Nov 2018 – Miscellaneous things about Barcelona that didn’t fit anywhere else

Barcelona is a pretty cool place. It’s a different climate that Central Europe, and the changes make both the geography and the cities themselves the same, but different in many respects. One thing I’ve noticed is that when there is a department store, it really is a full service store. The big store on the … Continue reading Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Miscellaneous things about Barcelona that didn’t fit anywhere else →

Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 16-17, 11/9-10/18 – Musical Barcelona

Tonight we attended a flamenco performance at the Paleau de la Musica. Perhaps this wasn’t the brightest thing to do on our last night, as the show started at 9pm, and we didn’t get back to our hotel until 11. Not bad, except we had a wake up call at 3am for a early flight … Continue reading Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 16-17, 11/9-10/18 – Musical Barcelona →

Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 16, 11/9/18 – Seaside Barcelona

Today we went to the beach, and I took a lot of really bad pictures. We also ended up full circle to where we began last Sunday, right down at Port Vell. It rained hard last night (most laundry from our 'weather gauge' of the neighbor's balconies was in, but not all!), but stopped as we headed … Continue reading Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 16, 11/9/18 – Seaside Barcelona →

Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 15, 11/8/18 – Religious Barcelona

Today we visited Sagrada Familia. I’m not quite sure where to start on this one. Basically, the Sagrada Familia is a Basilica, and the name means Sacred Family. Antoni Gaudi designed this church, felt it was his true life’s work, and he is currently buried there. It was begun in 1882, and has continued ever … Continue reading Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 15, 11/8/18 – Religious Barcelona →

Barcelona/Rome Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 14, 11/7/18 – Streetside Barcelona

Today we roamed, and I got my architecture fix. We started out just windows shopping, and exploring some of the offerings off of Catalunya Square. It was a beautiful day, and about 64 degrees. Christmas decorations are starting to appear, as is merchandise in the stores. It’s easy to forget it’s early November in this … Continue reading Barcelona/Rome Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 14, 11/7/18 – Streetside Barcelona →

Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 13, 11/6/18 – High Barcelona

Today we took a day trip out of the city high up into the mountains of Catalonia to the monastery of Montserrat. Sharon had this trip high on her ‘must sees’ for this trip, but I really didn’t know much about it. It turns out that Montserrat means ‘serrated mountain’, and the complex of buildings … Continue reading Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 13, 11/6/18 – High Barcelona →

Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 12, 11/5/18 – Unfolding Barcelona

Today we continued our bus tour of Barcelona. We hoped on the Blue Line today, and explored the northern part of the city. This led us up into the foothills, and around the area outside the city center. We covered a lot of ground and saw a lot of sights. We considered going up the … Continue reading Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 12, 11/5/18 – Unfolding Barcelona →

Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 11, 11/4/18 – Sinuous Barcelona

Our ship sailed without us. Literally. We were rudely kicked out of our stateroom at 7:30 this morning. Well, nicely, not rudely, but we weren’t ready to go. We had a great time on the Norwegian Epic. The ship and company were excellent, with top notch service that always tried to please. We met some … Continue reading Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 11, 11/4/18 – Sinuous Barcelona →

Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov2018 – Day 10, 11-3-18 – We are in Spain!

Palma, the harbor city of Mallorca, is a lush, colorful, taste of Spain. The sky is incredibly blue, and palm trees abound. The island itself looks dry, and the hills are brown and green. Considering the weather we’ve been having, to have a beautiful sunny day was delightful. I was writing the last blog, … Continue reading Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov2018 – Day 10, 11-3-18 – We are in Spain! →

Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 10 – Norwegian Epic, Interlude

I woke up at 2am this morning, trying to figure out what sound I was hearing. It took a moment, but I realized it was the vanity drawer opening, and slamming shut with the roll of the ship. I looked outside and could see the spray of the wake. That was a first! It was … Continue reading Rome/Barcelona Oct/Nov 2018 – Day 10 – Norwegian Epic, Interlude →