AH, THE ORDINARY PLEASURES OF HOME!

December 7, 2016

After pausing to remember this day of 75 years ago, and its heroes, we took the shuttle bus into Barcelona to explore a new part of the city.  It was amusing tonight at dinner to listen to the folks beside us – not our table mates – saying, “Oh, we didn’t do much.  We’ve been here 4 times before.”  Or some such as that.  With the museums and churches and historical sites, short cruise visits don’t get it done.  Ah, the which of which there is no whicher!  And other varieties of buffalo biscuits – the bros, on their best day, couldn’t ship it better than those liars next table.

Anyway.

We bought tickets for the Barcelona Aquarium and after wandering around looking for it – the lady at the ticket booth said “It’s just over the bridge behind me,” and we walked over the bridge, and the lady at the refreshment stand said “Go straight to the mall” – and we walked passed the mall and down beside the mall and around the back of the mall and back up the other side of the mall until we found a reliable direction giver – a taxi driver (readers of this blog will recall your favorite travelers trying, unsuccessfully, to get across the Bayonne Bridge until they asked a taxi driver).  It was only a Big Ben to AB bomb away.  And in we went. 

What an enchanting place (a couple of the exhibits need fixing up, and they had a sign up apologizing) but it was great watching the many colorful creatures playing before us.  And we found Nemo!

Back outside, as we retraced our steps across the bridge an announcement in three languages – English third – said the bridge would be opening in 5 minutes to let a ship inside.  The center of the bridge pivoted on a central axis and a sailing vessel coasted in.  We’ve watched the pontoon bridge in Curacao swing completely to one side to let ships in and out, but this was a different movement.

Then out on the street where we wandered past the Leningradskya of Barcelona.  Tent after tent of souvenirs, trinkets, junk, food, and who knows what.  It was a double-sided avenue and it just went on and on.  We came to a corner and decided we’d seen enough, crossed the street and went into a drug store where I asked the young lady for some cough syrup.  She inquired as to my conditions and my allergies and gave me something she guaranteed will work.  I’ve developed an annoying night time cough – no fever.  It wakes us up, and since we left our good narcotic cough syrup at 233, a substitute was found.  I’ll report back on it tomorrow.

Then we went into a shop simply titled “Market.”  Bonnie wanted a plain paper notebook, and I am always on the lookout for a beverage not called Coke or Pepsi.  And there it was.  Ah, the ordinary pleasures of home! The first time I’ve seen it in any European city, or in any Central American city, or in any Caribbean city.  Mountain Dew!  Makes you wanna kick your shoes off!  Truth be told, I would have preferred Mello Yello, but when in Barcelona, do as the Spaniards do.  I bought every bottle they had in the store.  There were only 4, but they are now mine!  Mine!  All mine!  And I think I can make them last until Florida!

Back on board we went to supper and then to Jose De La Vega’s Flamenco Show.  It is a group of locals who came on board to perform, clapping and stomping loudly and with enthusiasm.  We saw a similar group in one of the Panama Canal stops.  I enjoyed it.  My companion said it was okay.

And now it’s blog time.  Then a rehearsal for tomorrow’s one o’clock talk.  And a few hands of cards.

TTFN

hello all!! From Barcelona

Well the day started late at 8:30. We roused and bathed and then headed up for breakfast. After which he came to the room to work on some new talks and I went up stairs to walk. 13 times around the deck equals 6070 feet. Little more than a mile. I usually lose count and do 14 times. As I walked along the starboard side, you could see land. I returned to the cabin and since he was working went back outside to watch us come in and dock. Fun to watch. We docked at the same terminal we left from in October. The ship sailed in and then did a 180 degree turn and sailed back till it was beside the dock and moved sideways into the dock. I watched them move the gangway in place and set up the way off. It was almost 12 and David wanted to go to the pub lunch so I went back to the room and we went up to deck 10. He had a Ploughman’s lunch (ham, crusty roll, cheddar cheese and some kind of spam pate) and I had a few chips (FF for you Americans). We shared a bread pudding for dessert.

After lunch we went to the cabin to dress for our excursion. As it was in the low 60's we donned out coats, scarves, hats and gloves. Got a bottle of water and our money, cruise cards and passports (as we were told we had to take them according to a message from local authorities, though no one asked to see them). We purchased round ticket shuttle passes and proceeded to town. It was a part of Barcelona we hadn’t been to and it was quite nice and very beautiful. Lots of older ornate buildings as well as many modern sights. The aquarium was a lot of fun. Fish, sharks, octopus, manta ray, clown fish, sea horses, urchins, crabs, eels and to many more to mention.
The walk along the street, window shopping mostly, was nice. We tried to avoid the traffic and soon was headed back to the place to catch our return shuttle.

It was 5 o’clock by the time we got back to our room and dressed for supper.  He napped for 30 minutes and I played games.

Supper was open dining tonight because all on aboard is not until 10:30. (Way to cold and dark to be outside for me!) So we sat at a different table, this time for two and enjoyed out supper. We both had a Mexican meat ball soup, I had shrimp cocktail and he had a fennel and scallop soup. He opted for the seafood dish tonight, clams, mussels and Chilean sea bass, and I had a beef with cabbage. Cheeries Jubilee for me and creme brulee for him for dessert.

We stopped at the bar and got a coffee and a hot chocolate before heading into the cabaret to find seats for the show. The show was good, just not my kind of music and dancing.

Well, we are back in our room and in pajamas. He will start to get ready for tomorrow’s talk at one. I will probably go to sleep.

Bye!!