11/23/24 Barcelona, Spain
Today is our 29th wedding anniversary! 29 years
with my partner in crime, my ever-ready sailor 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 looked into, 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.
11/24/24 Barcelona, Spain
We walked north after an early lunch and found the funicular that took us up the steep hill to Tibidabo. It was very amusing as we arrived at
the top of the track and found an amusement park that was somewhere between a Knots
Berry Farm and Magic Mountain in terms of its size and variety of rides. What
made it unique was it sat on this hilltop with amazing 360 degree views of
Barcelona, the Mediterranean and the rolling hills of the interior. The park
was originally built in 1868. Also unique was the picturesque basilica that
towered above the park. Built in the 20th century the Temple of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus was a masterpiece in its architecture, topped by a huge
bronze Sacred Heart statue. The style was modernism, popular at the time, with
Romanesque and Gothic influences. A much more conservative take on modernism
than Gaudi’s work, Enric Sagnier, the architect, had possibly designed the most
buildings in Barcelona at the time.
The park was, well, amusing. They had a real airplane that was attached to a rigid arm that would take you on a circular path out over the cliff and provide a true sensation of flying with a fabulous view of the city. The plane was one of the first airplanes to fly passengers from Barcelona to Madrid simply to enjoy the views from on high. A unique aircraft with large windows for viewing and room for about 10 passengers. Quite unique for the 1930s. They had an ice skating rink, roller coasters and entertainment for every age. As 60 year olds we were entertained by the fact that we got the Senior Discount for the funicular, 7 euros instead of 24 euros, maybe there are some benefits to getting old.
Back at ground level we retraced our steps back to the apartment and picked up some fresh bread and wine to go with dinner. We roasted a variety of fresh vegetables and made a vegetable pesto. We finished off a jar of olives making an olive tapenade. Lastly the last bit of Morbier was sliced. Each taste treat went nicely on the slices of fresh bread. We do eat well here, and the availability of fresh ingredients is amazing.
11/25/24 Barcelona, Spain
Today was deemed a shopping day. I dodged a bullet earlier in
the week when we went to a handmade shoe store, and they were closed. Suzette
was determined that I needed a pair of bespoke shoes. For me, I just abuse shoes,
so they are an evil necessity. That coupled with the fact that I have big feet,
make shoe buying less of an adventure for me, but you know what they say…big
feet…big shoes. The shoe shop was the first stop today. We learned a lot about
shoe making and the shoe maker. Suffice to say I ordered a new pair of shoes,
ready in about 5 months!
Next stop was the Mont Blanc store to pick up Suzettes new
pen that we had engraved. One more stop was a handmade/readymade shoe store for
Suzette, but no bueno. We were running behind, so we flagged a taxi to get home
and make some lunch.
After a late lunch we walked back to IMO for another eye checkup.
The report was good progress, come back on Wednesday for a final check before
going home. Suzette was feeling good and seeing better.
Last stop for the day was the custom linen shop to meet the owner. Suzette hammered out a design and off we went hoping that they could get the materials and bang out a custom tablecloth in the next 2 days. After we left, I asked Suzette if she was concerned that she did not know the price, even though it seems that they are ordering materials? “Well, we have not given them a credit card yet, I am sure they will send a quote.
11/26/24 Barcelona, Spain
It was an early start to the day, we actually set an alarm. We had to grab a Taxi and be at the Nord Station by 0845 to catch the tour bus. We were headed to Montserrat. This is a place that is famous for preserving the Catalan culture and language through the reign of Franco in Spain. The Catalans make an annual pilgrimage to Montserrat to honor their culture and for the healing power of the Black Madonna. We toured the basilica and the grounds of the monastery. Then we walked out to the promontory where a large cross is placed and can be seen from the valley below.
Next stop was a 600-year-old winery housed in a very beautiful castle. The same family has operated the winery for the entire time, 38 generations. We enjoyed a wine tasting with local tapas in one of the wine cellars. They use an unusual grape that I had not heard of before, Picapoll. Interesting wine, but not my favorite. However, the food was delicious.
On the way we received a note from the linen shop with the price and schedule. They would not have it in time for us to pick up, so it was a no go.
Dinner at home was a clean out of the fridge as we were
leaving tomorrow; Fritata, bread and cheese, a small salad and left over soup. Oh,
and the last of the gin, tonic and limes.
11/27/24 Barcelona, Spain
It was moving day with an 1100 appointment for a final checkup
at IMO. We packed our suitcases, cleaned up the apartment and flagged a Taxi
for the short ride to IMO, suitcases in tow. Suzette went in for the usual
battery of tests while I waited in the lobby with the luggage. When she emerged,
she was chipper, but indicated that the opening in her eye had pulled open
slightly and rather than glue the doctor wanted to put a stitch in it. Surgery
would only take 5 minutes and was scheduled between 1530 and 1630.
The only thing we could do was get comfortable and wait.
They were wedging her in between 2 other surgeries so we were on standby. They
called her in at about 1600 and she reemerged at about 1700. Rather than anesthesia
they dosed her with Propofol to temporarily put her out. With no anesthetic
they put a single stitch in the right corner of the white part of the eye. She
was released to go home. The stitch would dissolve in a week or so and
hopefully all would be ok. She was released to fly, and she was feeling good. It’s
always a good sign when she says she’s hungry, we had only eaten a little fruit
in the morning.
We took a taxi to the Airport to spend the night at the
Sleep and fly, an onsite hotel. We checked into a very nice room, dumped our
stuff and headed to the terminal for some food. Airport food and some cheap
wine filled the void.
11/28/24 Barcelona, Spain
Happy Thanksgiving, technically not yet in the US. Up early,
0330, for a 0600 flight. Checked our luggage and retrieved our boarding passes,
Sky Priority, no waiting. We returned to the hotel to take advantage of their
breakfast and espresso drinks, a nice spread. Returning to the terminal we
negotiated the security check. Evidently, they are on a high alert and they
were much more vigilant than usual. Everything off, belts, jacket, shoes and
everything out, laptops etc. At the gate they were doing random bag checks and
asking lots of questions, I guess we had the right answers.
The flight to Amsterdam was smooth and on time. A brisk
sunny day in Amsterdam, good flying weather. The layover in Amsterdam was a
couple hours, but the time passed quickly as we walked to the international
gates, passed through passport control (all automated but still a guy with a
stamp) and walked the concourse for a bit of exercise. This would be an
international flight to Atlanta, we had to get our passports stamped. This was
our tenth stamp on this 3 month trip.
The flight left on time. We enjoyed our oversized seats, movies and overfeeding
on food and wine. The goal is to stay up for the 24 hours it takes to get home.
Then crash at home by 2100 or so and wake up in the morning like nothing
happened. It has worked in the past.
The flight to Atlanta was smooth and on time. We were the
first international flight to land that day. Quick pass through immigrations
and then we retrieved our luggage for a short walk through customs, not a
customs officer in sight. We rechecked our bags and passed through security
into the motherland. Considering that it was Thanksgiving Day in Atlanta there
was a good number of passengers in the airport. Walked rather than shuttled to
concourse B, walked the concourse and stopped for a bite and a glass of wine.
No turkey today.
This last flight was a little quirky. They had closed the
door and run the safety video, but we did not leave. Then the door was reopened
and a burley guy in a Delta Uniform came on the plane. He walked to the rear of
the plane and, without any fanfare, escorted a man off the plane. The doors
closed and we were on our way, no explanation. When we arrived at the gate in
Orange County, they could not get the door to deactivate the automatic life
raft circuit. Finally, they got the system to work, and the door opened, but
not before an altercation broke out between passengers in the back of the
airplane. The rather petite flight attendant was quick to demand a stop to the
fight and put herself in between the two men. That and some intervention from
other passengers kept the fighters at bay. No turkey sandwiches were available,
perhaps that had them riled up.
We were happy to be home and quickly gathered our luggage. A
taxi ride home (very expensive compared to EU) and ready to collapse. They
house was in good order thanks to our wonderful cleaning ladies. A shower to
wash the travel grime away and off to bed.
So ends another fabulous trip. Every trip has been unique,
this one is no exception; exploring several new countries, navigating the
medical issues in hopes of improving Suzettes eye sight and enjoying all that
Europe has to offer. We were fortunate to only have challenges that were fairly
easy to overcome, we are very resourceful and tenacious, must be a Capricorn
thing. Time to dive into the holidays. I can only hope that we all continue to
enjoy prosperity and that we might see peace in the New Year.
See you in the Spring when we plan to explore Greece!
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