Barcelona

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October 17, 2010 - Barcelona
I intend to get an early start and visit the Cathedral. Then walk the Ramblas for a while and take the Hop On-Hop Off bus. Want to spend more time at Park Guell and go inside the Sagrada Familia. I awake at 9:15, after about thirteen hours sleep so I move on to plan B. This includes a healthy breakfast and the Ho-Ho as a first stop. When I get there the line is an estimated hour long but the ticket seller tells me to go to the front of the line and tell the woman I just can’t stand for an hour. This gets me right on the bus albeit downstairs. That’s fine with me.
The first stop is the modernista houses I wanted to see close up but the lines there was almost as long as the one where I got on at Plaza Cataluna so I stay on. The lines to get into the Sagrada Famila are around the block so I stay on there. Park Guell is packed with people so I decide forget the Hop Off portion and stay on for the circle. It’s a beautiful day though cool and once I make up my mind to stay on I move upstairs where the wind is cold by the views are much better. I enjoy the commentary (available in nine languages) and marvel at the wonderful architecture. The building facades are ornamented in various ways, always interesting. The ironwork continues to fascinate me. We go from the downtown to the “high district”, think rent, on to an old monastery, the University, the incredible football (soccer) stadium and eventually back to the Placo de Catalunya where I got on. This was almost 2 ½ hours later and the line then was as long as it was in the morning.
One reason for the crowds is that two cruise ships are sailing from the port on Sunday and Monday. That adds another couple of thousand tourists. Then it is the weekend and I hear many of the tourists speaking Spanish and French and English with a British accent. The hotels are booked solid, the restaurants have lines and hundreds of people are walking Las Rambles. This pedestrian mall runs from the Placo de Catalunya to the port and is an incredible way to get a flavor of Barcelona. It is also notorious for pickpockets. Of course I head right there.
It’s about 2:00 and I want to locate the Gran Teatre del Liceu where I’ll see the opera Carmen. It is in walking distance from my hotel so I decide to grab a bite, go back freshen up and change and head out early for the 5:00 pm performance. This turned out to be an excellent idea. Once dressed, I headed to Las Ramblas and slowly made my way to the Thearter. There I found out I had to stand in line at the box office to pick up my ticket and the line was long and the box office wasn’t open yet. Once I picked up my ticket, I had a half hour to wait before the opera began. This was not a wasted time. The theater is gorgeous. Recently restored after two disastrous fires it is a Baroque masterpiece and I could also enjoy the people watching.
The attire ranged from semi formal dresses, suites, jackets and ties to jeans and shirts. The crowd was totally white as far as I could see, all ages well represented, and an even mix of genders. The opera was staged in modern times and the sets were very sparse but the music was glorious. The tenor who sang Don Jose was especially wonderful. A singer who really fit the part and could act it to perfection played the part of Carmen, but her voice didn’t please me. I was very surprised, as were many others in the audience, when a balletic interlude featured a toreador stripping down to the full monty and practicing his moves versus an imaginary bull. Ah, such is art!
Now I am in my room and will shortly enjoy another wonderful nights rest though hopefully shorter than last night. The plan for tomorrow is to pack up, do some site seeing, pick up some local wine and board the Nieuw Amsterdam around 1:00. I really wish I had more time in Barcelona but in the off, off, season. There is so much to see and do here and I didn’t scratch the surface. I passed a local outdoor market and would have loved to buy cheese and have a picnic in my room with local wine. Maybe next visit.
Still on CT time so I’m wide awake up at 1:00 am. Turn on the TV and the first image is a man holding a woman on a balcony. The camera pans back and the balcony is on a cruise ship. Further back and the Voyage of the Seas can be seen and helicopters hovering overhead. Commandos are lowered and assault the balcony with some sort of gas. Next a man in a hazmat suit brings a suitcase out on the pier. A dog sniffs the suitcase and next thing I see is the suitcase exploding. The Barcelona port authorities then issue statements. All this is in Catalan. Obviously I can’t understand a word. I go back to sleep wondering if it was a real assault or a drill.

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