In Barcelona most museums are closed on Mondays, so I decided that Tuesday would a good day to explore the small streets of Barcelona and do a bit of museum hopping. The only plan I made for the day was to make it to my 11:15 AM appointment at the Picasso museum and that I would figure out how to walk to both the Picasso and Chocolate museums using Goggle maps. I was determined not to be that pesky tourist stopping random people in the street asking for directions.

I checked Google Maps the night before using my current location. The directions appeared to be very straight forward and I even recognized some of the streets I had to travel. Goggle maps estimated it would be a 12 minute walk with the route I selected, so I gave myself a little over an hour (time enough for a stop to buy water and grab a quick sandwich for breakfast).
It was only after I left the hotel that I remembered that 1)I left the directions I had written out 2)Google maps did not work without a wifi connection since I did not save the maps for offline use. I started to walk back when I remembered that I did capture screenshots of my route and I could simply use the pictures on my iPhone to find my way. Besides worst case scenario I could always stop some place for breakfast that offered free wifi. I was determined not to turn back and to stick to my original plan.

 So I was off! 

And yes I got lost.

I started off to a good start. Via Laietana the street where the H10 Moncada Boutique Hotel  was located (my sister Beth and I stayed at this hotel during our last two trips to Barcelona) was less than 20 feet from my hotel. I made it without incident to the Gothic district, but shot pass my next left turn on to Placa de l Angel. This street from the screenshot this street appeared to be a few blocks from the H10 Moncada. I was soon to learn that streets are actually a lot closer than they appear on Google Maps. I walked almost to the Marina before I decided turn left to make an attempt to back track. As luck would have it, I walked right up to my first sign that pointed out the way to the Picasso museum. So I followed the signs until I found Carrer de Montcada and the museum.

I had a bit of time before my 11:15 reservation so I found a nice bench, sat and ate the ham sandwich I purchased at my favorite bakery Tasta Pa for breakfast before walking towards the cue almost half the length of the block.

So if you are planning a future visit to the Picasso museum–skip the line and buy your ticket in advance online [http://www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/gomobile/en/index.html]. It was a good thing that I had the foresight to do so because it would have been a long wait in the hot sun if I hadn’t. A visit to this museum is a must do, but do it with the audio guide. It is well worth the extra cost.

After leaving the museum I made my way to Carrer de la Princesa towards the Museu De La Xocolata (Chocolate Museum). No lines, but unless you want to visit the museum shop to buy some chocolate you should skip this museum. The entrance fee to the museum was 5€ which also came with a chocolate bar ticket. My ticket was delicious but the exhibition wasn’t.

After leaving the museum I perused the shops along Carrer de la Princesa before finding myself back at Laietana.

Feeling a bit nostalgic I decided not to follow the Google map route back to the hotel, but instead turn left where Carrer Comtal and Carrer De Les Magdalenes converge. By this time it was well after 2 pm and I was starting to feel a bit hungry. My favorite restaurant La Dolca Hermainia was a few doors down on Carrer De Les Magdalenes, but would not be open for hours, so I continues up and down Carrer Comtal toward Las Rambla.

As I walked I passed bakeries,cafes, restaurants offering the best paella and tappas, but nothing appealed to me. This was definitely my stomach speaking because my for two days prior to my trip I suffered with an unexpected stomach ailment that sent me running to the bathroom whenever I ate anything oily or too spicy. Bread and crackers were the only thing that didn’t seem to produce a reaction, so I bought another sandwich and continued my wanders for another hour.

After a quick nap the plan was to meet a colleague and her family who is also vacationing in Barcelona for dinner. Unfortunately, after spending the majority of her day dealing with the aftermath of lost baggage and baby stroller she was too exhausted to make her way to dinner. So instead I headed back out to Las Rambla towards the La Boqueria Market.

  I purchased a tasty coconut mango juice from the market and walked around a bit, but it was well after 7:30 PM and many of the shops were closing for the night. Back out on Las Rambla I found a familiar tappa resturant–Taller De Taper. Since my stomach had not acted up all day and I tolerated my mango drink without issue I decided to go for it. Tomorrow was a full day excursion kayaking and snorkeling in Costa Brava. We were not due back until 7 PM and I was on a train to Paris on Thursday. If I was going to enjoy a nice glass of sangria and tappas it was now or never. After ordering my favorite fried potato tappa I had second thoughts and also ordered a safer dish–grilled tuna with avocado.

In tappa restaurants the food comes out as soon as it I ready, so it wasn’t long before both my glass of white sangria and the potato tappa were laid out before me.

  Three potato wedges later…my stomach began to cramp, perspiration watered by face, and of course ….I was running for the bathroom. I returned to the table to find my safer dish had arrived.

It was definitely time to stop ignoring the problem and look for a pharmacy.

There are just some things you cannot do on your own. I was in need of urgent medicinal assistance.