Day 5: Barcelona

Our daybreak Talgo train from Montpellier to Barcelona raced us past groves of olive trees and vineyards as we gazed out at the sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea. At the France-Spanish border towns of Cerbère and Portbou, whose train stations are merely separated by a short dimly-lit tunnel, smartly-uniformed police cruised through to check our passports and wish us au revoir...and bienvenidos.

We arrived at the clean and bustling Barcelona Sants station at around noon, and wasted no time in dumping our packs at our hotel and metro-ing to Plaça de Catalunya at the heart of the city.

As residents lowered their shutters to block the afternoon sun during their siesta, we embarked on a 2-bus, 6-hour whirlwind tour of the town on the top deck of the hop-on/hop-off Bus Turistic. We soaked in an uneven tan while gawking at the narrated sights, including Antoni Gaudí's La Pedrera, with its wavy facade; the towering sandcastle-like Sagrada Familia (which Gaudí started before his unfortunate tram-related death); the sleek Montjuic telecom needle at the main site of the 1992 Olympics; the Futbol Club Barcelona stadium, with its souvenir stands featuring colorful team accessories and all-things-Messi; among dozens of other landmarks.

As we traversed the city, we caught frequent glimpses of folks -- dressed casually as well as professionally -- riding around on Bicing bicycles. Apparently over 30% of Barcelonans regularly use the bike sharing program, which costs only 1.50 € to rent a communal bike for 2 hours.

We ended the full day with a paella dinner and exciting flamenco show at Palacio del Flamenco, where the fiercely intense female lead and mesmerizing palmas (hand clapping) sets made me want to jump out of my seat and stomp my feet, too.

Most useful phrase of the day: On és el lavabo, sisplau?

("Where is the toilet, please?" in Catalan.)