Crossing the Globe (Kind of) - A Pr1ma (Hopefully) Live'ish Adventure, 11/20 - 12/1

[laudergayle]

We should be seeing some dinner photos soon.  I’m waiting for the paella.

[Von & John]

Wow - All caught up & hope you are enjoying/enjoye your first evening in Barcelona!

The view from your hotel is fantastic - what's the view from your bathroom?

It looks like you are in a great location for traveling on foot - the underground, trains & buses provide wonderful travel options to get around to other areas.

I think on one of our trips, we may have used the HOHO one day - it provides a great overall view of the area - including getting to the water/beach.

 

We hit the Boqueria & Gothic Quarter on each visit and enjoyed the Maritime Museum on one of the visits.  I just looked up the Born Cultural Center - when we make it back to Barcelona, we'd like to visit.

 

On 11/14/2023 at 4:48 AM, cruiseny4life said:

 

 

I had not heard of the Born Cultural Center. I'm going to take a look to see if I'm interested. Same with the Maritime Museum. I was already planning to wander the Gothic Quarter and Boqueria, so ChatGPT did align well with what I want to do. 

 

Laughing on the Gaudi/Gaudy Connection...
Learned the word gaudy as a child & understood it meant over the top, etc.

However, until we were in Spain & visited both Park Guell & Sagrada Familia as well as viewing the Gaudi architecture - neither Johnny nor I had linked Gaudi w/ gaudy 🙂

 

On 11/15/2023 at 7:22 AM, schmoopie17 said:

I'm happy to find another person who is not into anything Gaudi. It's all just so...appropriately enough...gaudy. There...I said it.

 

In Barcelona we did our own self-guided tapas tour in the Gothic Quarter. We're back in Barcelona next fall, so will have to find something else to entertain us.

 

Edited November 19, 2023 by Von & John

[laudergayle]

6 minutes ago, Von & John said:

linked Gaudi w/ gaudy 🙂

As a dumb American…I thought that was synonymous.  Lol

[Von & John]

2 hours ago, laudergayle said:

As a dumb American…I thought that was synonymous.  Lol

 

Also from the US...
Just never connected the 2 until we were in Barcelona 🙂

[cruiseny4life]

11 hours ago, laudergayle said:

We should be seeing some dinner photos soon.  I’m waiting for the paella.

It's not quite Paella! I gave my husband his American day. KFC/McDonalds for lunch and Hard Rock for din din. It's all Spanish today! Except I'm a bad person and didn't take photos at breakfast which was a hotel buffet, so nothing great. Lots of Iberica Jamon, various sausages and cheeses (I do not recommend the vegan cheese, but I gave it a shot).

 

Freshly baked bread, so I made an impromptu piece of avocado toast by smashing it into the bread with my fork, adding salt/pepper, layering on a slice of sheep's cheese, and jamon. It was greasy yum! 

 

We both ordered our hotels version of eggs Benedict which was better than any we've had (except the kind we make at home). Sub English Muffin for a thick slice of country bread, some yummy jamon, and a nice hollandaise sauce. Egg was on top of the hollandaise which was topped with a few strands of saffron. The egg was that fresh dark orange looking yolk when sliced open to allow it to drench everything in baby chicken juice. Yum, yum!!

 

A selection of cut fruit topped off the buffet. Oh! And croissants and donuts. 

 

Espresso, double espresso, and Americano were on offer, plus a table with six different hot teas AND an appropriate tea pot to allow the tea to steep which my husband enjoyed. 

 

As for dress - we were the only folks in shorts and t-shirts. The rest were dressed far too warm in jeans, sweaters, and the flannel! Were keeping it classy in Europe! 

 

Here's some KFC and Hard Rock photos. Paella today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

19 hours ago, brookie848 said:

On one flight to FLL,we bounced on the ground a couple of times before shooting back up to the sky. The passengers were very nervous until we safely and smoothly landed a little while later.

 

Glad you made it safely! Your hotel looks great. Enjoy the city before boarding the Prima.

I'm one of those odd people that would have enjoyed this experience! Definitely cool to talk about later on!! Glad it was nothing bad. 

 

And thanks so much! Appreciate the fellow NY'ers well wishes.

18 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Have had more than a few landings abort at first attempt.  And yeah, they climb up fast to miss whatever in on and around the airport.

 

Sometimes the plane is coming in too “hot”.  Have had a couple have a “wind shear” issue that caused the pilots to abort the landing.  Sometimes the runway isn’t sufficiently cleared of debris causing the pilot to decide to climb again and find another runway to land on.

I guess I've been blessed with lots of skilled pilots. Haha, kidding. I know it can happen to anyone!! 

[cruiseny4life]

6 hours ago, Von & John said:

 

Laughing on the Gaudi/Gaudy Connection...
Learned the word gaudy as a child & understood it meant over the top, etc.

However, until we were in Spain & visited both Park Guell & Sagrada Familia as well as viewing the Gaudi architecture - neither Johnny nor I had linked Gaudi w/ gaudy 🙂

 

6 hours ago, laudergayle said:

As a dumb American…I thought that was synonymous.  Lol

Yep ...I was a dumb American too! Until researching this trip....to be fair, I thought it meant over the top, ostentatious, etc. Bet yall are surprised I know big words haha

 

We saw Sagrada Familia from afar. It's as ugly as I thought! After @mking8288's posts with crowds, not sure I even want to waste my time...but when in Barcelona, right? Or do whats right for you? Hmmmmm

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

Yesterday, after Alex (hotel Alex) and Yingying got us checked into our room at 1030 AM!!! We are so fortunate! Went to take a shower. Get those hotel photos, and then I passed out for five minutes. It took a other to get my younger husband out of bed, only with the promise of KFC. 

 

Then, we started our wanderings. Here's the first part of our walkikg tour of Barcelona. We had more since the cable car took us over to Station Mirador. 

 

 

Photos to follow.

Edited November 19, 2023 by cruiseny4life

[cruiseny4life]

The wild streets of Barcelona! 

 

First up were chasing bubbles in Plaza de Catalunya. Yes, we chased bubbles with the kids! 

 

La Ramblas - no pick pockets evident today

A cool old building on La Ramblas. I think it's a church. 

A display in a buildings courtyard that I wandered into. 

Loads of jamon inside Mercado de la Boqueria

Pies! Lots of pies!

 

 

 

Check out the heads poking out! 

[mking8288]

Good 👍 morning, we just didn't feel like queing up those lines outside all these landmarks, and this is off season - worst back in early May, and forget about it in the peak summer months.  Mindful (careful) of being bumped by picketpocket teams & their distractions.  Jetlag might catch you shortly ... 🫢

 

We are probably going to do brunch somewhere & then head to the waterfront & walk the older section of town later, easy day.  See ya all onboard the Prima tomorrow, OMG - it's real & embarkation time.

Edited November 19, 2023 by mking8288

[cruiseny4life]

Monstrosity IRL too.

 

 

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

@cruiseny4life and @mking8288 enjoy your last full day in Barcelona. I am gaudy and gauche so I appreciate Gaudi 😂. 
 

Have a wonderful crossing. It is somewhat bumpy on the Viva today but the captain said the conditions will improve tomorrow. Thank goodness because showering this morning was a circus act. 

[laudergayle]

5 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

was a hotel buffet, so nothing great. Lots of Iberica Jamon, various sausages and cheeses

Nothing great, my #%%!  You had me drooling for your eggs Benny until …you hit with the baby chicken juice. 😂

 

5 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

We saw Sagrada Familia from afar. It's as ugly as I thought! After @mking8288's posts with crowds, not sure I even want to waste my time...but when in Barcelona, right? Or do whats right for you? Hmmmmm

 IMO, it’s really the detail on the outside that is worth seeing up close. The juxtaposition of new snd old is worthy of seeing.  The old reminds me of making sand castles with wet sand.  
 

Have fun today…get down to Med and at least go in to your ankles.  
 

Edited November 19, 2023 by laudergayle

[graphicguy]

7 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

Yep ...I was a dumb American too! Until researching this trip....to be fair, I thought it meant over the top, ostentatious, etc. Bet yall are surprised I know big words haha

 

We saw Sagrada Familia from afar. It's as ugly as I thought! After @mking8288's posts with crowds, not sure I even want to waste my time...but when in Barcelona, right? Or do whats right for you? Hmmmmm

 

 

The inside is awe inspiring, though.  Amazing views of Barcelona if you climb the tower steps.

Edited November 19, 2023 by graphicguy

[laudergayle]

3 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

The inside is awe inspiring, though.

Yeah…I just went back to my pictures and the inside is pretty awe-inspiring, as well.  I sure wouldn’t recommend skipping it if one travels to BCN.

[schmoopie17]

5 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

The inside is awe inspiring, though.  Amazing views of Barcelona if you climb the tower steps.

 

Gaudy on the outside...awe-inspiring on the inside.

 

In other words, it's a dichotomy (how's that for a big word?)

 

[schmoopie17]

Were those spiral things in the market (a few pictures earlier) supposed to be reminiscent of the gaudy towers of La Familia?

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

Nothing great, my #%%!  You had me drooling for your eggs Benny until …you hit with the baby chicken juice. 😂

 

 IMO, it’s really the detail on the outside that is worth seeing up close. The juxtaposition of new snd old is worthy of seeing.  The old reminds me of making sand castles with wet sand.  
 

Have fun today…get down to Med and at least go in to your ankles.  
 

The sand castle comparison is exactly what my husband said!! I agree with yall. They are interesting looking. Much more than the modern (boring, with little detail) towers and ostentatious toppers. 

 

We made it to the Med yesterday! Cold water - up to the knees with splashes going higher. The sand felt sooooo comfy and relaxing to scrunch my feet in.

[cruiseny4life]

Europe, well Barcelona, has figured out the whole every day housekeeping thing. Our bed was not this neat when we left. Sure wish America could figure out service over profit.

 

 

But, @Sugar Magnolia - the Conrad in Vegas did provide housekeeping. We just didnt let them in as I was sick and sleeping most of the time there.

[cruiseny4life]

And Paella for lunch! Might be my dinner since I didn't eat until 3:30. We also had a tartare dish with what seemed like a whipped cheese sauce bed. No idea what though! The only word I understood was tartare. 

 

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

3 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

But, @Sugar Magnolia - the Conrad in Vegas did provide housekeeping. We just didnt let them in as I was sick and sleeping most of the time there.

Conrad is the fancy Hilton brand so I would expect housekeeping services from them. Nowadays, security might get involved if guests refuse to let in hotel staff, but I guess you and hubby looked harmless after being in the wild for days. 
 

[cruiseny4life]

More yesterday photos. 

 

Lions at the base of the Columbus Statue. Still a hero in Spain. 

Pointing west toward my home and future voyage. Did Columbus leave for his journey from Barcelona? Anyone know?

Narrow La Barceloneta streets. I was mesmerized by such narrow streets (we went to Gothic Quarter today). These streets are sooooooo cool!

Random La Barceloneta restaurant seating. We didn't stop there, just enjoyed the European scene.

Eglesia de Sant Miguel del Port

Lovely water fountains all over!

Shouldn't there be some trench protection?

A view of the sea from within.

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Conrad is the fancy Hilton brand so I would expect housekeeping services from them. Nowadays, security might get involved if guests refuse to let in hotel staff, but I guess you and hubby looked harmless after being in the wild for days. 
 

Funny you mentioned that.  A friend of mine was on a Carnival Cruise about 6 months ago.  It was a 3 or 4 day party cruise.  So, they knew what they were in for when they booked it.  Plus, it was cheap.  Instead of sifting through the drunken body masses to get off at a Mexican port, they decided to just go down to the buffet for their meals and come back to hang out on their balcony.  They had snuck some of those old liquor disguise bottles where you put liquor in things that looked like binoculars, shampoo bottles, etc.  

 

They put out a Do Not Disturb tag on the outside of their door.  So, they were set.

 

Somehow, their room steward never saw them leave when they went to the buffet.  He reported the cabin to security.  On the 2nd night, here comes security banging on their door.  They assured them that everything was fine, but they wanted to come in to the cabin to check for themselves.  Security found their ½ way consumed stash, which they confiscated.

 

Moral of the story, don't let anyone who sneaks in alcohol get away with that if you can turn a blind eye to the drunks fighting on the pool deck.

[cruiseny4life]

16 hours ago, Von & John said:

Wow - All caught up & hope you are enjoying/enjoye your first evening in Barcelona!

The view from your hotel is fantastic - what's the view from your bathroom

You ask. I answer!  I did have to open the door to the hallway for this view.

 

[cruiseny4life]

16 hours ago, Von & John said:

 

We hit the Boqueria & Gothic Quarter on each visit and enjoyed the Maritime Museum on one of the visits.  I just looked up the Born Cultural Center - when we make it back to Barcelona, we'd like to visit.

We made it to quite a few areas in Barcelona, including Gothic Quarter. Absolutely stunning!! I was so excited to be in such an ancient area. What will my excitement be when I go to Egypt! Sheesh....Boqueria looked great! We didn't purchase anything though or try the food. 

 

La Barcenoleta, the beach, Olympic area, and Parc del Mirador were all worth visiting. We went to Sagrada Familia. It was a once and done thing. I did enjoy the walk through Iexample and Fort Pienc neighborhoods. It seems Barcelona is a truly thriving city, though when at  Montjuic/Parc del Mirador it did seem less affluent. If we had continued walking north and west from Placa d'Espanya I think we would have observed less economic prosperity. Instead we went east and north. Next time, eh?