The rain comes overnight with lightening and thunder and it buckets down. It was forecast but The Navigator (aka The Forecaster) says its going to be dry later and tomorrow. Let’s see? Good news for the locals as this area is in a drought.

Today is meant be a visit to Park Guell, another Gaudi legacy to Barcelona. We um and ah because of the rain but decide to go. A park Gaudi designed up on the hill behind  Barcelona, in his style, buildings like fairy houses, mosaic tiles set into concrete shaped buildings etc.

Problem 1, with the rain, taxis are hard to get. My FreeNow app can’t find one. But, The Navigator does, she gave him the evil eye and he knew he had to stop for us. She’s in such a hurry to get into the taxi she slips on the gutter (nearly another ankle incident like Venice a few years ago). When we tell the driver ” Park Guell per favore” he laughs so hard he nearly needs a change of underwear. He says, hands pointing to the sky ” rain, you mad”. Anyway, €20 lighter we get out at Park Guell, she ( The N) heads over thinking we’ll get straight in but is told the tickets are for 9.30 not 9.00. I chuckle silently, she made a small mistake, an admissible error does not often happen. In fact, like me,  she makes lots of blues but rarely admits them.

Problem 2. We get into the park and the steady rain gradually becomes heavy rain, the Park is lovely, it really is, the buildings fantastic  but, it’s so f….g wet!!! Water is running down the paths, my feet get wet Mark’s OK he’s got Scarpa boots), not sure about the others. The Gortex Kathmandhu raincoats are great but dont keep att the moisture out when it’s seriously pissing down.

As we leave, almost another story trying to find the exit to Park Guell, there is a plan to use the last time on our HoponHopOff bus ticket, but I can’t find the stop so The Navigator speaks to a Spanish woman who does not understand a word of English, but through hand waving,  eye contact and key words we think (The Navigator that is) if we get on Bus 24 we will end up close to La Rambla where are staying. After initial panic that we’d end up in Velancia, the bus fills up with wet steaming tourists heading, we hope, in the same direction as us. The €2.55 fare per each finally gets us to Plac Catalonya, time to get off, it’s a miracle but we are actually close to home.

I side track to a C&A store, my favourite shop anywhere. A German chain that sell nice clothes reasonably, all over Europe, so I buy some jeans, a jumper and a cap. We shout The Mechanic a cap as well, on condition he gives his Country Eagles cap to his mother. The Navigator does buy a pair of trousers as well. Never one to miss a bargain!

Simone shouts us lunch on the walk home, we eat it in house. Tonight we’ll eat put after a rest and dry out this afternoon. We are soaked!

The afternoon is spent drying out, The Mechanic and The Navigator watch old westerns, in Spanish, with Spanish or Catalon subtitles and make the plot up to suit themselves. It’s a 1956 movie with Richard Widmark who she called Wilder – close but no cigar.

Dinner is at Rossini’s in Plac Reil, an Italian restaurant that The N has found. Great choice, great food and good service.

A short walk but think better and retire. Tomorrow is a free day, a bit more exploring the Gothic area I think.

Ciao from Barcelona, Pauolo