Toby and Allan in Spain 2020

We were on the move on Sunday March 15.  Our host, José, had ordered a taxi for us and it even came five minutes early.  Our 11:15 a.m. train from Valencia to Barcelona was on time and the train was pretty empty.  We arrived at 2:00 p.m. and took a taxi to our very funky hotel-- Praktik Garden, located in Eixample, a beautiful part of Barcelona. We passed lots of small towns with forts on the way up the coast to Barcelona More towers and hills  Hotels Praktik is a chain of five boutique hotels in Barcelona, each with a theme.  They include Praktik Essens (pays tribute to perfume); Praktik Bakery which includes a bakery in the hotel; Praktik Rambla (in a 19th century palace); Praktik Vinoteca (world of wines) and Praktik Garden with a superb outdoor terrace of lush plants.  Due to location, price and availability we had picked Praktik Garden for our stay.  The chain offers great value for price and came highly recommended by a travel website ...

Saturday March 14 was a beautiful sunny day with a high of 19C.   We had been told that the Central Market would still be open, even though all restaurants and bars, museums and cultural buildings are closed for two weeks.  We went over to the Market in the late morning to get some salmon for dinner and a few treats for the train trip.  We are sad that we won't be able to take the paella making course we had scheduled nor will we be able to go out to eat paella as ALL restaurants are closed. Careful detail to cutting fish for clients The market still had a fair number of people We got some almonds for the train/plane rides We will miss having this incredible market two minutes away.  Unfortunately, it will not be open tomorrow (Sunday) as it always closed on Sundays. Very disappointed to not be able to visit The Silk Exchange building-- we peered in at the beautiful orange tree courtyard. We had lunch back at the apartment and decided to go...