Breakfast on board. Then we checked out and disembarked (sob). A taxi took us up La Rambla to Iberostar on Plaza Catalunya. They stowed our luggage and asked that we return about noon.
We walked across the plaza, purchased two-day HOHO tickets and boarded the Green Line bus. The bus did its usual route, passing directly in front of the Familia Sagrada immense church and architectural wonder.
O-Photos
We returned to the hotel and checked in, upgrading our stay to room 613 and including breakfasts.
About 20 of us followed the guide a block to the rear of church. She checked us in with the office there, and gave us radiophones. She gave a lot of information which I'm not going to give here. You can get that information here. The place is huge. It has been under construction for 140 years and nobody knows when it will be completed. You can get a sense of the place in the photos.
It was hot (again). We were frazzled when we exited the shop where we bought a book about the place and a pin for D. We staggered around to the front of the church and boarded the HOHO to take us to Plaza Catalunya. Then across the street to Cafe Zurich for coke & beer. After cooling for a while we returned to the room to change shoes. It took a while to select a place for dinner.
We sat in the street tent of Poca-Solta close to the hotel. Do NOT eat there. D's food was unique and good. O's steak was as hard as the platter it was served on. The olives were ok. D helped eat some of the steak after O cut it with an ax. The wine was local tempranillo, interesting, and appreciated.
Watching the people passing by was also interesting. We were there from about 1900 to 1950. All sorts of people went by, on the average younger than we expected. Everyone wearing minimum clothing due to the heat & some looked good in it. Fewer obese folks than you would find at an equivalent spot in the US.
Then back to the hotel. We decided to examine the roof-top bar and pool. Some men rode up with us and were asked for the cover charge of 40 Euro. We said we were guests and were admitted. The waiter served us a cold local white wine, very nice. The DJ was banging out young-couple songs. The crowd seemed to be young ladies looking for men and some men looking for men. The noise drove us away after the wine and people-watching.
Into bed and sleep.
O-Photos again.
Plan: Unless something happens, today is a day for loafing or wandering with no objective.
We are seriously engaged in staying in air-conditioned locations today. Loafing is part of that.
O did go out about noon looking for batteries - one iTag was complaining to his iOS Find My that its battery is low. He crossed the plaza to Primark, but they had no electronics. He wandered down La Rambla and found a phone store named "mobile shop" in an alley. After making the owner aware of the part needed (2032) the owner found a package in the back with four of them. O wanted two, so he cut the package in half and sold the two.
O returned via Primark again, sort of looking for a shirt. Not one collared shirt could be found - all teeshirts and jeans. So he came back to the hotel and completed the trip diary web site (the thing you're reading). The iTag is now happy again.
We continued our loafing until an early dinner, taken at Vapiano (L). Vapiano is a unique place serving Italian food & drink. You are given a card on entry; you go to each station that is doing what you want (drinks, pasta, pizza, salad) and order. The charge is noted to your card. You can work with the staff person to modify your dish to add or subtract items from it. As you leave the cashier reads your card and takes payment from your credit card (no cash). We had a bottle of red and two dishes each totaling 55 Euro. Neat system, stores all over the EU.
We visited the rooftop bar/pool for a white wine and to look at the city at sunset.
O-Photos
This afternoon we're slated to take a tour NW of Barcelona to a mountain on which there is a Benedictine monastery founded in the ninth century.
After breakfast we loafed for a bit, then went the one block to the Lego Store. It's a large, fantastic place. It has many pieces we don't see in the USA. We bought a couple of little things that will fit in our suitcases. We took pictures of the ones we want to order on-line when we get home.
We strolled around, looking in departments stores. Didn't find anything we need. Back to the hotel.
We loafed until time for the tour person, Lliana, to pick us up. No-show. After a while we received a call there was a car problem. Another call later said she would soon be there. Showed up an hour late at 1545. We got into a small sedan with another couple, Steve & Lori from Toronto, and drove 30 minutes ore more to the mountains.
The mountains are actually 4,000' high, an outcropping of the later Pyranees. We then climbed the narrow, winding roads to the 3,000' level, then traversed the winding roads along the edge of the mountain to the Abbey of Montserrat.
We went on, taking pictures all the way of the various buildings, the funicular station, the rack railroad station, the cafeteria and shops.
D led the way toward the abbey's basilica church but on the way we found the museum. As we were standing in front of it they closed the door for the night - one disadvantage of our late arrival.
So we entered the church's outer courtyard, then the church. One venerated item in the church is the Black Madonna, a sitting statue of madonna holding baby Jesus, both in black stone, and decorated. The path for visitors has you ascend in the right-hand side of the church, then pass behind and above the altar, the location of the madonna. After your examination, you descend the left-hand side of the church into the church itself. It is a working church but you can quietly look around. The picture at left is from the madonna's location, showing the church from above and behind the altar.
We left it and headed back toward the entry, there being nothing else to do. We passed the closed museum, rounded the corner into the main square and found the cafeteria. We bought drinks and rested a bit. Then off to the shop to get a small book about the place.
Out of the shop, we saw Lliana so we joined her. Shortly afterward Lori & Steve rejoined us after their hike to take photos. We decided to return to the hotel, so we hopped into the small car and were driven back by a different route.
We got out of the car and went to the room with champagne furnished us while waiting for the lift. We sat till after 2100, then wandered out to the street looking for food. We were approached by a man who coaxed us into the street tent chairs and gave us menus. But 15 minutes passed with no waiter so we left for the next place down the street.
There, we had glasses of the local wine and tapas of short-ribs and bravas (potatoes with spicy sauce). A nice evening, especially in the cool evening air.
Then it was time to return to the room and pack. Laid out clothes for the little carry-on and zipped the larger carry-ons for checking with the airline.
Then to bed.
Time to go home….
Up, breakfast in the hotel. Checked out. Had them get a taxi.
The BCN airport, formally titled "Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport", advises you to be there three hours before departure, and you need it.
Check-in was a hassle with lots of people checking in for the morning flights to Newark, Boston, Washington, JFK (us), Atlanta, Chicago, etc. Waited longer than necessary. Two large families ahead of us took what seemed forever to settle their problems.
Then came security. Same story. When through that, we had to walk to the entry to the E concourse. There was another wait equivalent to the security check so that Spain's immigration people could stamp our passports "departed".
We arrived at the gate and ran into the usual mob. Just before boarding time, the cabin crew showed up. That delayed boarding time. Special-case turkeys all over the place including the grandmother in wheelchair that insisted on holding the passports and tickets for her grandsons, I suppose so that she was assured they'd stay with her. We pled special case to ride the elevator down since D has a phobia against falling, especially on escalators. So we got to the A330-300 seats 8G/8J quickly and settled in.
One large family sited above had apparently made reservations late. They were seated all over business class. They tried getting others to swap to make their situation better, including D, who declined. During the flight they were forever running from row to row conversing with their others.
The flight itself wasn't bad. Drinks, food, dark, music by headphones, read a book on Kindle, etc. Cat-napped. Clouds the entire trip until New England, where I looked down and spotted New London-Groton and the submarine base there. Brought back memories.
JFK was its usual self. Had to go through customs & immigration with our luggage, then recheck the luggage. The CBP guy used facial recognition from the last pass through there, so that was quick. But we had to do the shuttle from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2 for our flight to JAX. We climbed the stairs to the Sky Room with our small carry-ons because the elevator was not working. Engaged in computer stuff and had a drink. Then down in the repaired elevator to the gate & plane. Pre-boarding on Delta now includes retired veterans (might help in the future).
Approaching JAX the pilot told us there were thunderstorms ahead but we should beat them to the airport by an hour. D got some spectacular pictures of the storms. Son Bill picked us up at the airport in our car & drove to his house. O took over to finish the journey to the condo.
That's it. Thanks for coming along.