Back to Barcelona

When we left off... we had just visited the Church of Santa Maria del Mar. From there, we went toward the Cathedral. The gift shop beckoned Karen and Barbara, while I was intrigued by the architecture in the Gothic Quarter. I kept going down the alley alongside the Cathedral, trying to get a better angle on some interesting balcony or arch. Then I went back toward the Plaza (and gift shop), ducking in to check on my friends, and then out to the Plaza, drawn by the sound of music. It was live music, and the square was filled with people dancing! I trained the video camera on one group, all in a circle with their possessions in the middle.  (Smart move: gypsies were plying the upper level where I was fending off two girls who were engaged in the newest scam. They dress simply, with their hair pulled back, shoulder bags at their sides, and a clip board in hand, and approach bystanders. Attempting to address the person in the appropriate language, they indicate that they are collecting signatures for a petition that has to do with rights for the disabled. They even have a wheelchair logo on the sheets. Once you sign the paper (citizenship is not an issue), they ask if you'd like to give a donation.) Anyway, I had been enjoying the music and the dancing for a while(it turned out to be a traditional Catalonian dance, and everybody knew just when to do what, even though the music itself seemed quite repetitive) when it came to me that it really had been an awfully long time for my friends to be in that tiny gift shop. Sure enough, they were no longer there. I glanced around the plaza, looking for Barbara's orange shirt. Nothing. I hardly dared go in the magnificent Cathedral for fear of missing them somewhere. (Sure enough, I never really did see the inside of the Cathedral--another reason for Jesus to get me back to Barcelona!). Somehow, though, they did come out and find me. (Good thing I stand out in a crowd!)