Sangria Overdose...
Sangria overdose I think would be the key to the last 3 days. Not particularly me, but for all of us in general. We're now heading towards Italy with full bellies of Spanish dishes and sangria. Good sangria. We started off in a new port for Holland America, Cartagena in Spain. I got off the ship early despite the party I had the night before with one of our youth staffers to see the sights. We strolled around town and went to the castle, the Castillo de la Concepcion. The view of the city below was gorgeous from up there. It took us a while to find it though because we got side tracked from all the little cute shops that were open along the main strip. Soon enough we found our way there. You could tell that this city wasn't used to having so many English-speaking tourists since none really could master communicating with us as they do in other popular destinations. Once we got up there for the sights the grounds were full of beautiful peacocks. Who knew? I heard the familiar cry that sounds like a baby calling for help and knew instantly what it was. Sure enough there was one straight ahead. We tried to rustle its feathers, but it only walked away and I'm sure it walked away annoyed. There was a spattering of them all over the place. It was fascinating. There were ruins of an old cathedral below the castle and an old Roman theatre. It was fascinating to see how the Romans influenced this little town. Surrounding the castle was a wall that fortified the old city and the ruins inside. We had a whole day there and I was pretty much sangria free today since there was a show the next day. My counterparts, however, took part since 3 of them don't have to perform in the show. After the morning excursion, we sat down for a nice iced coffee and then I spent the afternoon just taking in all the beautiful scenery and the gorgeously hot day. The next stop was Palma de Mallorca. I was on a treasure hunt for a hair stylist since I'm in need of one. I went off after the rehearsal and spent the day mostly on my own. I found others sipping the candied wine later in the day and became jealous. No worries, Barcelona would be my day of relaxing and sangria. There was a show that night so I definitely could not partake. No luck on the hair stylist since we got out of rehearsal so late. I'd been in Palma before and loved it. This time all the shops were OPEN. Dangerous!!
Our next stop yesterday was in Barcelona. I knew what to do and where to go so I rented a bike from the ship. Other's followed suit and joined me. It was a repeat tour of what I did last year with my friends when we rented bikes from the city. They wanted to see the Cathedral of La Sagrada Familia. I figured we should just have a Gaudi day. We started off kind of rough since one of the girls discovered she rented a bike and they gave her one with only one pedal. We met her in town and she rented one from the city's center. Right under the statue of Christopher Columbus. It was 11 Euro for about 4 hours. Nice! I had my map and we were ready to go. I knew our path and how to get to the destinations. I figured this time we'd shoot for the park far into Barcelona where most of Gaudi's work was displayed. We never made it there, but it was a good goal. We started off in the park right off the coast. We followed the beautiful waterfront past the post office into this huge garden park. It was a memory come alive from the last time I was here on bikes. We scooted through it real quick to get to the first sight, which was the Arc de Triomf. Many pictures were taken here. Barcelona all around just has a wonderfully hip vibe and youthful energy. The buildings are so ornate and a mixture of classic and modern plays throughout the city. We went along with our goal in mind. I knew what was coming up, but the others didn't. We strolled along Passeig de Sant Joan to Mallorca Street where we made our turn for the cathedral. As we approached, you could see it coming into view and everyone gasped. Of course we spent a lot of time here since the cathedral is so detailed. There are just many photo opportunities here especially if you've never been. I paid the 5 Euro (I posed as a student, tee hee, normally 8 Euro) to get in with the prospect of going up in the lift this time to see the top. As we got to the other side, we discovered the lift was under construction. Booo. We decided at this point we wouldn't make it to the Gaudi museum about 25 minutes more into the city so we stopped for a little sustenance and we were on our way to some other sights. On our way to another sight, La Pedrera, we passed up another Gaudi work. It was the Casa Calvet. I recognized the architecture and pointed it out, but didn't realize it was a stop to see until checking the map later. It turns out that this was part of his project for enhancing Barcelona. All throughout Barcelona you can see Gaudi influences in all the architecture around town. This house that we just passed up he tested the union of lit courtyards and staircases that resulted in the Casa Botló, which we visited later. We came up on the Casa Mila or "La Pedrera." You could go inside and see all the fascinating and imaginative things Gaudi did with this particular house, but the cue was too long and our time was diminishing. They say that with every turn in this house, it's like a box of surprises and from what I've seen of Gaudi so far, I can believe it. We stopped next at the famous Casa Botló. It's situated right in the middle of the street between modern and old buildings and sticks out like mad. It looks like someone put a mushroom house right in the middle of the street. A fantasy home. I swear there's not a corner in this place it's so curved. It's nicknamed the bone house simply because of its basis. The outer columns look like leg bones and the balconies resemble skulls. I ended up going inside because our group got split up. We found each other except for one and we all turn and notice him waving from the inside of the house. The girls went shopping and I joined him inside. It was a stiff 13 Euros to see the inside and 16 Euros if you weren't a student, tee hee. Inside you could listen to the commentary where I learned that he pulled together light and color in this house. It's all based on the rib. He used the natural curve of ribs to solve problems within the house architecturally in interesting ways. In the upper rooms of the house you can see these rib arches and it's so interesting and peaceful. I never noticed a corner or sharp edge in this house as I walked around. Everything was curved. It was like looking inside of a Dr. Seuss creation. The roof offered some splendid views of the main shopping area below. Afterward, we met up with the girls and headed off to the park near the shore. Here we visited Gaudi's fountain (which happened to be off today, boo) and took pictures with the stone elephant. We scooted back to the center to return the rented bikes and had a stroll up Las Ramblas to see all the various street performers, have a little gelato, and do some shopping. It was a fabulous day of exercise and fun as we rode around the city. We topped it off with 4 pitchers of wonderful sangria, delightful atmosphere, and hip Spanish cuisine in the evening before we sailed out around 11:00pm. Ahh. That's the Europe I like. Now we have a sea day to rest. After 7 sea days in a row before, I never thought I'd want another, but after 7 port days in a row, you get exhausted. Whew!!
Our next stop yesterday was in Barcelona. I knew what to do and where to go so I rented a bike from the ship. Other's followed suit and joined me. It was a repeat tour of what I did last year with my friends when we rented bikes from the city. They wanted to see the Cathedral of La Sagrada Familia. I figured we should just have a Gaudi day. We started off kind of rough since one of the girls discovered she rented a bike and they gave her one with only one pedal. We met her in town and she rented one from the city's center. Right under the statue of Christopher Columbus. It was 11 Euro for about 4 hours. Nice! I had my map and we were ready to go. I knew our path and how to get to the destinations. I figured this time we'd shoot for the park far into Barcelona where most of Gaudi's work was displayed. We never made it there, but it was a good goal. We started off in the park right off the coast. We followed the beautiful waterfront past the post office into this huge garden park. It was a memory come alive from the last time I was here on bikes. We scooted through it real quick to get to the first sight, which was the Arc de Triomf. Many pictures were taken here. Barcelona all around just has a wonderfully hip vibe and youthful energy. The buildings are so ornate and a mixture of classic and modern plays throughout the city. We went along with our goal in mind. I knew what was coming up, but the others didn't. We strolled along Passeig de Sant Joan to Mallorca Street where we made our turn for the cathedral. As we approached, you could see it coming into view and everyone gasped. Of course we spent a lot of time here since the cathedral is so detailed. There are just many photo opportunities here especially if you've never been. I paid the 5 Euro (I posed as a student, tee hee, normally 8 Euro) to get in with the prospect of going up in the lift this time to see the top. As we got to the other side, we discovered the lift was under construction. Booo. We decided at this point we wouldn't make it to the Gaudi museum about 25 minutes more into the city so we stopped for a little sustenance and we were on our way to some other sights. On our way to another sight, La Pedrera, we passed up another Gaudi work. It was the Casa Calvet. I recognized the architecture and pointed it out, but didn't realize it was a stop to see until checking the map later. It turns out that this was part of his project for enhancing Barcelona. All throughout Barcelona you can see Gaudi influences in all the architecture around town. This house that we just passed up he tested the union of lit courtyards and staircases that resulted in the Casa Botló, which we visited later. We came up on the Casa Mila or "La Pedrera." You could go inside and see all the fascinating and imaginative things Gaudi did with this particular house, but the cue was too long and our time was diminishing. They say that with every turn in this house, it's like a box of surprises and from what I've seen of Gaudi so far, I can believe it. We stopped next at the famous Casa Botló. It's situated right in the middle of the street between modern and old buildings and sticks out like mad. It looks like someone put a mushroom house right in the middle of the street. A fantasy home. I swear there's not a corner in this place it's so curved. It's nicknamed the bone house simply because of its basis. The outer columns look like leg bones and the balconies resemble skulls. I ended up going inside because our group got split up. We found each other except for one and we all turn and notice him waving from the inside of the house. The girls went shopping and I joined him inside. It was a stiff 13 Euros to see the inside and 16 Euros if you weren't a student, tee hee. Inside you could listen to the commentary where I learned that he pulled together light and color in this house. It's all based on the rib. He used the natural curve of ribs to solve problems within the house architecturally in interesting ways. In the upper rooms of the house you can see these rib arches and it's so interesting and peaceful. I never noticed a corner or sharp edge in this house as I walked around. Everything was curved. It was like looking inside of a Dr. Seuss creation. The roof offered some splendid views of the main shopping area below. Afterward, we met up with the girls and headed off to the park near the shore. Here we visited Gaudi's fountain (which happened to be off today, boo) and took pictures with the stone elephant. We scooted back to the center to return the rented bikes and had a stroll up Las Ramblas to see all the various street performers, have a little gelato, and do some shopping. It was a fabulous day of exercise and fun as we rode around the city. We topped it off with 4 pitchers of wonderful sangria, delightful atmosphere, and hip Spanish cuisine in the evening before we sailed out around 11:00pm. Ahh. That's the Europe I like. Now we have a sea day to rest. After 7 sea days in a row before, I never thought I'd want another, but after 7 port days in a row, you get exhausted. Whew!!
posted by Chris | 5:31 AM
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