Got to Barcelona on Saturday evening. Sunday, we hopped on the hop-on-hop-off bus, which is something of a ritual we’ve adopted. While a little touristy-tacky, it’s a neat and easy way to get an overview of a city.  Some people actually use it to get around and stop at each of the designated sites; we tend to ride the loop in its entirety to get a feel for where we want to stroll later.  I’ve made the mistake of taking these bus tours in the middle of the day as we did in Madrid; in August, that is a huge mistake. It’s too hot and too sunny, and sitting on the top deck there is no respite from either.  Best is to go towards the end of the day: you see the city during the “magic hour” and then some of it when the sites are lit.  Barcelona, by the way, has several competing bus services.  We took the “Barcelona Bus Turistic,” from the City Sightseeing Group.