Barcelona
Wednesday, September 12
Mary has already arranged a taxi to be up front and waiting by 6 am to take us to the airport for our 7:40 flight to Madrid, then to Barcelona. She set her clock and put it in our room and I set my cell phone as well for a back up, just in case. Both alarms worked, so far so good – got up, changed and woke up Mary to say goodbye. We went out the gate to wait for the cab when I realized that I forgot to take Robert’s cell phone. I didn’t want to ring to the door bell and wake Mary back up. Donna and I had to run back inside to take shelter under the garage when it started raining. The cab came a few minutes later. Thank goodness the rain has let up by that time.
We had a little over an hour before our flight so we had a light breakfast after going through security. The flight to Madrid was ok and so was the one to Barcelona. It was pretty smooth sailing for us because we do not have any checked in luggage.
We basically followed the Internet instructions on how to get to the hotel. We got on its street after a bus ride from the airport and another train ride. I don’t know who will name a hotel Melon District but I figured this is Europe so Melon District it is.
It was a little disheartening when we found it because there was a huge construction on the address. It seems like the hotel was undergoing a major refurbishment. We checked in and had to wait a few minutes for the room to become available. It’s fairly clean but only with the bare necessities – no TV and no phone. The shower was small enough that while in it, I practically can lean on the sink and a slight elbow bump on the shower valve will either give me freezing or scalding water! And if I back on it hard enough, it turns off. That’s how small it was! But we didn’t go to Barcelona to take showers all the time, so it sufficed.
We asked the lady on the front desk how to get to Sagrada Familia. It was fairly easy and in the train stations, there’s always a person standing by the ticket machines with ‘Information’ printed on their shirts. It was easy going from then on. It was suggested that we get an all day subway (metro) ticket (10 entries for 6.50 Euros) to save money as opposed to 1.50 each time we board a train. One thing I noticed the first time we used the subway was a big flat screen TV hawking all kinds of products. Barcelona subways are fairly clean and not as crowded as Japan’s. Metro train schedules are precise to the second. FGC train system – which took us to Montserrat the next day was not too bad either.
To say the Sagrada Familia is a giant undertaking in architecture and engineering is an under statement. It’s been under construction since 1882 and I look at it and it’s nowhere near being finished. It seems as if it’s a project meant to be a work in progress for a long while! But it’s magnificent, to say the least. Famous Spanish architect Gaudi took over its design in 1883. It cost us 8 Euro to go in and up one of the towers. I've posted some pictures here but it's too hard to describe the enormity of this undertaking without actually experiencing it.
Our next visit is the famous Park Guell, another project of architect Gaudi. There was no entrance fee to the park although there’s quite a bit of walking to get to and around it.
Thursday, September 13
We went to the Plaza Espanya train station to take the FGC train to Montserrat. We paid for a package tour of 32.50 Euro which includes lunch, a round trip train ticket and various cable cars, funicular rides and museum in Montserrat.
Donna and I did a lot of hiking up and down the mountain to see all of the sites – shrines to various saints, the Santa Cova chapel of Apparition where the Virgin Mary appeared before some shepherds.
Before reaching the chapel, mysteries of the Holy Rosary are displayed in various sculptures on the face of rock cliffs. We didn’t get to see all 15 of them because we had to make the train back to Barcelona. But we only missed like 1 or 2 of them, I believe.
The image of the Black Madonna and child, enclosed in glass, was displayed in the Montserrat Basilica altar and it’s put up where people can go up close to see it.
Friday, September 14
Donna and I woke up early to try and visit a church near our hotel. Unfortunately, it was closed when we got there. We had a leisurely breakfast instead then we went back to the hotel and checked out. We walked around Plaza Espanya before heading to the airport. The lady at the tourist information booth suggested for us to take the regular bus to the airport if we have time to save fare instead of the Aerobus which costs more than 2 Euros each.
We had a non stop flight from Barcelona to Jerez this time so it was a bit more convenient. We waited for Mark and Flor to pick us up. I called Mary but she couldn’t come because she was waiting for the cable guy. The BMW got fixed Thursday so I guess Ed and Odette are safe. I’ll pick them up from Sevilla Sunday.
When we got home we all took a walk to Puerto Sherry and we had dinner at our old hangout, the Blanca Paloma.
Saturday, September 15
We woke up really late this morning, had breakfast and got ready to go on base. Mary has some MWR youth activity she had to attend. I'll go on line, then we'll go to the 5 pm mass after which we'll go to the commissary to pick up some groceries.
Mary is leaving early tomorrow for her temporary duty to London and we'll pick up Ed and Odette in the afternoon from the Seville airport.
Mary has already arranged a taxi to be up front and waiting by 6 am to take us to the airport for our 7:40 flight to Madrid, then to Barcelona. She set her clock and put it in our room and I set my cell phone as well for a back up, just in case. Both alarms worked, so far so good – got up, changed and woke up Mary to say goodbye. We went out the gate to wait for the cab when I realized that I forgot to take Robert’s cell phone. I didn’t want to ring to the door bell and wake Mary back up. Donna and I had to run back inside to take shelter under the garage when it started raining. The cab came a few minutes later. Thank goodness the rain has let up by that time.
We had a little over an hour before our flight so we had a light breakfast after going through security. The flight to Madrid was ok and so was the one to Barcelona. It was pretty smooth sailing for us because we do not have any checked in luggage.
We basically followed the Internet instructions on how to get to the hotel. We got on its street after a bus ride from the airport and another train ride. I don’t know who will name a hotel Melon District but I figured this is Europe so Melon District it is.
It was a little disheartening when we found it because there was a huge construction on the address. It seems like the hotel was undergoing a major refurbishment. We checked in and had to wait a few minutes for the room to become available. It’s fairly clean but only with the bare necessities – no TV and no phone. The shower was small enough that while in it, I practically can lean on the sink and a slight elbow bump on the shower valve will either give me freezing or scalding water! And if I back on it hard enough, it turns off. That’s how small it was! But we didn’t go to Barcelona to take showers all the time, so it sufficed.
We asked the lady on the front desk how to get to Sagrada Familia. It was fairly easy and in the train stations, there’s always a person standing by the ticket machines with ‘Information’ printed on their shirts. It was easy going from then on. It was suggested that we get an all day subway (metro) ticket (10 entries for 6.50 Euros) to save money as opposed to 1.50 each time we board a train. One thing I noticed the first time we used the subway was a big flat screen TV hawking all kinds of products. Barcelona subways are fairly clean and not as crowded as Japan’s. Metro train schedules are precise to the second. FGC train system – which took us to Montserrat the next day was not too bad either.
To say the Sagrada Familia is a giant undertaking in architecture and engineering is an under statement. It’s been under construction since 1882 and I look at it and it’s nowhere near being finished. It seems as if it’s a project meant to be a work in progress for a long while! But it’s magnificent, to say the least. Famous Spanish architect Gaudi took over its design in 1883. It cost us 8 Euro to go in and up one of the towers. I've posted some pictures here but it's too hard to describe the enormity of this undertaking without actually experiencing it.
Our next visit is the famous Park Guell, another project of architect Gaudi. There was no entrance fee to the park although there’s quite a bit of walking to get to and around it.
Thursday, September 13
We went to the Plaza Espanya train station to take the FGC train to Montserrat. We paid for a package tour of 32.50 Euro which includes lunch, a round trip train ticket and various cable cars, funicular rides and museum in Montserrat.
Donna and I did a lot of hiking up and down the mountain to see all of the sites – shrines to various saints, the Santa Cova chapel of Apparition where the Virgin Mary appeared before some shepherds.
Before reaching the chapel, mysteries of the Holy Rosary are displayed in various sculptures on the face of rock cliffs. We didn’t get to see all 15 of them because we had to make the train back to Barcelona. But we only missed like 1 or 2 of them, I believe.
The image of the Black Madonna and child, enclosed in glass, was displayed in the Montserrat Basilica altar and it’s put up where people can go up close to see it.
Friday, September 14
Donna and I woke up early to try and visit a church near our hotel. Unfortunately, it was closed when we got there. We had a leisurely breakfast instead then we went back to the hotel and checked out. We walked around Plaza Espanya before heading to the airport. The lady at the tourist information booth suggested for us to take the regular bus to the airport if we have time to save fare instead of the Aerobus which costs more than 2 Euros each.
We had a non stop flight from Barcelona to Jerez this time so it was a bit more convenient. We waited for Mark and Flor to pick us up. I called Mary but she couldn’t come because she was waiting for the cable guy. The BMW got fixed Thursday so I guess Ed and Odette are safe. I’ll pick them up from Sevilla Sunday.
When we got home we all took a walk to Puerto Sherry and we had dinner at our old hangout, the Blanca Paloma.
Saturday, September 15
We woke up really late this morning, had breakfast and got ready to go on base. Mary has some MWR youth activity she had to attend. I'll go on line, then we'll go to the 5 pm mass after which we'll go to the commissary to pick up some groceries.
Mary is leaving early tomorrow for her temporary duty to London and we'll pick up Ed and Odette in the afternoon from the Seville airport.
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