GANAMOS!!!

We left Zaragoza on a 13:00 train (because it's 24-hr time over here, folks!) with high hopes - this one was an AVE... not the extremely slow local train we took getting to Zaragoza in the first place. After a much more comfortable ride - except for the ear-popping due to my clogged sinuses - we arrived in Barcelona after two hours and took the first cab with a driver nice enough to try fitting all our five suitcases into his trunk. 

The hotel is not a hotel. It is a two-bedroom apartment, with a kitchen, washing machine, and flat-screen TV. After we unpacked, went down the street for a bite to eat, and took a nap, we made use of the TV to catch the second half of the Euro 2008 "football" final match between Spain and Germany. 

It only took about 30 seconds before the entire city erupted in sirens, honking horns, flag-wearing of all kinds, and drunken screams of "Es-pa-na !!" Even stubbing my toe on one of the doorstops in our apartment couldn't keep us from joining the crowds, so we followed everyone to Plaza Catalunya with our cameras ready. Sooo many flags. Sooo much screaming. Loud firecrackers. People on top of the statues and fountains. The biggest crowd I've seen in a long time. Check out the pictures/video!! Needless to say, we were pretty exhausted after the walk back to our apartment - it does *not* cool down at night here, it's just hot all the time - so we crashed in our beds, awaiting tomorrow. Thank G-d for air conditioning - that's all I have to say.