithful armchair followers I'll add some photos.
The first is a view of our unexpected stop in Navarre, second is of me and Ernest Hemingway in Pamplona. The next two are of Barcelona and the last three of Gaudi's church. The photos don't do any of them justice, especially the one of me and Ernie!!!