Finally - off to Spain 1

Tuesday April 2

We had time in the morning to finish packing, have a light lunch etc and bring a bag of trash to our neighbor Paul. Martha and Jerry arrived on the dot at 12:30 pm to bring us to the airport. 

Martha insisted to bring us all the way to security  she took this photo and shouted “your first for your blog” and then texted it.

You always build in time for security and then have time to waste. What to do? (…besides getting some last minute “Virginia” gifts you could not find near you)

Punctually short after 3 pm the “little plane” from RIC to IAD took us on the way. It is such a short flight that it never really went up to the usual altitude. It was a bit bumpy though. In the clouds pretty much the whole way. 

It took us a while to get to the next gate. Even had to take a shuttle. But here we are in seats with a bit of extra leg room (for extra money but so worth it for James especially). Time:6:17 pm

I like to watch the map which started with almost 8 hours for 4000+ miles.

Wednesday April 3

It was about 8 am when I wished I had a window seat on the right. The view of Barcelona was so nice and interesting. Mountains still with some snow on it, the ocean and lots of city.

Piece of mind right after we had landed. Our AirTags told us that both suitcases had also arrived. Pas- control had a long line but we were lucky that a new counter was opened almost for us. No line at the taxis and we got one immediately. The driver spoke some English and was super friendly. He knew the hotel, told us that it was in an excellent area and it cost 41 Euros we had in cash. 

They were very friendly and helpful at the reception. We had pre-booked and a voucher but still needed to pay the city tax which we knew. It was only 10 am and check-in was at 2 pm but for 20 Euros we could get into a room right away. Or leave our luggage in the store room. Fair enough. 

We opted for right away of course. Had a shower and refreshed. Unpacked somewhat since we have 4 nights here. But since it was a sunny day and so inviting we decided to venture out. 

Gosh, the weather was lovely. Time: short after noon

And with the help of google map we are making our way towards the “Arc de Triomf”. 

It is quite easy and instead by car you can choose “pedestrian “ which gives you an approximate time but the distance of course is “like the crow flies “ so it’s a bit confusing. There is a lot of traffic here … by car, scooter, bike and foot. The cars are fast but everybody is really friendly and stops when they are supposed too. 

Here we stopped for a while, sat on a little wall (like others) and did some people watching. 

I should have taken a little video. The children had a lot of fun with the soap bubbles. We too. There were plenty and so pretty and colorful in the sun. 

James felt good and felt like more walking. We consulted the map and decided to try to find the cathedral. We just enjoy the old houses with such pretty facades and the narrow pedestrian-friendly streets. Lots and lots of little shops and cafes etc. 

At one point it looked on the map that the cathedral was still quite far away and we decided to just go to the next corner. So we did  … and there it was!

The Cathedral of Barcelona  is very impressive. We had to buy tickets. Fair enough since it is very costly to maintain a building like this. 9 Euros per person doesn’t brake our bank. It would have been a little more if we wanted to go up the tower. And it would probably have been nice since the weather was so good but all those steps up and down? Not today. 

And again we were lucky. We sat in the choir section for a while and the pipe organ was either maintained or somebody practiced but it was lovely. 

Real candles here and we donated/lit one to say a special prayer. 

We were sent out a different way than we had come in. See the covered walkway over the street from one house to the other? Just like in Venice?

We walked by the front again. On the left of the church is the office where we had to buy the tickets.

On the way home we came passed a Carrefour. A supermarket which I think is french. We had one when we lived in Singapore. Remembering. So we went in. Oh my goodness, what a rabbit warren! We walked from one room zigzag to another to find some Spanish wine. 

It was 2:30 pm when we were still on the way back to the hotel but had not had lunch. I had a salad in mind but when we walked passed this shop the menu looked very good. And it was. And very reasonable. And the owner was so nice and appreciative too.

But the Schweppes and the Fanta didn't squensh our thirst. And by now we were getting cold. Neither one of us had a jacket on. So outside sitting was not an option. There was another place closer to our hotel which also looked very nice and we went inside. And yes, tappas were delivered free with our drinks. Can you believe it? A medium tap beer and a red wine for 4 Euros?

After we had been in the room for a while we were getting antsy again. We were looking for a place in the hotel to play cards. We only could find this but the chairs and table were very low and the table so big that we had trouble to reach the cards in the middle. We have to find something else tomorrow. I lost!

Later we ventured out again ... for a little bit of dinner. We were looking for something similar than the Ma+Pa place which had been our last stop earlier. We walked around a couple of blocks and finally found this. I think what I am trying to say is that we don't want something too touristy. 

This place was nice. Most things on the menu were tappas. As a couple you would select several different tappas and share. We decided on the other option: a personal pan paella each. 

James ordered # 8

I ordered # 4 - The Paella del Señorita. Unfortunately somebody made a mistake. Either the server or the cook. The seafood was NOT peeled. That really spoiled it a bit for me. It makes it for a very messy meal.

But no matter what, it was nice. And we didn't have to walk back far either. Bed time now. Tomorrow is another day. And what a good one we had today. 

James' fitbit tells him that he has 14,415 steps today. How about that? Thank the LORD!