Final walks around Madrid, past the Palacio Real and other official buildings of the 17th century, and into the botanical gardens where we found a special grape arbor bearing a vine named after Don Quixote, before boarding the high speed train to Barcelona (strike was canceled at 2 am that morning), arriving in the later afternoon to find the city bustling with Catalunyans celebrating an important regional holiday. The 11th of September commemorates the siege and final fall of Barcelona on that day in 1714, when Catalunya was on the losing side of the Spanish war of Sucession. Catalunya fought in support of the Habsburg dynasty’s claim to the Spanish throne. When the Bourbon dynasty won the conflict Catalunya lost much of its autonomy and special Catalan rights, and became more unified with Spain following a brutal oppression by the first Bourbon King Philip V of Spain. The siege of Barcelona lasted 14 months. Catalan flags were everywhere today, an indication of the strong sentiment towards separation from the rest of Spain.
Our hotel was right near the harbor just on the edge of the old city, so we could explore both the waterfront and the narrow streets of the Gothic quarter, where we eventually settled on a small tapas restaurant for dinner, savoring the seafood items popular in this Mediterranean city.