OK. So there's only one thing I can do about the giant set of nerves I get by reading the "Barcelona is the king of pickpocket towns" postings on travel websites. And that would be- stop! I get it. I get it! The deed is done and I'm committed to the Catalan capitol. And I'm not a total ditz when it comes to travel. If I carry my camera, a notebook and pen, a book, some cash, and a debit card when I go out for the day, I'm good to go. And I can stash the debit card in my ample bosom... If I lose them (not my bosoms...), c'est la vie. I do, after all, photocopy everything critical before I leave. Then forget it.
That said, here's how the trip is shaping up. A tripadvisor.com pal has tipped me off to some good photo shooting sites in Madrid including a little-hyped spot called Templo del Debod. This is an milleniums-old Egyptian temple that was saved, intact, when Egypt build the Aswan Dam and then shipped to Spain to thank the archeologists who helped out with it. Sweet. I've also come across a rug weaver who still does things the old way, with tree trunks for loom frames.
Of course art galleries and museums and eateries still top the hit list, and people watching, of course, (perhaps catch a few purse snatchings on film) and building gawking. Add to that L'Herboristeria del Rei which has been around for centuries selling all kinds of exotic herbs and spices, Gaudi world, the Poble Espanyol which is a sort of fake Spanish village with replicas of famous buildings around the country, and the Opera House and my days are full...
More as things progress....
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