Last Full Day in Barcelona

We have officially just eaten the best paella I have ever had, at Restaurante Santiaguino near our hotel (Hotel U232 in the LEixample district). Delicious! This was a small little mom-and-pop type place that didn´t even open for dinner until 8 o´clock at night and we were the only diners there until about nine. We got there right at eight, being the American tourists we are, and as we were eating our dessert (a lovely little dream of tiny wild strawberries - fresitas, our waitress called them - and whipped fresh cream with sugar) the locals started pouring in for their usual late dinner. A couple of the diners knew each other, it was that kind of a place. Anyway, the food was incredible... pan-fried squid and a paella chock-full of fresh seafood, wonderful!
Earlier today we just did some more walking around Barceloneta´s beaches and we explored the Barri Gotic district. There was a nice breeze at the beach and the water is a gorgeous shade of aqua... it´s the Mediterranean, what can I expect? There are lots of boardwalk-type areas around Barceloneta for people to ride bikes, take a stroll, and walk their dogs (mostly without leashes... I don´t think there is a leash law in this country), and I can picture it being a pretty wild place in the summertime.
I loved the Barri Gotic area... the part of the city that dates back to medieval times. We took lots of pictures of Barcelona´s Cathedral, and it was amazing to walk around some of the ancient buildings in the area and see what used to be a moat around them. It always blows my mind to see how a more modern city has sprung up around structures from the 1500´s. Nowadays Barri Gotic is home to lots of trendy little boutiques and shops, all along its warren of narrow, historic alleyways. I loved it.
Tomorrow we´re off to Provence! Can´t wait...