Barcelona, Spain: A Park, a Castle, and a Mountain that Could have Been

After three days at sea we finally reached Barcelona, our first official World Voyage port of call.  Although I had never been to Barcelona before, I had heard good things about it and was interested to see what it had to offer.  With the streets of Barcelona awaiting, I tightened up my running shoes and set out from the ship. 

Soon after leaving the ship I was forced to turn around as I found myself facing a dead end.  As it turned out, the ship had docked on a pier that was connected to the city via a large bridge.  Like the tourist that I was, I  missed the bridge.  Fortunately a couple of u-turns was all that it took to get me back on track.

Once across the bridge I quickly made my way through the city streets to a park perched on a nearby hill.  This park proved to be an excellent place to run as it was filled with hills and all sorts of interesting vegetation.  Little by little I climbed may way through the streets and pathways until I reached the top.  Awaiting me at the top was an old building that looked like a castle.  A quick trip inside revealed what seemed to be some sort of military/army base.  Aside from its interesting architecture and weaponry, the building also also provided fantastic view of the city below. 

Standing atop the building one couldn't help but notice how crowded Barcelona was.  But perhaps what was more intriguing than the cramped nature of the city was the mountain lying in the distance.  This mountain, which seemed too far away for me to run to during my limited stay, was capped in snow.  Unfortunately all I could do was admire it from afar and imagine how nice it would have been to run the mountain instead of just look at it. 

Having moistened my appetite with a small taste of Barcelona, I descended the streets and pathways of the park and returned to the ship.  Soon after boarding the ship we set sail once again, this time for Greece!