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Live from Silver Spirit, November 19-28, Barcelona to Lisbon


jpalbny
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Hi from the AMEX Centurion Lounge at JFK! Our flight to Barcelona boards in 15 minutes.

 

The drive down was slower than usual but we left plenty of time and arrived before 5:00.

 

Nice sunset while riding the Air Train to Terminal 4. But it was 4:50 PM! 

 

20211117_165327.thumb.jpg.e52093230acfc2165f81ae1edfcd6ddd.jpg

 

We waited in the line at the check-in desks (10 minutes) just to be sure that we had all our documents in order. All was fine. Through Clear and TSA PreCheck very quickly, and right to the lounge by 5:15.

 

We are flying in a day early to relax and enjoy a day of food and drink in Barcelona. No big plans for tomorrow so we'll play it by ear. Maybe the market. Maybe a tapas bar. Maybe both?

 

No CC folks on this voyage that I know of. But then again I didn't look for a roll call. Oops. Out of practice? 

 

We always travel light. All carry-on for this leg. And yes we do have formal clothes in those small bags!

 

20211117_130614.thumb.jpg.69ad5aa7003c145fee9cac93ab248cba.jpg

 

Next update tomorrow. Good night for now. So excited for our first SS cruise since covid! 

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3 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Hi from the AMEX Centurion Lounge at JFK! Our flight to Barcelona boards in 15 minutes.

 

The drive down was slower than usual but we left plenty of time and arrived before 5:00.

 

Nice sunset while riding the Air Train to Terminal 4. But it was 4:50 PM! 

 

20211117_165327.thumb.jpg.e52093230acfc2165f81ae1edfcd6ddd.jpg

 

We waited in the line at the check-in desks (10 minutes) just to be sure that we had all our documents in order. All was fine. Through Clear and TSA PreCheck very quickly, and right to the lounge by 5:15.

 

We are flying in a day early to relax and enjoy a day of food and drink in Barcelona. No big plans for tomorrow so we'll play it by ear. Maybe the market. Maybe a tapas bar. Maybe both?

 

No CC folks on this voyage that I know of. But then again I didn't look for a roll call. Oops. Out of practice? 

 

We always travel light. All carry-on for this leg. And yes we do have formal clothes in those small bags!

 

20211117_130614.thumb.jpg.69ad5aa7003c145fee9cac93ab248cba.jpg

 

Next update tomorrow. Good night for now. So excited for our first SS cruise since covid! 

 

Thanks for the update JP!  Safe flight and enjoy your day of leisure tomorrow!

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3 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Hi from the AMEX Centurion Lounge at JFK! Our flight to Barcelona boards in 15 minutes.

 

The drive down was slower than usual but we left plenty of time and arrived before 5:00.

 

Nice sunset while riding the Air Train to Terminal 4. But it was 4:50 PM! 

 

20211117_165327.thumb.jpg.e52093230acfc2165f81ae1edfcd6ddd.jpg

 

We waited in the line at the check-in desks (10 minutes) just to be sure that we had all our documents in order. All was fine. Through Clear and TSA PreCheck very quickly, and right to the lounge by 5:15.

 

We are flying in a day early to relax and enjoy a day of food and drink in Barcelona. No big plans for tomorrow so we'll play it by ear. Maybe the market. Maybe a tapas bar. Maybe both?

 

No CC folks on this voyage that I know of. But then again I didn't look for a roll call. Oops. Out of practice? 

 

We always travel light. All carry-on for this leg. And yes we do have formal clothes in those small bags!

 

20211117_130614.thumb.jpg.69ad5aa7003c145fee9cac93ab248cba.jpg

 

Next update tomorrow. Good night for now. So excited for our first SS cruise since covid! 

My cousins and I were SO close to booking this voyage  earlier in the year - the idea of Thanksgiving in Casablanca (original itinerary) sounded fun!   Bon voyage and have an amazing time! 

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8 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Hi from the AMEX Centurion Lounge at JFK! Our flight to Barcelona boards in 15 minutes.

 

The drive down was slower than usual but we left plenty of time and arrived before 5:00.

 

Nice sunset while riding the Air Train to Terminal 4. But it was 4:50 PM! 

 

20211117_165327.thumb.jpg.e52093230acfc2165f81ae1edfcd6ddd.jpg

 

We waited in the line at the check-in desks (10 minutes) just to be sure that we had all our documents in order. All was fine. Through Clear and TSA PreCheck very quickly, and right to the lounge by 5:15.

 

We are flying in a day early to relax and enjoy a day of food and drink in Barcelona. No big plans for tomorrow so we'll play it by ear. Maybe the market. Maybe a tapas bar. Maybe both?

 

No CC folks on this voyage that I know of. But then again I didn't look for a roll call. Oops. Out of practice? 

 

We always travel light. All carry-on for this leg. And yes we do have formal clothes in those small bags!

 

20211117_130614.thumb.jpg.69ad5aa7003c145fee9cac93ab248cba.jpg

 

Next update tomorrow. Good night for now. So excited for our first SS cruise since covid! 

Love those Silversea 🎀!! Have s wonderful time!

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Happy Friday morning from Barcelona! Catching up with yesterday's activities. 

 

The flight over was smooth. Pushed back on time at 8PM, took off around 8:30. Dinner and a movie, then a bit of sleep. We landed 8 minutes early at 9:52 and were at the gate just before 10.

 

Immigration was empty and we were right through. There was a health check as you entered the baggage claim area where they scanned your QR code (this means that you've filed out the forms online). Since we only had carry-on bags, we were done.

 

To the exit! We found the Aerobus, got tickets, and headed out just before 10:30. From Plaça Catalunya, a few minutes' walk to our hotel, and we were there at 11. Amazing timing!

 

The room was ready and after we checked in, we decided to get a little more sleep. How atypical for us! But an hour was enough and then we were refreshed and ready to go.

 

Our hotel is on a tiny street in the Gothic Quarter, Hotel Neri. So we walked through the narrow streets to Las Ramblas, and headed directly to the Boqueria Market. Last time we were here it was closed.

 

After a brief wander we sat down for lunch. Padron peppers, Jamon Ibérico, and gambas al ajillo...

 

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And some patatas bravas. And wine of course. Now we were ready to do something. 

 

So we walked to the port to catch the cable car to Montjuic. It was a bit of a hike but after all that food we needed to move.

 

Not a bad wait for the car, and some nice views of the port area as we waited.

 

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The cruise ship pier where we will meet Silver Spirit tomorrow! 

 

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The views from Montjuic are beautiful in the late afternoon. 

 

20211118_165209.thumb.jpg.c2591fc120b98574959f0e224666f833.jpg

 

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But we always get here too late to do anything. So it was again today. We took the funicular down, and changed to the Metro back to our hotel. 

 

We had a decent F&B credit at the hotel and their restaurant looked pretty good, so I'd made a dinner reservation. The food was quite nice. Duck croquettes and shrimp tacos here,

 

20211118_202535.thumb.jpg.1da3f8f73dade41b223b3522637aa545.jpg

 

And a chicken cutlet served over amazingly delicious caramelized onions with Sherry vinegar. 

 

20211118_210803.thumb.jpg.be910855f0dfb2f89aeecd6c4057afce.jpg

 

We also had strips of marinated sea bass, and a rice dish with razor clams. The dishes are great for sharing but we were full after all of that.

 

We tried a bottle of Xarel-lo (a grape used to make Cava) with dinner which was refreshing. It was a little light with the heavier dishes but tasty.

 

Off to bed after a lazy day. I only had 13,000 steps. Last time we were here I got over 30,000 one day. Must be getting slow.

 

Tomorrow we'll try to fit in a few more sights before embarkation. 

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Well,  that has made my day jp.   I think quite a few of us are looking forward to hearing about your adventures, and the lovely pics. of Barcelona  in the sunshine made a great starter.  One of our favourite cities.  Luckily it is very sunny here today also, so not so envious of that, though I do wish I had your energy!

 

Looking forward to reading more in due course,

 

Lola

 

 

 

 

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Friday November 19th. Barcelona. 

 

We slept well and were up by 8:00. A light breakfast at the hotel sufficed, as we were still full from dinner.

 

After breakfast we took a peek at the 4th floor rooftop garden. Looks like a nice place to relax. If we did that...

 

20211119_085254.thumb.jpg.4446cd14ec09927c5c0c13d95e00a736.jpg

 

We headed out at 9:30 to see the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau. This is a large public hospital complex built in the early 20th Century. It replaced six small overcrowded city hospitals which dated from the 1400s so it was quite an upgrade at the time.

 

The self-guided tour starts in the lower level hypostyle hall. Even here the tile work is artistic.

 

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In the complex, there are over 20 hospital pavilions. Patients were segregated based on the type of disease they had. Keep the infectious patients separate from the surgery patients, etc.

 

The interior of the pavilions was all nicely tiled. Not only was it decorative, but the tile was easier to keep clean.

 

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Each pavilion had a "day room" where patients could enjoy sunshine and fresh air. They were beautifully decorated with brightly colored tiles. It looked much too pleasant to be a hospital! 

 

20211119_104527.thumb.jpg.6ed2936c60e3adb7ed52760978013235.jpg

 

A small part of the complex. The chief architect was a contemporary of Gaudi. The hospital complex was begun around the time that the Sagrada Familia was being built.

 

20211119_104915.thumb.jpg.7d0d3bb18a2c30b70da3fc52ad997543.jpg

 

The place had a Gaudi feel.

 

20211119_105930.thumb.jpg.ee42237d7eb5c6d9073057ae72029d91.jpg

 

An old X-ray machine! 

 

20211119_110252.thumb.jpg.6f8de8ca438cd9328cb4a173dc1c5b4f.jpg

 

Mosaic murals on the exterior of the administrative building commemorate the old city hospitals. 

 

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More tile ceilings in the administrative building. This building is still used for meetings. There was a conference on the use of lasers in Urology. We didn't peek in on that.

 

20211119_113225.thumb.jpg.b3016d638549358bb1520051b9da163c.jpg

 

Another view of the complex. The central building was an operating theater. The hospital pavilions are on the sides.

 

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A beautiful carving of St. George and the dragon. 

 

20211119_114150.thumb.jpg.9c0df9968a75be368fb214a6309ba0aa.jpg

 

We were done before noon, so we headed out to see what else we could accomplish before embarkation. 

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2 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

We headed out at 9:30 to see the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau. This is a large public hospital complex built in the early 20th Century. It replaced six small overcrowded city hospitals which dated from the 1400s so it was quite an upgrade at the time.

 

The self-guided tour starts in the lower level hypostyle hall. Even here the tile work is artistic.

 

When we were in Barcelona in 2018 my husband and I toured this site and found it fascinating and beautiful. I am a retired Registered Nurse. The fact my husband who is into finance also loved the beauty, serenity and fact it was a public hospital helping every day Spaniards was a bonus. 

 

It is a little known gem so I'm glad you got to enjoy it. 

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Friday November 19th. Barcelona and embarkation. 

 

We finished up at Sant Pau before noon, so we hopped the metro to Plaça Espanya and walked to the other side of Montjuïc.

 

The Magic Fountains were going strong. So that was one thing that went right for us here. 

 

20211119_122036.thumb.jpg.a021faa8a16a4de6f60544646478eb79.jpg

 

Nearby is the Pavelló Mies van der Rohe. Cool building but not enough to justify the entry fee.

 

20211119_122859.thumb.jpg.1f989e4f17ac17fcf8689aceb202830e.jpg

 

Back to the hotel to plan our last hour. We decided to walk in the Barri Gotic, close to home. 

 

A few minutes away there was a monument to the martyrs of 1714, next to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar.

 

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The church was supposedly closed at 1. Oh well. We had missed it last time too. But when we walked by the entrance, it looked open.

 

So we went in and got tickets. It was €5 to enter or €10 to visit the rooftop terraces and crypt. And by some odd math, €15 for two persons. Ok, we'll climb to the roof for half price! 

 

Nice view from the inside balcony.

 

20211119_133312.thumb.jpg.3021213629faaf7b8372464aba42a20a.jpg

 

Gargoyles are supposed to be gruesome but the decapitated one is a bit  over the top.

 

20211119_134112.thumb.jpg.f8a8fc3a72f8778aa0b8fbdb184ff163.jpg

 

Sagrada Familia off in the distance. Taking its final shape.

 

20211119_134519.thumb.jpg.783dd6d702b867eaca7e715586e20625.jpg

 

Montjuïc in the distance. Some day we will figure it out.

 

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We circled the roof and enjoyed the cityscape. 

 

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Then it was time to come down. We had skipped lunch so a snack was in order. Some patatas fritas in a paper cone fit the bill nicely.

 

Back to the hotel to pack up and check out. We were ready about 2:30. The hotel tried to get a cab for us but couldn't find one that would come to the hotel (it's on a narrow passage in the Gothic Quarter).

 

So we went to a taxi stand at Plaça se Sant Jaume. The hotel staff brought our luggage and we were on our way to the pier at 3.

 

A quick ride to Silver Spirit (for €11.50) and then time for the embarkation process.

 

Bag drop, where they tagged our two rollaboard cases. Enter the terminal, show your ticket, and pass security.

 

Next, a temperature check and health declaration. Then take the completed forms to the ship's nurse where she checked our vaccine cards. Another box ticked.

 

Now to the lab personnel. We got assigned a barcode for our covid test. Then the noses got probed. And we waited, seemingly not very long. Our numbers were called... And we were cleared to board!

 

We turned in our health declaration where it was cross checked against the test record. Then to another desk for security pictures. Keycard issued and credit card registered. Finally we could walk the gangway!

 

Over to the ship and it was about 3:55. Suites were ready and our bags were there.

 

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We popped the cork on the Champagne and set about unpacking. Quick work. Plenty of room in the closet.

 

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The room is much deeper than suites on Cloud or Wind. The entry hall seems very long. But there is room for our Silversea parkas.

 

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The room seems quite spacious. 

 

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We met our butler Allen and watched the safety video. At 5:30, off to Dolce Vita for the abbreviated drill. Then a brief tour of the ship.

 

La Terraza.

 

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Almost full moon over the harbor.

 

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The pool looks inviting. 

 

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Back to change for dinner. We enjoyed LT tonight. We started with mushroom risotto, and pasta alla Gricia. Mains were a veal chop, and osso bucco. Dessert was tiramisu and lemon tart. 

 

Stumblefoot had alerted the maitre d' to our arrival so he was prepared for us. The drinks flowed like water. It was a fun meal but we were stuffed by the time it was done.

 

So we went dancing in the bar. The trio was fun. Afterwards, the DJ João was fun too. We finally got to bed around midnight. 

 

Loving Silver Spirit so far!

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1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

Stumblefoot had alerted the maitre d' to our arrival so he was prepared for us. The drinks flowed like water. It was a fun meal but we were stuffed by the time it was done.

Love reading this!  Hope the G&T’s were to your liking.
 

From your report it sounds like you two are off to a good start.  Look forward to further updates..

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1 hour ago, Lois R said:

JP, thanks for the photos.......and for sharing your cruise with us.😀 Sounds like you are both having a wonderful time.

 

Lois, we are! And we passed your greetings on to Yessie who was very happy to hear from you! We talked to her and her fiancé in Panorama last night, while we were up too late dancing. Early night tonight though. No dancing until midnight tonight...

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