Un dia en Barcelona

What a day! Beautiful Barcelona! What amazing architecture lines the streets there, from the buildings designed by Gaudi to the lovely balconies with the shutters that open and close, just beautiful!

I followed Jenny's recommendation that I see the Gothic Cathedral and thank you Jenny! It was magnificent! I am really not that enamored with churches anymore, but if I only see one on this whole trip, that was the one to see! I couldn't read the Spanish but one of the fountains there is the one that was used to baptize the Native Americans that Colombus brought to Spain. Quite an impressive place!

The trip throughout the city was not without complications however. The ship's shuttle took us to the world trade center and I got on the hop on/off bus. Well to begin with I chose the wrong color, it was the one I'd done with Cesar when we met here. Oh well, it was okay to see things again. However we hadn't gone far when the microphone started making loud staticy noises that were very annoying. They got more and more frequent and the bus stopped to try to fix it. The young guide was on the phone for a long time with the main office. Finally he stepped off the bus and lit up a cigarette, pretty funny as we all sat on the hot bus. The top was filled so I was on the bottom, closed in and very hot. He went to get back on the bus and the door wouldn't open! Finally he went to the back door and got it open and then the bus driver went off with him to see what he could do and in no time at all both were locked out of the bus and we were locked in with little ventilation. Of course all of their conversations were in Spanish and even with my recent classes I was unable to understand a word, however I did understand the problem!! I was across from a nice young couple from London and pretty soon we were laughing so hard. Well eventually a door was forced open and they got back on and the door shut and some people came up to get on and pushed the emergency button since the door wouldn't open. The 2 employees were yelling something and before we knew it the bus sank, the button releases the hydrolic stuff??? Anyway the bus wouldn't run at all then! So for quite some time we just sat waiting for the hydrolic whatever to come back? What a saga the morning was! The bus went on to the Sagrada Familia stop with nothing working and the door did open and we quite happily got off!! I then took a taxi to the place I wanted to see. I was able to communicate quite well with the driver who only spoke Spanish. He did smile at my Spanish, but I did get my point across so all was well...finally!!!

I got on the hop on/off bus again, making sure it wasn't the broken one and proceeded to the gorgeous cathedral. After the visit I stopped in a cafe and had paella. Another experience! The waiter couldn't speak English and I had no idea what seafood was coming in the dish. Well, it was mussels, clams, calimari, and cuttlefish, along with one baby (or he might have said bay) lobster and a prawn. The paella was good but I wouldn't say the best I've had. By that time I could have had a pitcher of sangria, but I don't drink and was afraid the way the morning had gone I wouldn't get back to the ship on time if I did!!

I spent some time on Las Ramblas and since it was a Saturday, it was very busy with a marketplace and so, so many people. It is such an interesting place! After walking for a while there I caught the shuttle back to the ship and arrived an hour and a half before the deadline, happy to be back safe and sound after the day I'd had! Barcelona is beautiful and I am sure one day I will be back!

I had dinner with a nice group of people tonight. One lady was there with her granddaughter and she kept complaining of her shoulder, the grandmoter. Finally I asked if she was familiar with reiki and she was and wanted it and before you know it I'd reiki'ed the whole table! People loved it. It was a nice dinner and the waiter from Portugal smiled when I tried out my very limited Portuguese on him!

Tomorrow is a sea day and I am not sure what I will be doing. I have met several people I see around the ship now so that is nice. There is a meeting of the cruise group so that will be a nice social event for me. No Georgie, no news for you!

Monday we will be in Gibraltar and I will not be going to the southernmost tip of land on continental Europe. Martin said it was not a good idea so I am going to listen to him. I am booked to take a tour to Spain to a cork and cattle farm with tapas snacks. I got a letter today saying it was necessary to take my passport because we will be walking across the border to Spain! A new adventure, probably safer than the hop on/off bus in Barcelona though. We will also go on a walk through a cork forest, that's new for me! Then Tuesday is Lisbon with Cesar, a nice treat I am sure.

No mas news, buenos noches mis amigos!