Arrival into Barcelona in the early hours of the afternoon. Placa de Catalunya, del Rei and Nova, Barcelona Cathedral, and Placa de Sant Jaume. Walk along Las Ramblas, Monument of Columbus, Placa del Portal de la Pau, Maremagnum and the Aquarium, Barceloneta and the Meditterranean.

We arrived into Barcelona Airport in the early hours of the afternoon and caught the shuttle bus to Placa de la Catalunya. Despite our desires of looking around, we had to get rid of our luggage. Thus we entered the busy Catalunya metro station to get to our hotel, situated near the Clot metro station. Despite the large number of passengers, the carriage had just enough room for our luggage even though we were carrying light.

After checking into our hotel and getting a bit of rest from our flight, we proceeded back to the Placa de la Catalunya via the metro system and paid a visit to the tourist office that was situated under the square. Despite the office being clearly marked with the usual information sign, the amount of people and the size of the square made locating the office difficult. Nevertheless, the search was well worth it since we were provided a free guide to Barcelona's tourist attractions as well as the warm hospitality of the counter staff.

Leaving the information centre, we made our way to Placa Nova via Avinguda del Portal de l'Angel - probably one of the oldest areas in Barcelona. Of the most distinguishable sights were the Barcelona Cathedral, sitting between the Ancient Roman wall (now a museum) on one end and the Casa de l'Ardiaca (also part of the city wall). Beneath the huge, ornate gothic facade of the cathedral beggars sat around the entrance as tourists and visitors filed in and out of the gothic building.

Starting from the right of the cathedral interior, we walked around the outside of the choir stalls towards the altar. Halfway towards the altar, we went through a door to the tranquil sound of water in the cloisters. In the middle of the cloisters there was a small and shady garden of palms and ponds, with a freshwater fountain of St George. As the garden was closed off, we walked around the perimeter of the garden until we got back to the door to the cathedral to finish our tour.

Leaving the cethedral, we walked past the Casa de l'Ardiaca, under the walkbridge of Carrer del Bisbe and the Placa de Sant Jaume, home of Barcelona's Town hall, the Casa de la Ciutat; and the Palau de la Generalitat - the seat of the Catalonia Govenor. Finally, we ended our tour of this area at the Placa del Rei where the belltowe4r of the Capella Reial de Santa Antaga, the Palau Reial Major and the fort-like structure of the Palau del Lloctinent surround the square. Of the most significant structure is the Palau Reial Major, since this is where the Inquisition took place before the count-kings off Barcelona.

With much of the afternoon remaining, we walked down the bustling avenue of Las Ramblas. The name La Rambla comes from the Arabic Ramla, meaning dried up bed of a seasonal river. Over time, the river was filled in to appear in its present form as a busy pedestrian and commercial avenue lined with shops, food stalls and cafes as well as the familliar trees. Amid the hustle and bustle of the Las Ramblas, we passed through Placa de la Boqueria where we spotted a dragon lamp with an umbrella hanging underneath. A few minutes later, we arrived at the Placa del Portal de la Pau and the Monument a Colom.

Unlike the Old Town, Placa del Portal de la Pau is a more modern development with a large shopping centre, aquarium and what appeared to be the largest marina I've ever seen. But we weren't here for shopping, so we walked east to Palau de Mar. The Palau de Mar provides best views of the whole city and harbour, and the restaurants and cafes are placed strategically to take advantage of these views. Leaving the cafes and restaurants, we walked south along the Passeig Nacional in Barceloneta, which led us to the city beach and the Mediterranean Sea.

Despite the view of the sea and beaches, Barceloneta looked neglected with its built up area of council apartments. The streets and apartments looked cramped and dirty, but a communal atmosphere seemed to exist with the young children and teenagers running around the streets and the beach and the smell of cooking from the rooms and ground floor take-aways. As it was getting dark, we felt it was safer to go back to Palau de Mar to have our dinner to conclude our day.