Cruises X2 and Paris and London

We'll be cruising from Barcelona to Venice then flying to Paris for four days. Next we "chunnel" to London and after four days there board another ship in Southampton and travel to Ft Lauderdale. I will report on the "antics and adventures"!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Travel and arrival in Barcelona


Day One – Travel and arrival in Barcelona!

Wow! What a day!  We were up and out the door at 4:15 am when the limo arrived and we picked up Betty and Don five minutes later.  Naturally, we arrived at the airport WAY too early but had time to collect ourselves and have a little coffee and oatmeal. 
Since we cashed in lots of Delta Sky Miles we were able to make this trip in the front of the “bus” and it is really worth it!  We board first and have lots of room to spread out and no worries about overhead storage.  We had a rocky but uneventful flight to JFK where we had a 2 ½ hour layover without having to change terminals…..in fact, we barely had to change gates! 

On the next flight we had the “lie flat” seats that sure do make the ride easier on the keester!  We didn’t sleep much because of a lot of turbulence but it sure helps to be able to stretch out horizontally!  It didn’t keep my feet from swelling into zeppelins!

Once we arrived in Barcelona (30 minutes early!) it was the fastest we have ever gone through an airport!  It was ten minutes from inside the plane to inside a taxi!   Did you ever wonder who the lucky people are who get their luggage first?  Hello!!!  That was us!!  Wonder of wonders….mine was first and the Commodore’s was 4th!  Halleluiah!!  No line at the taxi and we were whisked to our hotel where we found Betty, Don, Michele and Tom waiting for us on the patio!  Our rooms were soon ready and they are, hmmmmm, quaint!  All decorated in pink and “spatially economical”!!  In other words, Hobbit sized! Never mind, it’s a clean place to sleep and we love the differences!  The staff couldn’t be nicer and they even have a 24 hour buffet so no one goes unfed!

We spend some of the afternoon walking down La Ramblas ( the main drag) and spent some time wandering around the Bocaria (fresh food market) that I had seen many times profiled on the Food Network.  Amazing place!  We also did a supermarket run for some wine and bottled water…..the necessities of our lives!

We lost Michele and Tom for a little while since they made a Starbucks stop and then spent some time talking to a couple of Barcelona Police Officers.  Their conversation was enlightening for all!  We all caught up at the hotel and headed off to dinner at a restaurant that Brian had recommended and we were not disappointed at all!  What a treat!  The food was so good that we are talking about going back again before we leave on Sunday.  I have never had such good calamari!  BTW, the Sangria wasn’t shabby either!

Tomorrow we have an all day tour scheduled to a winery and then a trip to the Monastery at Montserrat.  We will be outside the city all day and we are looking forward to seeing the “country” around this beautiful city.


It always fascinates me how people name their places of business....see above.  Seems like "British Africa" would have been better named "Livingstone's" or "Stanley's".  


The weather today was spectacular and in the middle 70’s.  Hope it keeps up!
All for now……I’m beat!
XOXOXO
M



5 comments:

  1. Montserrat should be amazing. I've heard such great things about it. Keep a list of the places you love so I can try and hit them in December. ; )

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    1. Will do! You won't have our weather though. :(

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  2. Glad you liked the restaurant! Brian went there probably three nights in a row!

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  3. Glad you enjoyed the restaurant. Try the grilled squid?

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    1. No grilled squid on the menu so we ordered the other ones that were delicious!!

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