23 more days...

Barcelona!

We touch down in Barcelona at 9: 15am on Sunday May 23rd.  Brittany's 18th Birthday!  Feliz Cumplianos Brittany!  We should arrive at the port between 11am and noon.  If you've completed you're on-line check-in (Mike and I have), the boarding process should be quick.  You'll need a printout of your electronic cruise documents, your passport, and your photo ID (driver's license).  Our bags will be tagged and sent to our rooms.  If you plan on heading into Barcelona, remember to have whatever you need to be a tourist with you, because the bags will take a few hours to get to the rooms.  (Keep valuables with you and not in your tagged bags!)  We can lunch at the Windjammer Cafe.  We may get a few hours in Barcelona.  If you leave the ship (and I really hope we get to) you will have to reboard.  To reboard you will need to repeat the check-in process at the pier (I called RC and they said you can use your SeaPass to re-board). In addition, Government regulations mandate that the ship will be locked down 1-2 hours before her scheduled departure time. Once the lock down begins, no guests will be allowed to reboard in Barcelona.


Port

Port Vell (Old Harbor) was built as part of an urban renewal program prior to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Before this, it was a run-down area of empty warehouses, railroad yards, and factories. 16 million people visit the complex each year.  It is now a focal point of the city and tourist attraction, containing the Maremàgnum (a mall containing shops, a multiplex cinema, bars and restaurants), IMAX Port Vell and Europe's largest aquarium.  A pedestrian walkway, Rambla de Mar, connects La Rambla to Port Vell.   It incorporates a swing bridge, in order to allow ships to enter and exit the harbour.
 

La Rambla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

La Rambla is a street in central Barcelona, popular with both tourists and locals alike. A 1.2 kilometer-long tree-lined pedestrian mall between Barri Gòtic and El Raval, it connects Plaça Catalunya in the center with the Christopher Columbus monument at Port Vell.  Street performers, nudists, and tourists all in one place!  And don't forget to drink from the fountain in Rambla de Canaletes, the upper part of La Rambla, near Plaça de Catalunya.  Folklore says that if you drink from this famous fountain at the top of La Rambla you will always return to the city.

Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria

Mercat de Sant Josep, Mercado de La Boqueria is one large building with hundreds of food vendors to excite and delight every palate. This is the place to be if you are looking for something to eat, drink, or purchase the ingredients to fulfill a gourmet's desires.  Each stall or store has colorful vendors who will help you make decisions on what's good and what's great.

La Sagrada Familia

Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia (Expiatory Church of the Holy Family), often simply called the Sagrada Família is a massive, privately-funded Roman Catholic church that has been under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026.  Considered the master-work of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, the project's vast scale and unusual design have made it one of Barcelona's (and Spain's) top tourist attractions for many years.  You must see the detail that covers the exterior.  Truly amazing.  There is symbolism and biblical references that literally cover the walls.

Park Guell

Park Guell is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of el Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914. (The park was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site.) Gaudí avoided leveling the grounds so that the park has a network of twisting roads which follow the contours of the land. The lowest point is the entrance, from which a double staircase leads to the hypostyle chamber, the ceiling of which serves as the floor of the huge public square. Outlying areas have imaginative viaducts and colonnades, which in their design evoke natural forms.

 

Casa Milà and Casa Batlló

Antoni Gaudí was an architect from Catalonia, Spain, who belonged to the Modernisme (Art Nouveau) movement and was famous for his unique style and highly individualistic designs.  Two of his building designs located in Barcelona are Casa Milà and Casa Batlló.  Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera (Catalan for 'The Quarry'), is a building designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built during the years 1906–1910.  Casa Batlló, better known by the local name  Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), and indeed it does have a visceral, skeletal organic quality, was originally designed for a middle-class family and situated in a prosperous district of Barcelona.

Now quick, get back to the ship!  We have a cruise to take.