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The business meeting did not begin until 9:00 am so plenty of time to roam around downtown before the meeting.

The carvings over the Church of Sant Jaume
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All the shops had metal protection over the doors and windows which were decorated in graffiti.
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Carrer del Bisbe Bridge - connects the Catalan government building with the Catalan President's ceremonial residence. It was constructed in the 1920's by a follower of Gaudi.

I photographed this bridge several times the day before - but there were hundreds (or thousands) of people. At 0530 there were not many out and a light rain made the stones shine.
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Another quiet morning in the plaza - this is the Placa Sant Felip Neri. The fountain in the foreground is very nice with small trickles of water. The Church of Sant Felip Neri is in the background.
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A hotel on the square of the Barcelona Cathedral.
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Front door to a very impressive building
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The Barcelona Cathedral in the morning
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This is BARCINO which is the ancient name of the city. The city's name may have come from Barca, one of Hannibal's generals who passed through this area during Hannibal's invasion of Italy.
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Barcelona street before anyone is up
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The entrance to the Placa Reial. Only a block off the Ramblas this is a beautiful Neoclassical trimmed set of buildings
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The most interesting part of the Placa Reial are the palm trees - several populate the square
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The fountain in the Placa Reial
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The Ramblas without tourists
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A dragon over a shop on the Ramblas - another connection to the local patron saint - Saint George. The dragon is a symbol of Catalan pride.
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An apartment on the Ramblas.
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About the center of the Ramblas is this mosaic by abstract artist Joan Miro who grew up in the Gothic Quarter nearby. The black arrow represents an anchor, welcoming visitors from the sea.
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Typical street corner - well maybe a bit more complex than most.

Off to the business part of the trip for the rest of the day - well into the evening.


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