Seeking Beauty on Roads Less Traveled

I think this series of stories needs a disclaimer of sorts.  Here it is:  Mom and I had a plan once we left Barcelona and managed to navigate our way out of the city limits of Barcelona.  Even getting the car out of the parking garage was an event.  Who knew that there was a huge parking garage underneath the Plaza de Cathedral which, mind you, was right outside of the Hotel Colon where we stayed. Never knew that until the car rental representative was kind enough to park it there, conveniently, one would think. But there is the paying for the parking at the automated machine, having the correct amount of euros, and then trying to figure out which exit will point us in the right direction...oh, heck, any sign that translates to Exit will do us just fine.  We will figure it out when we surface to street level which opens right into the far end of the Plaza de Cathedral with more pedestrians that I care to interact with during my first foray driving a stick-shift car in Spain.  I want to