Emerald Princess Rome to Barcelona September 26 -October 3 2015 in photos and video

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These were all buildings with meaningless names to me. Just a blur. I'd take a walk next morning and see some of them again.

 

Now we left the big wide boulevards and drove narrow streets, climbing higher as we did so, away from the hub of the city.

 

We arrived outside the entrance to Parc Guell (Park Gwell) for the second and final part of our Pepito Tour. After this we would see our hotel for the first time and get a chance to relax.

 

Anna has the tickets-so let's go in...

[cormike1]

Yikes!! What happened??

 

Norris

 

 

You have me laughing Norris. My Wow, Wow, Wow is about your pictures of La Sagrada Familia. Just totally amazing! Every space you look at has a carving of some sort. It just had me at a loss for words and if you knew me you would know that doesn't happen too often lol.

 

Keep those fabulous pics coming Norris and thanks!

 

Corinne

Edited November 7, 2015 by cormike1
name change

[Bimmer09]

You have me laughing Norris. My Wow, Wow, Wow is about your pictures of La Sagrada Familia. Just totally amazing! Every space you look at has a carving of some sort. It just had me at a loss for words and if you knew me you would know that doesn't happen too often lol.

 

Keep those fabulous pics coming Norris and thanks!

 

Corinne

 

Thanks, Corinne!

 

More pics tomorrow, bright and early.

 

Norris

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Of course we were not alone at Parc Guell but it's in the open air and spread out so it's not Sagrada Familia. Again we didn't have to join a line to enter as Anna already had the tickets.And again I just took pictures not knowing the significance of what I was shooting. So, no architecture tour for me. I'm just a tourist looking for eye-candy.

 

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It covers several different levels so there will be some steps to negotiate

 

 

 

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Predominant among the structures is the use of mosaics

 

 



 



 



 

The man in yellow on the right is security and is there partly to stop registered Circus Clowns climbing over the structures to take selfies or pose.

 

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Here and there you'll find a bench to sit on

 

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We are going to go up on the giant roof that is being supported by these columns.

 

 

The underside of the roof

 

 



 

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This is where you find yourself after climbing those stairs

 

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Much of it is held up by those columns we saw below

 

 

 

From up here we'll get a better view of the park and Barcelona

 



 



 

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You can see the towers of Sagrada Familia in this shot, to the left of the spire.

Gaudi's plans called for 18 towers(there are 8 now)...so a lot of building still to do if they go ahead with that. Less is more, say I.

 

The photos of Parc Guell needed a lot of correction/adjusting in Lightroom. It was ok taking shots looking away from the city otherwise the sun trying to shine through the cloud covering the city caused a haze around the outlines of buildings. I had to under-expose many of them and then tweak them back to being worth looking at.

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There's decoration wherever you look

 

 

 

 

 

The sky hasn't cleared up yet

 

[LH2015]

Still on page 34 but wanted to quickly say that the dismantling of the Concordia had certainly progressed since the pictures in my trip report from June. I see they have taken her name plates off, which were visible, although very faded when I saw her.

 

It's a very eerie and sad feeling to see a ship once grand and vibrant to be reduced to rust and bleakness. Especially knowing the souls that perished with her.

[Bimmer09]

Still on page 34 but wanted to quickly say that the dismantling of the Concordia had certainly progressed since the pictures in my trip report from June. I see they have taken her name plates off, which were visible, although very faded when I saw her.

 

It's a very eerie and sad feeling to see a ship once grand and vibrant to be reduced to rust and bleakness. Especially knowing the souls that perished with her.

 

Sad and eerie indeed.

 

I'm glad to see you still reading along.

 

If you are on page 34 you are catching up-I'd better write some more!

 

Norris

 

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The park is built on a hill and there's a world of vegetation behind it

 

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There's a covered walkway back there I had seen in photographs

 

 

 

If you go to the right instead there is this

 

 

A Gaudi gate leading to the walkway

 

 

The right hand wall is shaped like the inside of a breaking wave

 

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It's a long wave...

 

 

 

There are benches nearby

 

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Parc Guell was built between 1900 and 1914 but didn't become a public park until 1926 the year Gaudi was killed by a tram when crossing the street.

 

We're coming near the end of our time here and soon will be driven to our hotel.

 

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The people halfway up the stairs are gathered to take photos of one of the most recognized sculptures (which was vandalized in 2007- huh people??) It was restored.

 

This one

 

 

 

Anna calls Luis to come pick us up. He is already waiting in the street.

 

[2pbears]

Norris, Just wanted to say that I am loving your pictures and commentary on Barcelona and am thinking about how to plan our two days in Barcelona so that we can see all of these amazing sights. I hate to, but I am going to have to leave CC for a week as we board the Grand Princess tomorrow for a Coastal Cruise. I shall return though and will look forward to reading the final chapters of your review when we return home. Thanks again for doing this.

[Bimmer09]

Norris, Just wanted to say that I am loving your pictures and commentary on Barcelona and am thinking about how to plan our two days in Barcelona so that we can see all of these amazing sights. I hate to, but I am going to have to leave CC for a week as we board the Grand Princess tomorrow for a Coastal Cruise. I shall return though and will look forward to reading the final chapters of your review when we return home. Thanks again for doing this.

 

For us, two days was too short and we have unfinished business. When you come back you'll have more to go on when you read this.

 

Meantime have a great cruise on the Grand!

 

And thanks for the kind comments!

 

Norris

[KiwiFunCruiser]

For us, two days was too short and we have unfinished business. When you come back you'll have more to go on when you read this.

 

Norris

 

Fabulous photos great review, I have been following your thread and are looking forward to seeing more.

 

Thankyou

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Fabulous photos great review, I have been following your thread and are looking forward to seeing more.

 

Thankyou

 

Thank you and welcome!

 

More is coming right up.

 

Norris

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When we left Parc Guell I noticed these Go Cars parked outside. I just wanted to include a photo of them to show the adventurous that these are an option for getting around.

 

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In the car on the way to the hotel Carol asked for tapas restaurant recommendations from Anna and Luis- back in Chicago I had done my Tripadvisor research and come up with a few names. I had searched for Restaurants with Terraces and came up with some beauts. Alas some with the best eye candy appeal were closed on Sundays or were a taxi trek away or had service issues.

Carol just wanted to hear from the boots on the ground.

 

At Anna's mention of El Passatge de Murmuri I confirmed it was one of my choices from TA and so that became our decision for a meal later tonight. It was near our hotel so no long trek.

 

As we were talking on the drive to the hotel I wasn't taking photos and the trip was only 15 minutes or so. I could tell we were back on Passeig de Gracia (which runs parallel to la Rambla and only a block away) from the buildings we'd seen earlier. Once I saw Gaudi's Casa Batilo again I knew we had arrived.

 

 

On a Grand Boulevard like Gracia the hotels, restaurants and shops have a little frontage road so cars pulling in are not in the main stream of traffic running in the middle of the road. I had seen this before for the hotels on the Ring road in Vienna.

Good city planning!

 

Luis pulled over, opened the trunk and a young bellman gathered up our luggage.

 

We thanked our great Pepito guides and our tour was over. It had lasted 4 1/2 hours.

When we are planning these trips, choosing a hotel falls to me as I like surfing Tripadvisor anyway. I shy away from "modern" facades and interior furniture and instead look for something in a great location with a classic feel. A hotel that has been around for a while and has a lot of good reviews and web photos gets my attention. Although we are only here for two days and will spend a lot of time out of our room we want somewhere warm and inviting to return to at night. I look for balconies and a view. I check out the hotel's restaurants and if there is a rooftop or scenic bar that helps in my choice.

 

I had hit the bullseye on our hotels in Venice and Rome the year before. Hopefully this would be another one.

 

So the Hotel Majestic is up next

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HOTEL MAJESTIC

 

I took this photo later that evening

(our room has the balcony just below the letter M)

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We followed the bellman in

 

 

He led us past the reception desk

 

 

and around a corner

 

 

He brought us to a second, smaller lobby where there were three fashion models behind the desks. We we greeted by a young Jose Carreras, he of the big warm smile and sparkle in the eyes. I scanned his black suit hoping to find a loose thread or hair. Nothing. He was perfection. The two young ladies, just back from a photoshoot for Elle Magazine were helping others.

 

Of course he spoke English with a strong Catalan accent. Of course he was welcoming and efficient.

 

As he was checking us in I noticed a desk set up nearby. There was a woman in a Princess uniform! Yes, Princess uses this hotel....

 

 

It was now 2pm. Check-in time was 3 and our room wasn't ready yet. I guess if there are cruise people staying here they may not check out until the last possible moment. I know if we embark a cruise ship in Barcelona in the future we are proably going to ask for a "late check out". Unless you have to be onboard to snag seats in the Sanctuary or get your name on the Chef's Table list/Ultimate Ship Tour list you might as well hang ouround the city and have tapas outdoors for lunch verses the Horizon Court/MDR.

 

Sure, we can wait an hour. Our luggage has been taken to storage. Is there somewhere you can recommend where we can get a quick bite to eat and a drink? Si Senor- our rooftop bar is open.

 

ROOFTOP.

BAR.

 

We are so there!

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We had to take an elevator to 10. This is one of the elevator lobbies

 

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Soon the doors opened and we were on the roof

 

 

There were couches around the tables on the perimeter but they encouraged you to lean back which wasn't ideal for us. The sky was still offering a possibilty of rain too so we chose a table here, which had an awning that could be unwound to offer shelter.

 

 

A waitress came to take our drinks order. I needed beer and the local draught on order was one I am familiar with from our favorite tapas restaurant in Chicago-Estrella (pron. Estraya). Carol a tonic water. Beer was 7E and was just what I needed. You'll notice on every table an ashtray-that's heaven for me but may not be for you so look around at your neighbors before taking a seat.

 

It was warm (mid 70's) but overcast. I had beer and a cigarette. Olives were brought to the table but they disappeared fast. We checked our feet-they were not moving. That was a relief after our morning adventures. Life is good.

 

Room not ready until 3? Ah, make it 4 if you want...

 

Not hot enough right now to force me into the pool

 

 

Let's take a look down onto Passeig de Gracia

 

 

Casa Batilo is on that second block on the right, next to the salmon colored building on the corner. You can see a cluster of people waiting to get in.

 

You can see how wide the street is in the next shot. At bottom left you can see the frontage road I was talking about with a yellow and black taxi at bottom left. Taxis are plentiful and wait in ranks. A green light on top says he's free. When occupied an orange number lights up.

 

 

The beer was hitting the spot but to my horror my smokes had run out. I had bought a duty-free carton on the Emerald (they deliver them to your cabin on the last day at sea) but they were in my luggage downstairs. So off I went....

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I went down to the lobby and found the bellman who had locked away my luggage and soon had a pack of cigarettes.

 

In the elevator on the way back up to the bar there were four Spanish guys with me. We started talking in English. Maybe not politically correct I said " I heard that there are a lot of pickpockets in Barcelona..."

 

Three of them immediately looked down at their shoes while the fourth looked up to the ceiling and whistled softly...

 

They got off at the next floor.

 

Joking aside the city has a million new tourists coming through each week and there are crowds everywhere. Look on youtube for "Pickpockets Barcelona"

I was wearing my money belt still and was always on guard. Better safe than sorry.

 

When I got back Carol told me she had ordered some snacks. Good idea!

 

While waiting an Afro American couple from the USA, he a 300 pounder, she a third of that, had sat down and orderd some food. I saw them get a drink that was in a coconut shell. His eyes lit up after a sip. Passed it to her. Screwed her face up. They had some tapas with giant prawns on the plate. He was in heaven. She made a face. I talked to them as I thought they might be cruising but they were just here for 3 days from Atlanta before moving on to Venice. Inwardly I hoped his wife would enjoy something to eat or drink along the way. She ordered some fries.

 

Nothing wrong with fries although it's easy to screw them up. Coming from Northern Ireland I was spoiled with great ones from an early age. It's the home of the potato. A greengrocer store would have maybe a dozen varietals to choose from and could tell you which farm had grown them. You could find a favorite and stick with that. My mum used to buy them in a 112 pound sack for a family of 5.

Every home had a "chip pan". We have a fryer that rotates them as they cook-highly recommended. I take cooking them seriously.

 

So when these came to the table on a slate, piping hot, I said to Carol-you know me too well.

 

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Some condiments to taste. I liked the mini salt and pepper shakers.

 

 

We shared the fries (7 Euro) and this other platter of Iberico Ham (Jamon)with tomato bread. This was a 25E plate but was ham from another galaxy.

 

 

The food hit the spot as did another round of drinks.

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Here's another shot of Casa Batilo from the roof. You can see the twin funnels of Celebrity Equinox in the distance (center right)

 

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Montjuic in the distance, where we started our tour this morning. The 1992 Olympic Stadium is up there too. This part of town is called EIXAMPLE (ay-shom-play) and was built from scratch when the Old Town with its narrow streets became too congested. It's laid out in grid form and you'll notice that the buildings on the corners, including our hotel, are angled to let more light in. Ingenious! Sidewalks are wide and have benches to sit on.

There is also room for cafes on the sidewalks-my kind of town!!!

 

 

 

I could happily stay up here with my beer but our room is ready now and we need to go visit

 

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Down in the lobby where we registered our keys were waiting. We got wi-fi passwords too and the bellman brought us and our bags up to the room.

 

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I'll get to the bathroom next. The bedroom was spacious and well-appointed

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I'll let the pics speak for themselves. The only surprise was the lack of a stand-alone bidet.

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Thick fluffy towels aplenty. BVLGARI soaps shampoos and lotions (love that smell)

and a weight scale (Yikes!) completed the amenities.

 

Once we had unpacked, our 5 pm tickets for the Picasso museum seemed like they would take a back burner to a nap. This would have been the young Picasso when he was painting in a conventional way with great skill, not the Cubist which doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

We had some food in us. Some beers for me. It was dark and quiet in the room once the curtains were drawn.

 

A nap, yes. A capital idea.