“Live From” Z and TB’s Tapas and Sangria Tour

[Zqueeze1]

So what did we have for chow?  Let me just say there is a whole cow missing and we won’t be eating until tomorrow. 
 

Los Caracoles is a place we always go to whenever we are in BCN. We are treated like family and the food is outstanding. 
 

Today did not disappoint. We started with 

Some sangria and Pan con tomate (bread with tomato)

 

Followed  by patatas bravas (third meal in a row)

Then a little langostino in garlic sauce

But the mother of all meals was this Fred Flintstone brontosaurus T bone steak that weighed in at a hefty 2.2 pounds or 1 kilo.

Pam got the vapors trying to finish it and I had to loosens up my pants.  

Needless to say, The Boss is again in another food coma while I sit here contemplating having a beer or maybe some more Galician octopus like last night. 

 

Tomorrow:  John and Karen arrive along with 100% chance of rain

 

Z and TB

 

Edited October 29, 2021 by Zqueeze1

[cwn]

Thank you, thank you for taking time to do the report and post all the wonderful pictures. We haven’t been to Barcelona since 1988, then with our 14 year old daughter. Loved the city then. Your pictures are bring back wonderful memories.

[forgap]

Love your joie de vivre!   Barcelona is a wonderful spot.…go to the Picasso museum if you can…extraordinary!  On the same path is a great tapas place and a cava bar.  We spent a week in that quartier and had a great time.  La Sagrada Familia had a profound impact.  I felt like a pilgrim on seeing Chartres for the  first time.  Clearly this cathedral is the work of aliens from another world! 

 

Waiting with bated breath for Explorer details!   Our first time on that ship in January…. SD to MIA.  

[irishwitchy]

Looking forward to your report!   Now I want to get back to Europe and visit my favorite places, after seeing the food and sites in Barcelona.   We don’t sail until Aug 2022.   

[Zqueeze1]

Good morning. I was thinking about the two cabs we’ve taken and the traffic we’ve seen. It’s a lot of fast driving, but not Miami crazy.   If you step off the curb at the wrong time, you will be run over.  I can just picture myself getting hit by a speeding Vespa from hell being driven by a metro guy who’s late for his Pilates class. My cold body would be inspected by the Guardia Civil and they would say something like “este pendejo está jodido (this poor bastard is screwed).” Of course, they would have to draw a chalk line around my body which leads to my real dilemma. The chalk line would be in the shape of a circle. And that’s how I will be remembered. 
It’s a rainy day in BCN and we may end up lounging around the hotel waiting for our friends to arrive and hang out.  
We ended up going to the same tapas bar we had gone to on our first night and Pam watched me in wonder since she couldn’t eat. I only had two tapas and a couple of beers.  The beers cost about two bucks, an alchie’s dream.  
Tomorrow: we board the Explorer. 
Z and TB

[bebop bonnie]

So happy to read your blog!!  The only thing better would be if we were once again cruising with you…. But instead we are now on day number two on the magnificent  Splendor.  It is even more fabulous and gorgeous than I anticipated and among the many great things is seeing so many familiar crew. 
 

Actually, l think the crew remembers my sister Debbie and me because they remember seeing us hang out with Z and TB on the very last Explorer cruise pre COVID.      Z, one of the stools at the Pool Bar must have your name etched in gold!!  I’ll start a blog or post a review of my cruise later. But in the meantime I am loving your blog, humor (that’s an understatement) and photos. Am determined to cruise again with yous and finally also J and D soon!  But for now, Thank you for taking us along on your cruise !

Hugs to you, the beautiful TB and to J and D!!!  
Bonnie

[Zqueeze1]

Bebops:  so good to hear from yous.  Thanks for the kind words and  I would love to read your thread about your cruise. TB says hello and sends her love. Say hi to Rick and Debbie from us. 
Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

I am sitting at the hotel lobby with TB and waiting for John and Karen to arrive. Apparently, they’ve had the flight from hell. They were delayed about five hours in Dallas due to lack of crew and a maintenance issue. We hope they get here soon because the waiter is giving me the evil eye. I guess an all you can eat breakfast buffet has its limits. 
BTW, anyone going to Spain should take note that tipping is not required nor expected. Only tourists tend to tip. Most folks round up their bill or leave something extra if service was exceptional.  Only once so far was I expected to tip and it was in a tourist trap cafe in Las Ramblas.

I recently rounded up my five euro coffee and hot chocolate bill to ten euros by a mathematical error in my analog brain. I’m leaving tipping to TB. 
Z and TB 

[SusieQft]

8 hours ago, Zqueeze1 said:

I am sitting at the hotel lobby with TB and waiting for John and Karen to arrive. Apparently, they’ve had the flight from hell. They were delayed about five hours in Dallas due to lack of crew and a maintenance issue.

Z, I am vicariously enjoying your time in Barcelona, and looking forward to the onboard reports.

 

My sympathies to John and Karen.  We are currently waiting to board our flight to Miami to cruise to the Bahamas on a different line.  (We are also looking forward to finally sailing on Regent in 2022, after 2 cancelled Regent bookings.)

 

another Karen & John   🙂

[irishwitchy]

Z,  as for the tipping in Europe or any place that the local language isn’t English - we ask for one menu in English (tourist) and one in the local language.   They normally don’t match.  The English leaves out specials, says the service isn’t included and sometimes the translation is just plain wrong.   Enjoy! 

[boblerm]

Roberto and Pam,

 

I am very excited for you, stepping on board the Explorer tomorrow should be thrilling after all this time being away from the seas.

We were on a cruise last week, (not Regent), but when we first set foot on the ship, we had chills.

 

Enjoy every moment!

 

Bob

[Ladys Mom]

Can't wait to hear all your reports about the Explorer and your transatlantic journey.  We will be following right behind you on the Splendor. Has it been cool or warm since you have been in Barcelona?  From your one picture of the beautiful TB it looks like Fall has arrived in Europe as well.

[Wine_Down]

We just booked our first cruise ever on the Explorer in February.  Thanks in advance for documenting your experiences so I can get even more excited!  

[DarthCruiser]

Enjoying your commentary thus far!!  Thanks.  We board on November 15 so we're looking forward to hearing more about how (if at all) life onboard the ship has changed.  Counting the days!

[Pudgesmom]

Thank you for posting your trip experiences! We had to bow out at the last minute, but will enjoy the cruise through your posts. We now have a TA booked on the Splendor for next April and are looking forward to our first Regent cruise. I hope you have a fantastic trip. 

[califsealion]

I'm hanging on every word!  Looking forward to hearing about the ship and the cruise!

[Zqueeze1]

7 hours ago, irishwitchy said:

Z,  as for the tipping in Europe or any place that the local language isn’t English - we ask for one menu in English (tourist) and one in the local language.   They normally don’t match.  The English leaves out specials, says the service isn’t included and sometimes the translation is just plain wrong.   Enjoy! 

I spent a lot of time in South America when I was in the military and we noticed in Ecuador the same thing as well as the prices were higher on the English menu. 
Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

7 hours ago, boblerm said:

Roberto and Pam,

 

I am very excited for you, stepping on board the Explorer tomorrow should be thrilling after all this time being away from the seas.

We were on a cruise last week, (not Regent), but when we first set foot on the ship, we had chills.

 

Enjoy every moment!

 

Bob

Your comment above just set the tone for us as we are boarding today.  We can’t wait to get through the boarding process and grab that first glass of champagne as we step onboard. 
Z and TB

Edited October 31, 2021 by Zqueeze1

[Zqueeze1]

6 hours ago, Ladys Mom said:

Can't wait to hear all your reports about the Explorer and your transatlantic journey.  We will be following right behind you on the Splendor. Has it been cool or warm since you have been in Barcelona?  From your one picture of the beautiful TB it looks like Fall has arrived in Europe as well.

With the exception of yesterday’s rain until mid afternoon, the weather has been fantastic.  It’s been mostly sunny and in the high sixties/low seventies (21C). For us, a tad chilly in the mornings since we are from south Florida.  But, a brisk walk in the mornings warms up the old bones. 
Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

2 hours ago, Pudgesmom said:

Thank you for posting your trip experiences! We had to bow out at the last minute, but will enjoy the cruise through your posts. We now have a TA booked on the Splendor for next April and are looking forward to our first Regent cruise. I hope you have a fantastic trip. 

So sorry to hear that you are not making it and hope that it is nothing too serious.  Keep reading because the best is yet to come. 
Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

I’ve been awake since 0230 and am amped up on Spanish coffee. The hotel is nice and quiet and I can catch up on emails, text with the kids, and swap insults with friends.  
Thanks everyone for the kind comments and we hope we can do them justice. 
Yesterday was spent sitting around the hotel waiting for John and Karen to arrive, then letting them settle down before heading out for lunch. We left the hotel at 1400 just as it stopped raining and took a cab to Plaza Real to Reí de Copes for chow.   The cabbie took it upon himself to tal a more scenic and longer route for a higher price. Anywho, we had some great sangrias and the usual tapas.  Sorry, no food porn today. 
We got back around 1630 and J and K went to bed since they were exhausted from their long trip from Dallas. The Boss declared that she was still hungry and wanted to strap on the feed bag again, so we could a local place and split a seafood paella. 

Today is the big day. We finally get to board the Explorer.  We are very excited and cannot wait to hop onboard. 
Z and TB

 

Edited October 31, 2021 by Zqueeze1

[Zqueeze1]

Let me introduce you to the other side of me, the one that worries about little details and forgets the important ones.  Uncle Sam taught me to plan everything out, so here is our itinerary:

PoA:

Excursions:

 

Yup. That’s our whole trip in a couple of excel spreadsheets. 

 

Since we are leaving BCN today, here are a few parting words:

Always arrive a day or two prior to your cruise so you can enjoy the beauty of this city that’s laid out like a tapestry for your pleasure. 
This is a pretty safe and walkable city with friendly folks willing to give you directions or converse with you. 
Most restaurants and bars are very reasonably priced especially if you step a couple of blocks away from the tourist areas. 
Give in to your inner piggie and indulge on the food. Wow!  The flavors and freshness of the seafood was incredible. Every mouthful was a joy and a miracle. 
As someone with roots to this land, I am very pleased to visit as often as we can and  love its fabric and texture. This is the land of the Moors, Don Quixote, and El Cid. It has gypsy, Celt, and Viking blood all intermixed and flowing out in its flamenco and matador heroes.  Spain is magical, mysterious, and mystical. 

Next: we head out to the Explorer!
Z and TB

[RJ2002]

Thanks for sharing these updates!   I know there will be a BIG celebration when guests set foot onboard for the first time after this hiatus.  Our chance is coming up on the Mariner in February. 
 

Enjoy!!!!  Looking forward to your continued reports. 

[Mudhen]

I hate to sound like a broken record, but....everything that everyone said above, goes double from us!!

Keep those pool bar seats warm!

Best to you both,

Linda and John

[2012_Alaska_bound]

12 hours ago, Pudgesmom said:

Thank you for posting your trip experiences! We had to bow out at the last minute, but will enjoy the cruise through your posts. We now have a TA booked on the Splendor for next April and are looking forward to our first Regent cruise. I hope you have a fantastic trip. 

 

 

That is the TA we are on! Looking forward to meeting you!

 

Z - thanks so much for the tour of Barcelona. Makes me even more excited for April.