We
had a wonderful time in Barcelona!!
Our Jet2
flight left from Leeds
Bradford airport more or less on time,
and all went well. We arrived at El
Prat International Airport in Barcelona
to lovely sunshine and warm weather. We all took the bus
to somewhere, and then we transferred to taxis to our hotels.
As we were in three different hotels, Peter and Gareth took
off to theirs, which was the furthest from the others of
us, and Pam, Dana, Teri and I shared on to ours, which happened
to be about 2 blocks from each other. We dumped our luggage,
and then we all hurried to meet at Sants
train station for a journey to Sitges.
We had dinner reservations at Al
Fresco, but prior to that, Peter and Gareth
led us to a lovely spot, Hotel
Romantic, where we had drinks in their
garden. What a relaxed and beautiful spot.
From there it was a few
minutes' walk to Al Fresco, and
that is quite a dramatically decorated place. Very interesting,
and very good food. Pam, Dana and I decided to head home
about midnight, and Peter, Teri and Gareth were going to
go out and do some dancing.
On Monday morning, Pam, Dana and I met up (Teri had wound
up staying at Peter and Gareth's hotel, as they'd gotten
back QUITE late!), and after breafast we headed to La
Sagrada Família, probably Gaudí's
most famous structure, in a city filled with his buildings.
We spent several hours there, and eventually met up with
Peter, Gareth and Teri outside the place. We all got on
the tourist bus and rode to Park
Guell. Well, we actually rode to the stop for the Park
Guell. It is an uphill climb to reach it, and I realized
that it was not for me. They all told me afterwards that
it was a grueling trip, but they enjoyed the park. Memories
of it from 30-something years ago will have to do for me.
I'd tried to get a taxi for about 30 minutes, but not one
passed; so I gave up and took the next tour bus along the
route, stopping at La
Pedrera and Plaça
Catalunya.
Now, this day was St George
Day, or Sant
Jordi as it is known in Barcelona. On this day the men
give the women red roses with wheat tied together with roses.
I surprised Teri, Pam and Dana with these! Men are to receive
a book, and Teri surprised me with the tiniest copy of The
Da Vinci Code, in Spanish! That evening, Teri and I
went to join Peter and Gareth for tapas
in a place close to their hotel. We had a good time, good
food and drink, and then I was off home, and the “youngsters”
were out again that evening!
Tuesday we awoke, and Teri and I joined Pam and Dana for
breakfast and then headed to the covered market on Las
Ramblas. It was such a lovely site, and afterwards we
walked Las Ramblas taking in the sites, the street performers,
and winding up at the port and the statue
of Christopher Columbus. We went on the pier, and girls
decided to go shopping at the mall in the marina. I read
my book! They returned happy with their purchases. We then
went back to Pam and Dana's hotel where we met up with Peter
and Gareth. The plan was to go to Sitges for lunch at Picnic,
and we had a very good meal, sitting beside the beach and
the sea. A lovely setting. They all wanted to play in the
water and on the beach, but with having spent too many years
lying in the sun and having to have melomas taken off, I
declined and headed back to the city. They returned and
we went for dinner at Gorria,
a Basque/Navarre restaurant across the street from our hotel.
Wednesday Teri and I slept in! We got up, got everything
packed and ready for our return and then went out and did
some last minute shopping. Pam and Dana arrived, and we
had our taxi back to the airport. Our flight left a bit
late, and we arrived ok, and Gary, Teri's partner, was there
to meet us, and the wind was blowing and it was chilly!
Quite a shock to the system after the warmth of Barcelona.
Pam, Dana, Gareth and Peter's taxi driver was there, we
all bid goodbye to each other, and then it was home.
Thursday found me at work, and all wanting to know about
the trip. There was plenty of work for me to catch up on,
and that I did, then off to get supplies for the house (bread,
milk, etc.). Friday was more of the same.
Saturday morning I awakened about 3:30am with vomiting and
diarrhea, and it continued until today. No, not a pleasant
way to spend the weekend, but at last it seems to be subsiding!
Thank goodness! Thank goodness for dvds and books!!
So that's it for another week! Take care all.
Love,
