Around Barcelona

Pista de Botxes

We happened to come across a rather large group of people playing this particular bowling type game. It was amazing to see the intense concentration! It must have been a tournament of some sort – some people in the center were keeping scores and there was a cheering crowd around them. This particular group was primarily older people and the skill was nothing short of incredible – this coming from someone who knows nothing about the game. Apparently you want to throw the ball (looks like it’s metal of some sort and around 4 inches across or so) so that it lands as close as possible to a tiny colored ball placed at the far end of the marked alley. We saw some people knock that tiny ball right out of its place and then throw the next two balls to hit it again and again. Have no idea exactly what was going on but…they seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. If you look closely at the picture, the people are intently looking at the balls, and in the center there is a tiny red ball…

Montjuic Castle

Our next stop was the skyway (of course, all skyways must be tried out) up to the Montjuic Castle, perched on top of the hill, with “breathtaking views” of the city and the Mediterranean Sea. That was the pitch but obviously was meant for a clear day. We did have a fairly good view of the city and certainly tremendous views of stormy skies.

One of the most outstanding features on the skyline is the Sagrada Familia. Even though we were a few miles away from it, it towers above the rest of the city (most buildings are 5 or 6 stories tall to give you an idea of how tall this basilica really is).