Last Morning on Ship - Barcelona, Spain

This morning we woke up early and found ourselves already in the Barcelona port.  Those staying on the ship only had form 8:00am - 12:30pm to explore the city so lots of people were up and off the ship the minute it got in. We had packed and left our suitcases outside our door the night before so we had very little to do but enjoy breakfast with Elizabeth and Lily who we found up stairs and then get our passports from the front desk, drop off our evaluation forms of our experience on board and then head out.  I went up for the morning walk at 9:00am but was once again the only person who showed up besides it wasn't Gustav so there really wasn't any point, well expect for the sunshine and fresh air but I could get that in the city.

We left the ship around 11:00am and took a taxi to the Arc Hotel Ramblas and after leaving our bags and freshening up we head to the Plaza Catalunya about 10 minutes away. It's all so beautiful the padestrian walk way which is one of the great features of the Ramblas and the stores, theatres, an opera house and many restaurants that line either side of it.

We caught the hop-on-hop-off bus and toured the west side of the city first which takes you past the port where our Costa ship was happily docked and up the Mount Montjuic (which stands for Mountain of the Jewish Hills) because centuries ago there was a Jewish cemetery on one of the hill sides.)  The mountain holds many wonderful places of interest including the Castell de Montjuic, the Olympic Village (Barcelona hosted in 1992) and the Museu nacional d'art de Cataluny (MNAC) which is enormous and housed in palace that was built for the Worlds Fair sometime in the 1920's.  We didn't have time to stop and visit as it would have taken at least one whole day but it's nice to know it's there and definitely someplace to go visit if I'm ever in Barcelona again.

The bus took us back to the Plaza Catalunya and we walked to the open market called Mercat de la Boqueria where there are rows and rows of food vendors selling their goods under an glass enclosed roof but with only pillars around the sides, no walls. It's a spectacular place to just walk around and take in all the scents, sights and sounds but if you're hungry like we were it's a great place to get something fabulous to eat. I had fried fish balls on a stick and mom had a Spanish ham sandwich on what she said was incredibly fresh and crusty bread.  I also had a sweet treat which was a cross between a croissant, a donuts and cream filled puff pastry. Oh, so good!!!

Mom need a nap after all that so she headed off to the room and I went out for three hours and just walked and walked and walked and then got on the green line of the hop-on-hop-off bus which traveled along the sea coast. Barcelona has 7 different beaches, each a beautiful and pristine as the next and there were lots of people out sun bathing and even swimming, amazing for late October.  I got off at the Parc Guell which is a wonderful park to walk and explore and enjoy the Antoni Gaudi creations. The lizard is a personal favorite I think of just about anyone who visits. Gaudi is so influential and such a symbol of Barcelona's architectural world and the Parc Guell is a great example of his work as well as the two residential apartment buildings he designed, La Pedera and Casa Batilo. I love the swirls and and curves prominent in all his designs and also the whimsical touches that make the buildings so musical in a way and each as a sense of movement like they're blowing in the wind or bending in the breeze. I got a few pictures of the Parc but I only got one night shot of the Casa Batilo.

I also visited Gaudi's Sagrad Familia Cathedral which is overwhelmingly beautiful and looks like a large sand castle in some ways. I could never do it justice in words or in my photos and our cab driver this morning said that even if we came 40 years from now it still wouldn't be finished. The work has been on going for close to a century and there is no end in sight. But I'm glad they continue because it's truly worth it to have his creation realized even if it takes several lifetimes to do it.

I took the subway from there (so clean and organized they should be applauded in this city) to the hotel to meet mom around 6:00pm. We then got on the hop-on-hop-off bus tour again for the evening run and just enjoyed seeing the sights and watching the people stroll and enjoy their incredible city.  There were literally thousands upon thousands of people out shopping, eating or just walking around the city. It's so refershing to see whole families just out in the parks or strolling down the street on such a nice night and not inside watching TV or playing video games. This is a city of people who really enjoy the surroundings and make use of all that is offered and trust me that's a lot.

Also contributing to the hoards of people out were the thousands of visitors from Scotland who were all dressed in green and white stripes and were here to support the Celtic Soccer team as they played the Barcelona (Barça) team tonight. It is clearly a very big deal and mom and I are rooting for Scotland as they came such a long way but the women at the front desk of our hotel said no worries if they win they'll party and get drunk and if they loose they'll party and get drunk so either way they'll have a good time. Also the singer Rod Stewart, who apparently is from Scotland is a huge fan and he was in the Irish pub across the street from our hotel so we walked buy but didn't see him. You can see all the happy Celtic fans in their green and white stripes outside the pub and on the subway. By the way, I just found out from the front desk that Barcelona won 2 to 1.

So all-in-all a great day and anyone who loves great art, great food, great shopping and just and all around great city, Barcelona is for you!

Valencia, Spain

Started with an 8:45am morning walk with the group but not lead by Gustav unfortunately, I guess he’s entitled to a day off. After breakfast, a sauna/steam/whirlpool visit and then a delicious lunch of massive Valencia shrimp we headed off on the shuttle bus to the center of town.

   

It’s a beautiful city and just as clean and organized as the other Spanish cities we’ve visited.   Spain, although much of what you hear in the news in the US is all about their dire economic state but when you’re here all you can see is their pride for their country, their passion for art and architecture and good food and just a wonderful sense of what a happy life should be. Now does it help they have lots of sunshine, absolutely but it’s just a feeling that they want to live a good life and they believe in a work/play balance well maybe more play/relaxing then work since the city pretty much shuts down around 2:00pm but they seem happy so maybe it’s a good thing.

We walked most of the time which was less than 4 hours but we got a good feeling for the city and met a nice young college student who told us to visit the old train station across the street and she was so right. It was decorated with all mosaic tiles and simply exquisite.  We met up with Abraham Klein and his wife who were at our table the first night but went to a different dining room after that because they bumped into friends from Israel they had no idea were going to be on the cruise.  You can see the picture of them and also the one of Abraham and me but don't look at my hair it's a disaster just ignore me in the picture and look at him and the beautiful building behind us.  Abraham is the retired soccer referee I had mentioned in my first blog from the cruise and he wrote a book about his experiences and a section of it was translated into English and published in the British Guardian and also put online and you can read about him if you go to the following link:

www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/mar/22/forgotten-story-abraham-klein-referee

There wasn’t anything else that we specifically wanted to see so as we wondered we came across the Plaza of Justice which is a large plaza with gorgeous buildings surrounding it all relating to the cities justice system like their courts and such. We walked the main shopping street and then came to a few parks and one street that lead to the Cathedral. It was a really love day and absolutely perfect weather, imagine the quintessential spring day.

We took the shuttle bus back to the ship and had dinner with Lily and Elizabeth and the restaurant crew did an Italian festival where they sang and danced around us, lots of fun.  I also got a great picture of this wonderful couple from Switzerland who sat across from us. They have a 13 year old daughter and the husband who is German and the wife, Adriana is Romanian and they so kindly invited me to stay with them in Switzerland and they would teach me to ski. We have met the nicest people from all over the world, we’ve been so lucky.

Information on Valencia from the Costa "Port Sheet:"

“Valencia represents a perfect example of what Spain has achieved over the past twenty-five years:  highly significant progress in the spheres of both business and tourism.  The city has been completely revolutionized in terms of its services, structures and infrastructures and in a certain sense its very attitude, which is more open than ever to the flow of tourism.  If Madrid’s big breakthrough was represented by the extraordinary boost created by political activity and the turning point for Barcelona was marked by the Olympic Games, Valencia gradually built up its own profile, participating in the successful Columbus celebrations of 1992, and from then on hosting numerous cultural, sporting and entertainment events.  The city represents the extraordinary joie de vivre of its people, expressed in its refined yet wholesome food, in sport and music: the city centre boasts many places offering round the clock food, drink and live music.   Valencia is the capital of the autonomous province of the same name and is situated at the mouth of the Turia River.  It was first colonized by the Romans during the time of Augustus and embellished with many splendid places and buildings.  Attacks from the north, and the Visigoths in particular, were immediately supplanted by the advent of the Arab Empire, Valencia came under Aragonese rule, during which it became an independent kingdom.  The arrival of the Bourbons and the alliance with the Archduke of Austria during the war of Independence upset the equilibrium of the city and its region until the advent of a new cultural renaissance that lasted throughout the eighteenth century.  The war of independence, the civil war-during which the city became the capital of the Republican government for three years, from 1936 to 1939 – the disastrous flood of 1957: each of these dramas saw Valencia emerge stronger or even rise again, becoming the city that we know today.  A cosmopolitan metropolis that is nonetheless built for people, open to change and international relations and free from prejudices or impediments of any kind.  An extraordinary city with great potential that has inevitably become a cultural and tourist landmark for Spain.