We'’re out of it! A summer 14 “MAGICal” Med adventure Day 14/Aug 05 updated 05/05

[perfectmatch300]

Well, I hope it is the other way around. Let this week go slow (as I am still on vacation) and the next week fly by. Hope it works for both of us - we ARE on different sides of the pond, so we might be lucky.

I think it could work, us being on opposite sides of the pond! I sure don't want to wish the rest of your vacation away on you.

I'm not sure if I am bringing a flag. I tried that on previous cruises and had a bit of trouble managing the flag, my phone and waving at our friends. Everything nearly blew away! I do know that the camera loves people with flags though. It sure worked for you and Tom. If I can find a better way to fasten the flag to the railing then maybe I will bring it. After all, we will have 2 sailaways this cruise!

 

[dizneeat]

So cool you could walk to do your shopping and have so many discoveries you weren't really expecting, and then have so much beautiful architecture to enjoy. You got some great pictures! Other than regular coffee I would probably order the same as you at Starbucks, but Tom's selection sounds really good too.

It was nice to walk around the area and get familiar with it. Barcelona is really beautiful and it was amazing to see all the US chains that had "invaded" the city.

I usually am a lot more aware of things like pickpockets when I'm in a big city, and adjust accordingly. Making a mental note just in case I make it to Barcelona one day.

I am usually very aware of pickpockets, especially in crowded places, but we had read so much about Barcelona being pretty high up on the list of places with pickpockets.

I cannot wait to hear about your adventures!!

A lot more coming up soon!

Can't wait to read more! We are sailing on the Magic at the end of the month and are super excited!

Hope you are going to have an awesome time on your trip.

There's a way to start Barcelona with a bang , glad it was minor and didn't affect your day Karin LOVE the aparthotel (did I write that correctly?). And the streets in the city are lovely! Castle on the hill like MK

Yes, the "bang" definitely was a special start to the trip.

The aparthotel was awesome. We really enjoyed our time there, especially if you know how small European hotel rooms are - it was definitely a treat.

What looks like a castle on the hill is actually a church. We went up there there and the view from the top of the church was breathtaking.

 

[dizneeat]

Friends of mine just spent a week in Barcelona this summer and when we chatted about their trip I realised how long it has been since I was in Barcelona. That was in 89 - before the Olympic Games. They had building sites for the games everywhere then. But now, looking at your pictures, I do recognise a lot. I really liked it then and have been thinking about returning there. So, seeing your pictures kind of reaffirmed this.

How nice of the hotel to give you a bottle of wine for being too early!

You really should return to Barcelona. When we last visited it was in the early 80s and even though there were parts that looked familiar, the city had changed a lot. And we really enjoyed to explore again.

What a way to start off your trip. I understand how you get caught up in the FB drama. There is always the one *self-proclaimed* expert and its easy to get sucked in. Oh well, lesson learned and you got a good story for your money.

You perfectly summed up our FB experience!

The apartment looks great! I really like Barcelona and want to go back to explore more. I was so jetlagged that I missed out a lot plus it was raining the day I arrived as well. It really is a beautiful city.

Jill in CO

It is really a city worth visiting and I was glad I had decided to add a few days in the beginning and a night in the end.

Nothing like a good bump to the car in front to begin vacation! Thankful it was minor and your two were not injured in away way.

Yes, the "perfect" way to start your vacation - as long as it is not your own car.

That elevator is teeny! I just. I get have been looking for the stairs since the apt was not on the top floor.

We did use the stairs quite often, but the stairway was narrow too, so lugging up the luggage would not have been easy.

What a gorgeous view during your walk! And that building is amazing. I have always read and hard that Barcelona is a beautiful city; Mia visited when she was 14 with a small group from her parochial school and she loved it.

Looking forward to the next installment!

Casa Batllo was beautiful. There are many buildings like this all over the city and I would have loved to explore from the inside as well, but we only had little time and we wanted to get a good overview.

Karin i'm soooo happy to see your new TR up and running!

Alicia!
So happy you came over to join us!

Oh my gosh, seriously?! I can't belieive he hit the car in front of him. Glad you guys were okay and no one was injured. That would be the worst way to start a vacation.

He was so apologetic! But the thing was that he blamed it on "bad brakes" which didn't help much making us feel more comfortable given the way he used to drive.

Such a spacious room!

It was an awesome room! I was so glad I had changed to that hotel. It was more in the city center, larger AND cheaper as well. What more could I have wished for?

I had no idea that there were Nespresso stores. Very cool!

We have two Nespresso stores here in our city and they are both so sleek and beautiful. But that one was just HUGE!!!!!
I don't even know if Nespresso is as well known in the US as it is here.

Wow what an impressive building! Beautiful.

Yes, Casa Batllo is beautiful, but we did see some other sights that were just as beautiful, if not even more impressive.

I love seeing fruits and veggies all lined up pretty and in order like that. Doesn't happen around these parts though

I was so impressed with how wonderful they presented the produce. Some farmers here present it like this for farmers markets, but the sheer amount of different fruit and veg was amazing.

 

[dizneeat]

Hi Karin!

What a shame about spending the money on the driver unnecessarily. But at least you got to experience crashing the car….

Spending that much money was what got to me the most. Especially since I had two more rides prebooked and prepaid. What a waste of money that Mickey would have loved to take from me.

The apartment looks amazing! It’s so great when you book something and it turns out even better than expected.

I was VERY happy with our decision of staying there.

Loving the pics of Barcelona!

Glad you enjoy!

I think it could work, us being on opposite sides of the pond! I sure don't want to wish the rest of your vacation away on you.

Thank you for understanding .... I do see your "side" of the wait too!

I'm not sure if I am bringing a flag. I tried that on previous cruises and had a bit of trouble managing the flag, my phone and waving at our friends. Everything nearly blew away! I do know that the camera loves people with flags though. It sure worked for you and Tom. If I can find a better way to fasten the flag to the railing then maybe I will bring it. After all, we will have 2 sailaways this cruise!

We made a knot at the ends of the flag and fixed ribbons to it, so we could tie it to the side of the ship. Worked quite well.

But never the less, we will be looking out for the people in red on Sunday!

 

[pas130]

Yes, the "bang" definitely was a special start to the trip.

The aparthotel was awesome. We really enjoyed our time there, especially if you know how small European hotel rooms are - it was definitely a treat.

What looks like a castle on the hill is actually a church. We went up there there and the view from the top of the church was breathtaking.

Never been to Europe, but I've seen reviews on most European hotels being a bit small. The view from that church must have been gorgeous

 

[KatMark]

See...I'm already two updates behind.

I can't believe your driver was in an accident. I'm glad you and Tom were okay though.

What a tiny elevator? But what a HUGE apartment (love the bathroom).

Such beautiful pictures as you walked the shopping area. I had never heard of that Nespresso (did I spell that right?); but that is one HUGE store.

Of course you stopped for Starbucks.

Beautiful church.

Love the fruit and vegetable market.

 

[dizneeat]

Never been to Europe, but I've seen reviews on most European hotels being a bit small. The view from that church must have been gorgeous

Usually rooms are on the small side and only 2 per room. It's very seldom that you find rooms with 3 or more beds.
I can tell you the view from the Tipidabo was awesome. Pics are coming soon.

See...I'm already two updates behind.

I can't believe your driver was in an accident. I'm glad you and Tom were okay though.

What a tiny elevator? But what a HUGE apartment (love the bathroom).

Such beautiful pictures as you walked the shopping area. I had never heard of that Nespresso (did I spell that right?); but that is one HUGE store.

Of course you stopped for Starbucks.

Beautiful church.

Love the fruit and vegetable market.

Don't worry, Kathy, as soon as I go back to work I guess this will slow down too.
Let's say the driver added a little excitement to our arrival He sure was happy we were not hurt.
Hm, I guess Nespresso is not a well known brand in the US. It's a company selling coffee makers that need little capsules of coffee. It's a rather expensive brand, but the coffee is really good. And they have SO many different flavours and roasts and come up with new and limited flavours ever so often.
Starbucks tells me I am on vacation - I know unbelievable, but we don't have one here and I would have to drive to Vienna (2 hour drive) for one.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 1, July 23

A beautiful new city to explore …….. Part 4

Once we got back to La Rambla we decided to just skip the main street and walk the streets of the old part of the city.
We walked along streets,



took turns







and checked out shops



and restaurant, but could not find the restaurant we were looking for. So while going through those narrow streets we peeked into a few restaurants, but didn’t feel like going in somewhere, especially since dinner time in Spain is pretty late and the restaurants were now, around 7pm still very empty. But finally we just decided that we had to eat somewhere and went into a small restaurant that looked somewhat inviting. Once inside we were greeted by a very friendly server, who took our drinks order and left us with the menu. She soon returned with



Tom’s draft beer and my Diet Coke. Since we had no idea what to order we asked for recommendations and she told us it was more than okay to just share some tapas. So that it what we did. We ordered some



olives, green and black, mixed with pearl onions and cornichons, which were really good, then we got an order of



Fried Calamari, which tasted pretty good as well, an order of



Sauted Shrimp, fried in olive oil with lots of garlic and chili and they were delicious! Since we had not known portion sizes and the server had suggested to share 5 to 6 different tapas we also got



Steamed Mussels, steamed in white wine and some



Ham and Potato Croquettes. We had also received some



bread for dipping. We really enjoyed our first taste of tapas and once we had cleared all the plates and paid the bill we slowly made our way back to our apartment as we were now getting really tired.







Only when we walked past Starbucks did we make one more stop. No, not for coffee, but I felt like I needed a little sugary treat. So we bought a slice of



Carrot Cake, which came in the cutest of boxes.



Back at our place we sampled a few





local drinks and I had a taste of my cake, which had looked better than it actually was. It was a bit on the dry side, but still nice to have something sweet to nibble on, while we watched a little TV and were so amazed that they even offered several German TV programmes.
Around 11pm we were so tired we hardly could keep our eyes open, so we decided to call it a night.

To be continued ..........​

 

[KatMark]

The food looks so yummy...well most of it anyway (the stuff I would eat ). The calamari is huge...looks like onion rings (certainly nothing like the calamari around here). The shrimp is making me drool.

I can't believer you were still awake at 11 p.m.

 

[GoofyFan1515]

She soon returned with

Coke........Lime........something's missing.......

Sauted Shrimp, fried in olive oil with lots of garlic and chili and they were delicious!

Yum!

Ham and Potato Croquettes.

Yum! Yum!

We had also received some



bread for dipping.

we slowly made our way back to our apartment as we were now getting really tired.

Hidden Mickeys???

 

[Poolrat]

What a nice way to explore the city. Isn't that always the way - can't find the restaurant you are looking for and then you find a wonderful little place instead.

Diet Coke and Lime - My go to soft drink. I am sure Marv is wondering where the rum is.

A nice collection of tapas there. I guess that is the rage now, even EPCOT is getting in with the couple of tapas places they added.

You lasted until 11 Amazing the things you can do on travel day.

 

[perfectmatch300]

We made a knot at the ends of the flag and fixed ribbons to it, so we could tie it to the side of the ship. Worked quite well.

But never the less, we will be looking out for the people in red on Sunday!

Tying knots at the corners of the flag sounds like a good idea! I may just try that. The flag I'm thinking of bringing has a pocket across the top for a flag pole. I was thinking of running a piece of rope or maybe a bungee cord through the pocket and tying that to the rail, but I was afraid that I might lose my grip on the rope, the rope would slide out of the pocket, and the flag would be gone. Bad for me because I'd lose my flag, bad for the environment because the flag would then be floating around in the harbor where it certainly does not belong. I think I would have better control over the flag with ties already firmly attached to it. The flag I'm thinking of bringing is a University of Connecticut flag, dark blue background with a husky dog logo in white on it, so it you see that, you'll know for sure it's us.

I have been checking our local weather and it may be a bit rainy on Sunday afternoon. If that's the case, we will be on our aft balcony. For the first leg of the B2B we are in 7690, just to the starboard side of the top of the flagpole. If it is sunny, upper deck near the sattelite antenna ball. Same plan for Thursday's sailaway only lime green shirts and cabin 8188. Karin, I know you know where that one is.

 

[dizneeat]

The food looks so yummy...well most of it anyway (the stuff I would eat ). The calamari is huge...looks like onion rings (certainly nothing like the calamari around here). The shrimp is making me drool.

I can't believer you were still awake at 11 p.m.

Did I make you hungry again? But honestly, the food was really nice and it made sense to just order these small plates and share. Gave you a taste of the city.

Coke........Lime........something's missing.......

Rum?

What a nice way to explore the city. Isn't that always the way - can't find the restaurant you are looking for and then you find a wonderful little place instead.

It was a very relaxed way to end the day and that restaurant surely was a good find.

Diet Coke and Lime - My go to soft drink. I am sure Marv is wondering where the rum is.

That was my first thought too!

A nice collection of tapas there. I guess that is the rage now, even EPCOT is getting in with the couple of tapas places they added.

Tapas are so typical Spanish! And we were so happy we finally got to try some "real" ones, in the land where they are originate.

You lasted until 11 Amazing the things you can do on travel day.

It took quite a while to wind down. So many things had happened that day and we had so enjoyed our first day of vacation.

Tying knots at the corners of the flag sounds like a good idea! I may just try that. The flag I'm thinking of bringing has a pocket across the top for a flag pole. I was thinking of running a piece of rope or maybe a bungee cord through the pocket and tying that to the rail, but I was afraid that I might lose my grip on the rope, the rope would slide out of the pocket, and the flag would be gone. Bad for me because I'd lose my flag, bad for the environment because the flag would then be floating around in the harbor where it certainly does not belong. I think I would have better control over the flag with ties already firmly attached to it. The flag I'm thinking of bringing is a University of Connecticut flag, dark blue background with a husky dog logo in white on it, so it you see that, you'll know for sure it's us.

It worked pretty well for us and we just tied it to the railing.
I will definitely be looking out for you on Sunday!

I have been checking our local weather and it may be a bit rainy on Sunday afternoon. If that's the case, we will be on our aft balcony. For the first leg of the B2B we are in 7690, just to the starboard side of the top of the flagpole. If it is sunny, upper deck near the sattelite antenna ball. Same plan for Thursday's sailaway only lime green shirts and cabin 8188. Karin, I know you know where that one is.

I definitely remember 8188 and we took good care of it for you!

 

[annmarieda]

You know I have to follow along! I just have to try and get caught up before I do much posting.

 

[dizneeat]

You know I have to follow along! I just have to try and get caught up before I do much posting.

Ann!
I am truly happy, you are joining us as well.
We only have day 1 posted, so no rush!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 2, July 24

So much to see, so little time …. Part 1

We both woke up around 7am and started to get ready. Tom put the Nespresso machine to good use and we had some cookies which we had bought the day before for breakfast.
By 8.45am we left our apartment and started our walk down to Placa de Catalunya.



When we went past an ATM we stopped and Tom got some money as we both had forgotten to get some more money before we had left. And after some window shopping, we reached the large square, where our sightseeing tour was supposed to leave from. There were already buses there for the several companies that started from there and the different lines. We found our company and chose the east route. Once on the bus our voucher was exchanged into a two day ticket, then we were handed maps and headphones and finally sent upstairs. We quickly found seats together, but since the bus was not full, I got up and sat in the row in front of Tom. We were still able to talk to each other, but had more room to move to take pics. About 3 minutes after we had gotten on the tour started. First we drove through the Gothic quarter,







then on to the port







and finally along the beach area.











There we had to get off our bus and get onto another already waiting one. Still, there were a lot of empty seats and we kept our seating arrangements, with me sitting in the row ahead of Tom. We soon were riding along the street again, passing a lot of beach areas and big hotels
















before coming to the Forum and then on to the Sagrada Familia.

To be continued ..........​

 

[jenseib]

The city looks beautiful. I love the beach pictures too.

Does tapas mean "appetizer"?

 

[KatMark]

Wonderful pictures, Karin.

Nice to have some elbow room and for both of you to be able to take pictures.

Was it a weekday when you did this? The beach, which looks lovely, doesn't look very crowded.

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

Great photos!

How did you like using the Nesspresso machine?

 

[RGirl]

Hi Karin! Oh - I am just loving the little picture tour of Barcelona. I have been to Madrid briefly, but never Barcelona. It looks beautiful!

Oh my goodness! Your tapas meal looks sooooo delicious!

The bus tour seems like a good one - covering a lot of ground and a lot of sights.

Can’t wait for more!!!