Barcelona Day 5:

Our last day started with initial packing then having a basic but filling breakfast by the Cathedral. We crossed the square and while persuading Owen to go into the pharmacy to buy the sun block that our beetroot faces cried out for - I was crapped on by a bloody pigeon. Christ knows what this little sod had eaten by it practically burned a hole through my French Connection cardy. Needless to say I had the bang hump over this but I was slightly mollified by finally replacing my sodden NY trainers with a lovely pair of black Puma trainers from our shoe shop of choice S'carpa on Avinguda del Portal de l'Angel.

We went back to the hotel and finished packing, leaving the cases at the desk and facing the world again. We headed up to the FNAC shopping centre to meet up with David and John who were in town from Sitges and after ascertaining that we probably knew more places to go than they did, we ended up in the square by Santa Maria del Pi - a stone's throw from the hotel! It was good to catch up with them and luckily I had remembered the various holidays they had been on so was able to keep the conversation going.

We didn't eat that much so we could expore one more new place... but wow what a place! Yes Constant Reader I finally got to eat at Els Quatre Gats. The original cafe opened in 1897 and survived until 1903. Opened by painter Ramon Casas and his friend Pere Romeu with financing coming too from fellow-painter Santiago Rusinol, the cafe/bar became a focal point for local modernisme artists and is most famous for being the location of Picasso's first exhibition in the main drawing-room. Restored to it's louche glory in 1978, I have tried to find it on each visit... and I had been walking back and forwards past the top of the narrow street each time - doh!
We had a nice lunch with big mugs of beer while soaking up the ambience of the busy restaurant with waiters whipping past us to get to the bar, the service was... well... serviceable but I would like to go back again... if only to try and get into the big room where Picasso exhibited.

After that, we had one last afternoon tea at d'Estiu - soaking up the late afternoon atmosphere to remember until we return. Then it was back to the hotel, into a cab and whisked to the airport - all luckily very quickly so there was less time to dwell on the wonderful city we were leaving behind.