Blogs from La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, Europe - page 9

October 18, 2010 - Embarkation Despite a 7:00 am wake up I sleep in until eight, shower, dress and have another healthy breakfast; coffee, juice, cereal, tomato with olive oil and Italian bread. But first I head to the WIFI in the lobby to research the port incident. Nothing about it on the news so I guess that it was a drill. I head to the department store and pick up wine then return to finish packing, check out, get a taxi (the driver hefts the bags up the alley) and to the port. There are not two but five cruise ships in port. No wonder the crowds are massive and the lines long. Embarkation is speedy, no line at all, and soon I’m on the Lido deck by the pool enjoying a Mojito and catching ... read more

Faux Blondie is on the go again. Up at 7:00, pack, do a bank run and off to the airport at 11:00. Bag weighs exactly 50 lb. I’m getting good at this. I’m put on an early flight that is delayed till my original flight time. Arrive in Philadelphia and chat with folks that are going to cruise on Celebrity and Princess. We compare ports and ships and the time passes quickly until I’m onboard my flight to Barcelona. We are treated to a glorious sunset and head across the pond for a seven- hour flight. Surprise, surprise! Musical seats and I have a row to myself. My seatmate wanted to sit with her husband and that left me all alone. Boo Hoo. The flight was uneventful and the passage through Barcelona airport quick. The drive ... read more

Lets get the important stuff ot f the way first. We got here safe and without delays and we got tickets to the match. We are sat behind the goal on the second tier. So I doubt you'll see us on the telly. Atleast not until my mum runs on the pitch to dhout at someone for tackling Bojan. Mal drove us to the airport, where I discover my mum for some stupid reason had printed our boarding passes leavng and coming home double sided. Luckily we have a spare set for coming home. I then managed to leave my bank car in the cafe. We got the bus from Gerona to Barcelona. Only problem there was that we had no idea were the bus station was. I think we managed to have Jim convinced we ... read more

Day 1 - Sunday 18th July My wife Hannah and I are once again heading back to Spain for some Mediterranean sun and culture this time visiting Barcelona, the capital of Cataluña! Our lunch time flight aboard an ageing Jet2 Boeing 737-300 from Leeds Bradford to Barcelona El Prat Airport is trouble free and 5 mins ahead of schedule! () Getting off the plane we're immediately greeted with the customary blast of hot air, which is fantastic! We're here! Quickly head for the railway station and catch a train to Barcelona - 3 euros. The carriage is nicely air-conditioned which is very welcome. The journey into the city centre takes about twenty five minutes and is an efficient way to transfer from the airport. We get off at Estatio Sants (the central station) and make the ... read more

after a 14 hour train journey in which the world and its wife decided to switch the lights on and off at intermittent periods during the night, we arrived in Barcelona. Sweating our way to the hostel we walked into the luxurious bunk bedded room which has cracks galore and a sofa shoved at the end of the bed that you cant actually access, must be there for decorative purposes. we went to the beach this afternoon and sunbathed, you could hear the sea lapping in the background, and also the incessant dulcet tones of the locals offering cold drinks, massages, and who knows what else, all for under 5 euros, bargain! we indulged in a home made salami and edam baguette which involved ripping the baguette open with our fingers and shoving it in, whilst ... read more