11/18/19 Barcelona, Spain
Moving day. With a 1000 checkout and a 1500 check in we
decided to overlap the apartments for a day and not have to wonder the streets
burdened with our luggage. We spent the morning repacking and cleaning up the
apartment.
We had a recommendation from a friend to go to Bar Canete
for a meal. It turns out it was two blocks from our apartment. It looked like a
little hole in the wall place, but so was Los Gatos and it was awesome. We
arrived at 1300, opening time, and found a long line starting to file in.
Evidently this is a very popular place. I am not one to stand in line for a
restaurant, but the line was moving well. As we got to the front of the line,
we could see that people had reservations. Talking to people in line they said
that the earliest reservation they found was two weeks out. The maitre’d stood
the people in front of us aside with no reservation, he stood us aside and then
stood one more non reservation couple aside. After that he was turning the non-reserves
away. After about 10 minutes he called our name, and we took a seat at the bar.
This was the best seat in the house, you could see all the dishs being prepared
and get a feel for the food. The lunch was wine, beer or spirits with tapas.
The wine list was good, so we each enjoyed a glass. The food was fabulous, and
it was fun talking to others at the bar.
After lunch we gathered our bags and flagged a Taxi for the short ride to the north side of Barcelona, an area called Sarria Sant Gervasi. This was clearly a more affluent neighborhood high on the hill with views out to the sea. We easily checked into our apartment, a very chic 3 bedroom unit on two floors with a huge terrace off the master bedroom. We chose it mainly for its proximity to the IMO, and easy walk from here. We did not need this much space, but it was nice to have.
With the afternoon waning we decided to check out the walk
to IMO. Barcelona is not quite San Francisco, but it is pretty hilly here at
the north end. The walk was about 1.2 km, mostly up hill, with lots of new
sights to see. Along the way we saw another Guadi creation, Torre Bellesguard, a
neo gothic home. It was a cross between a castle and a church with a very tall
slender spire capped with one of Guadi’s signature colorful capitols. Arriving
at IMO we were satisfied that the walk was easy enough and would take less than
30 minutes.
Having had a full meal at Canete earlier we stopped and picked up an avocado and made nachos at the apartment and watched an old spy movie.
11/19/24 Barcelona, Spain
It was a warm sunny day developing as we hung out in the
apartment, a little laundry and lunch. We walked to Guell Park, this was a park
designed by Gaudi to be a neighborhood for the bourgeoisie of Barcelona. They
built one model home but generated no interest in further development.
Eventually Gaudi bought the home and made it his. The trek to the park took us
up and down some long steep hills. Some were so steep that the city had
installed outdoor escalators in several locations along the way. We arrived at
the park only to discover that there was an admission fee, and they were sold
out for the day. I guess I did not do my homework on this one. Fortunately, it
was mostly downhill to get home. We managed to occupy most of the afternoon
with this trek and it did offer some beautiful views of the city out to the
coast.
Suzette made a very satisfying mushroom and pasta dish. This would have to sustain her for the next day as she was scheduled for surgery and had to fast for 6 hours ahead of the surgery.
11/20/24 Barcelona, Spain
Sleeping in was good as we had a little time to kill before the 1230 IMO appointment. We walked to IMO with the wind whipping around at a pretty high speed. Windy said 40 knots, but I am pretty sure that was on the water. Our marina had sent a note saying that they were expecting high winds, up to 50 knots, make sure your boat is well secured. With more important things to worry about today we will trust that our boat guys and the marina will be looking out for us.
IMO was a busy place, so we were happy that they could
accommodate us as quickly as they did. We arrived on time and Suzette did her
preop tests, passing her EKG and blood coagulation test with flying colors.
Before long she was off to surgery, and I was off to the cafeteria for some
food. In total we spent about 4 hours at IMO and the surgery was deemed a
success. I met with the doctor to review the routine for meds and eye drops. He
indicated that it was a complicated surgery, and it would take some time to
heal, but her vision would be much improved. We were scheduled to return the
next day for a follow up.
Suzette emerged chipper and ready to go with an appetite and
a good-sized bandage on her eye. Suzette was feeling good except for a headache,
no caffeine in the morning was the likely cause. We walked home, that is how
good she was feeling. I know she was happy to be making progress toward better
vision.
At home we enjoyed homemade soup that Suzette had brewed
that morning. A good night’s sleep was in order to help the healing process.
She was not feeling any discomfort from the surgery.
11/21/24 Barcelona, Spain
Up early but feeling good and ready for that morning coffee.
Schedule for the day…rest and healing. Suzette was a good patient and stayed in
bed with her bandaged eye and mild sedatives. After a late lunch we walked back
to IMO for the big reveal. The bandages came off and she could see, just not
well, yet. The vision test was fair, the eye pressure was low, and the clarity
of the eye was good. The doctor was pleased with the results, but cautioned
again that the surgery was complicated and would require a month to properly
heal. One more checkup next Monday and we should be released. Back to the
apartment to continue resting and healing.
A correction from my earlier description of her eye issue, I
called it a hematoma of the retina, but it was an edema. Additionally, the cataract
surgery placed the lens between the capsule and the iris and was rubbing away
the iris further degrading her sight. Now she has a new lens with no capsule
and all of the shrapnel has been removed. She has experienced some discomfort,
but no complaints from her.
11/22/24 Barcelona, Spain
A chilly windy fall day, good day to wait for the day to
warm up. We ventured out late in the morning to sit in a café and enjoy an
espresso and a pastry as we watched the hustle bustle of Barcelona. Along the
way we stumbled on a shop, Casa Ruiz, that had a fabulous display of food items
offered by the weight. Bins lined the walls and isles filled with a wide
variety of dried fruits, nuts, flours, spices, beans, teas, coffees and more.
Suzette had to restrain herself, but she did buy some spices and sleepy tea.
A bit of a walk found us in a shop that made custom linens.
We shopped and, with the help of a designer, designed a tablecloth for the
dining room at home. The only item left to select was a thread for the edge
treatment. The shops owner would bring a larger selection for us to choose from
on Monday.
Suzette is feeling much better today, but we did not want to push it, back to the apartment to continue the convalescing.
11/23/24 Barcelona, Spain
Today is our 29th wedding anniversary! 29 years
with my partner in crime, my ever-ready sailor (admiral) and best friend. We
live a great life, made even better because we are together.
I have wanted to find a great rooftop bar/restaurant to take
in the city from above, so we headed out in the afternoon for the Royal Hotel,
83.3 Terrace Restaurant. This put us back in the shopping district and a stop
in the Mont Blanc Store. Suzette loves her Mont Blanc pen, but she left it on
the boat. We picked out a new pen for her and left it to be engraved. The
attendant gave us a lot of history on Mont Blanc, this is their 100th
anniversary for their classic pen, which is what we bought. They served us
champagne while we learned about all things Mont Blanc.
The 83.3 Terrace had a fabulous view of the city, and,
unlike many of the rooftop bars I investigated, it was enclosed in glass. It
was a cool breezy day, but comfortable and beautiful at the bar. We enjoyed
cocktails and some tapas, but most of all we enjoyed the view. As we get closer
to being home our conversations have turned to party and event planning for the
holidays. Unlike when we are on the boat, and we discuss weather and route
planning on a daily basis.
We stopped at the place we found yesterday, Casa Ruiz, and bought nuts and dried fruit. A quiet evening and a delicious dinner at home, butternut squash with walnuts and cranberries all roasted in the oven. We spend a lot of time shopping for ingredients and preparing delicious healthy meals, that is just how we roll.
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