Day 3 Cruise – 6:30 am still came early. Beth got up for her shower, I stayed in bed for as long as possible. We dressed and then headed up for breakfast with our belongings for the day. We then went to the Stardust Theater (the meeting place) and was informed that “meeting time” and “departure time” do not mean the same thing. After arriving 15 min early for our meeting time of 8:15 we finally departed about 8:45. Not too bad. We traveled by bus from Icheiavecia (the port city we arrived in) and took about a two hour drive to Rome. One of our tour guides, Felipo, a young Roman, gave us a small introduction to the area as we drove past. Beth and I decided that he was the perfect husband for her sister and took pictures to entice her to study abroad in Italy so she could meet her future husband. Felipo passed out the maps, and special radios we would be using on the tour. The radios were so our tour guide could talk at a normal tone and we could all hear from about 15 ft away. We didn’t look like tourists AT ALL. We also had a boat staff representative to help herd the tour group, Matt Lehrer, a performer from Second City comedy troupe (who we saw perform the night before!! ) We met our actual tour guide for Rome in Rome; her name was Gracia or “Grace” in English. Our first stop was the Coliseum. We had about 30 to 45 min here, learning about the history of Rome and the Coliseum itself. We were given 15 min free time...not nearly enough time to spend INSIDE the Coliseum but Beth and I took a jog around. We learned why there were holes in the structure: they needed the metal that was used to reinforce the concrete to make weapons. There were much more interesting facts, which I’m sure Beth will share with you, but there were a few that actually caught my attention.
After the Coliseum, we walked up the street towards the big castle that was dedicated to the first King (of 4) of Italy. We walked pass the Roman Forum and several other old monuments that many old had the foundations left. You could definitely say this city was a city of civil engineers and architects and I was in heaven. I think once we get a chance to post pictures you will probably notice I’m glowing. After this we walked back towards the bus in a different route, through some of the adjacent apartments near these archeological sites and last view of the Coliseum. The bus took us to lunch on the new side of the city. Lunch was a continued surprise. When seated at our table, it was set with two bottles of water and three bottles of wine with a basket of bread for each side. We were first served lasagna, which we all thought was lunch but much to our surprise it was the appetizer. Lasagna was followed by a very salty salad and a plate of thinly sliced pork in a very tasty sauce with green beans. For desert, we were presented with a bowl of tiramisu. I took two bites and shared mine with Beth. We filled up on water before leaving for the bus, which took us to the Vatican.
The interesting thing about this day was that we arrived in Rome on the day of the Epiphany. Those lucky people who went to the Vatican in the morning were actually graced with the presence of the pope and some also attended portions of the service. Our group however had the shortest lines ever into St. Peter’s Basilica. Because of the Epiphany, the Sistine Chapel was closed. L We did see some very beautiful mosaics and paintings. It was not crowded at all. There were nativity scenes both in the square and inside the Basilica. We had about 45 min to ourselves so unfortunately, no time to run to the Parthenon. This tour was definitely a taste of Rome and now I have to come back and give the city if not the country justice by spending more time here. Beth and I roamed around a bit before heading to the meeting place. I couldn’t leave Italy without having the traditional desert and because it was the end of the tour, I indulged. I had my own Pistachio Gelato. We walked back to the bus, fell asleep on the drive home before Felipo thought it would be funny to wake us up with a very loud rooster call over the intercom. I’m pretty sure I wanted to throw him off the bus after that. Beth and I boarded the bus, went to our rooms to relax a bit before a small dinner, which turned into indulging in the fresh crepe’s from the desert buffet. We went to the acrobatic and juggling show...where Beth almost peed in her pants because the male performer was trying to climb an unsupported ladder blind folded. Afterward, we went back to the room and found a towel animal on my bed with our mints! We were SO excited for our fantastic turn down service and took several pictures. We named him Humphrey, and placed him in a place of honor (on a top shelf in the room) and decided to order room service before going to Spinnaker to check out the scene. I became homesick and went down the room. Beth was thoughtful enough to give me some space before returning. We then spent the next 4 hours talking till about 2:30 am. We decided then....that it was probably wise to sleep in.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Beth's Cruise Day 1 - 2
I have left my journal downstairs while I journeyed to the 7th deck lobby to find a better internet connection but I will try and do my best to remember all the important events and maybe update later.
Jan 4
We woke early to get a in a nice breakfast before embarking on the cruise. There was a slight mix up with taxis as Gwen saw what she thought was our taxi and went to hail it while the taxi driver that the hotel had actually called for us was at the front desk. By the time I had found where I wanted to go and communicated it to the receptionist to tell the driver, Gwen was having her stuff loaded in to the second taxi! An argument ensued between the two driver's about whose fare it was and then I believe the original driver over charged us by quite a bit! This was all forgotten as we boarded to cheers, music and free champagne. We found our "stateroom" (actually quite cozy!) and grabbed lunch on board. After reading and relaxing for a couple hours we sought out dinner and then made our way to the "Welcome Aboard" show which was quite interesting. We finished off the night with a round of drinks at the "young" bar where we bumped into an amazing crewman (Hencel Hill) who gave us tips on ports, drinks etc. and even bought us a round!
Jan 5
Waking early to get breakfast and make the 10am "Secrets to a Flatter Stomach" seminar, we had time to check out the library as well on our way to the gym. Though their fiction section leaves something to be desired (mainly Cussler novels), their guide books gave us some ideas for how we plan to spend our time in Greece. We watched the lecture and then had a work out. On the way out we passed the spa whose prices we had already deemed extravagant. A massage runs about $165. However, we noticed an advert for "Ladies Night" for $109 you get an hour long back, shoulders, neck and arms massage, a facial, a "luxuriant aromatherapy" bath, sauna and steam room time and complimentary champagne. We signed up immediately. That will happen in the evening after our second day in Egypt. Hencel warned us that we might not be able to handle very long in Alexandria on our own that second day.
We caught lunch and then showers before checking out a second health seminar on detoxification before heading upstairs for the dance lessons. We were taught the basic merenge and a couple steps and are looking forward to salsa tomorrow! It was Dress Up (or not) night, so we got dressed up and went to dinner in the formal dining room where we ate with two very nice couples. Deciding we were tired and had to get up early, we stopped at the room for a refresher and then checked out the comedy troupe and the dancing before calling it a night.
** I realize today is the 6th, but it's not over yet and we had an INCREDIBLE day in Rome which could not possibly be squeezed into this post. We will post on it later!
Jan 4
We woke early to get a in a nice breakfast before embarking on the cruise. There was a slight mix up with taxis as Gwen saw what she thought was our taxi and went to hail it while the taxi driver that the hotel had actually called for us was at the front desk. By the time I had found where I wanted to go and communicated it to the receptionist to tell the driver, Gwen was having her stuff loaded in to the second taxi! An argument ensued between the two driver's about whose fare it was and then I believe the original driver over charged us by quite a bit! This was all forgotten as we boarded to cheers, music and free champagne. We found our "stateroom" (actually quite cozy!) and grabbed lunch on board. After reading and relaxing for a couple hours we sought out dinner and then made our way to the "Welcome Aboard" show which was quite interesting. We finished off the night with a round of drinks at the "young" bar where we bumped into an amazing crewman (Hencel Hill) who gave us tips on ports, drinks etc. and even bought us a round!
Jan 5
Waking early to get breakfast and make the 10am "Secrets to a Flatter Stomach" seminar, we had time to check out the library as well on our way to the gym. Though their fiction section leaves something to be desired (mainly Cussler novels), their guide books gave us some ideas for how we plan to spend our time in Greece. We watched the lecture and then had a work out. On the way out we passed the spa whose prices we had already deemed extravagant. A massage runs about $165. However, we noticed an advert for "Ladies Night" for $109 you get an hour long back, shoulders, neck and arms massage, a facial, a "luxuriant aromatherapy" bath, sauna and steam room time and complimentary champagne. We signed up immediately. That will happen in the evening after our second day in Egypt. Hencel warned us that we might not be able to handle very long in Alexandria on our own that second day.
We caught lunch and then showers before checking out a second health seminar on detoxification before heading upstairs for the dance lessons. We were taught the basic merenge and a couple steps and are looking forward to salsa tomorrow! It was Dress Up (or not) night, so we got dressed up and went to dinner in the formal dining room where we ate with two very nice couples. Deciding we were tired and had to get up early, we stopped at the room for a refresher and then checked out the comedy troupe and the dancing before calling it a night.
** I realize today is the 6th, but it's not over yet and we had an INCREDIBLE day in Rome which could not possibly be squeezed into this post. We will post on it later!
Gwen's Cruise Day 1 - 2
Day 1 cruise
So I would have to say that this day was pretty uneventful. We planned it all out, no real deviations from the plan, except for the 45 min cat nap that turned into an hour and 5 min cat nap and rushing to get out the door. Then there was a mix up with the taxi drivers. We called a taxi to come pick us up at noon, there was a taxi waiting outside...while Beth was trying to fiddle with her iTouch, I went outside and talked with the taxi driver. Unfortunately, the taxi driver we called was actually waiting in the hotel lobby for us. There was a small argument between the two taxi drivers on who had the fair and the one I talked to graciously gave my bag back from the trunk while the other grabbed Beth’s bag and started walking towards his car. He was a GRUMPY old man! He drove us to the port just fine but he charged us MORE than what it cost to drive from the airport (and that was a much longer distance) AND didn’t give me change! Definitely a bit of a downer to begin the cruise. We made it through the check in, they took our passports, and gave us new IDs. We were greeted at the entrance with complementary champagne to celebrate the beginning. We crawled around to find a place to sit, found some food, and then explored our room. At 5 pm, we had a emergency procedures drill where Beth and I tried to have fun on our FREESTYLE cruise but the group leader dude was a bit of a party pooper. We got in trouble for taking pictures (“Act like you were drowning!”) and then the older couple next to us didn’t get caught!! We also made an “air chest bump” while subjected to wearing the life vests. We were treated like queens at dinner and then went to the show for introducing all the entertainment for the cruise. Afterwards, we made a stop at the room before heading out to the Spinnaker Bar to check out the 20 – 30 social. We had our cruise cup and drink in hand, watching the sparse group of people dancing on the floor. One of Hencel Hill, the “fun police” came by and chatted us up for like an hour and a half! He had been on several cruises and worked in several places. He gave us the low down on cruises, on the best alcohol for your money, and just gave us general conversation. He even bought us a round of drinks!!! :-) Around 12:30 we left the bar and crashed! Not without talking with Andrew first. :-)
Day 2 Cruise – We woke up at about 8:30, had breakfast, came back to grab mp3 players and towels before heading up to the gym. We sat in on a “Flatter Stomach” lecture and then worked out. I am actually feeling better today! :-) Afterward, we grabbed lunch and then headed back to the room to shower and shave and journal.
So I would have to say that this day was pretty uneventful. We planned it all out, no real deviations from the plan, except for the 45 min cat nap that turned into an hour and 5 min cat nap and rushing to get out the door. Then there was a mix up with the taxi drivers. We called a taxi to come pick us up at noon, there was a taxi waiting outside...while Beth was trying to fiddle with her iTouch, I went outside and talked with the taxi driver. Unfortunately, the taxi driver we called was actually waiting in the hotel lobby for us. There was a small argument between the two taxi drivers on who had the fair and the one I talked to graciously gave my bag back from the trunk while the other grabbed Beth’s bag and started walking towards his car. He was a GRUMPY old man! He drove us to the port just fine but he charged us MORE than what it cost to drive from the airport (and that was a much longer distance) AND didn’t give me change! Definitely a bit of a downer to begin the cruise. We made it through the check in, they took our passports, and gave us new IDs. We were greeted at the entrance with complementary champagne to celebrate the beginning. We crawled around to find a place to sit, found some food, and then explored our room. At 5 pm, we had a emergency procedures drill where Beth and I tried to have fun on our FREESTYLE cruise but the group leader dude was a bit of a party pooper. We got in trouble for taking pictures (“Act like you were drowning!”) and then the older couple next to us didn’t get caught!! We also made an “air chest bump” while subjected to wearing the life vests. We were treated like queens at dinner and then went to the show for introducing all the entertainment for the cruise. Afterwards, we made a stop at the room before heading out to the Spinnaker Bar to check out the 20 – 30 social. We had our cruise cup and drink in hand, watching the sparse group of people dancing on the floor. One of Hencel Hill, the “fun police” came by and chatted us up for like an hour and a half! He had been on several cruises and worked in several places. He gave us the low down on cruises, on the best alcohol for your money, and just gave us general conversation. He even bought us a round of drinks!!! :-) Around 12:30 we left the bar and crashed! Not without talking with Andrew first. :-)
Day 2 Cruise – We woke up at about 8:30, had breakfast, came back to grab mp3 players and towels before heading up to the gym. We sat in on a “Flatter Stomach” lecture and then worked out. I am actually feeling better today! :-) Afterward, we grabbed lunch and then headed back to the room to shower and shave and journal.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Gwen's Barcelona
Hola from Barcelona! HOKAY s0...Beth has covered the details of the sites, I will cover the details of the Troublemakers.
We made it through the airport security with no trouble in Orlando....despite the lines outside in the congregating area. After arriving at our departure gate for Atlanta, we thought we had 45 min when in actuality we only had 15 min. So after unloading the laptop, the mp3 players, and cameras, we had to quickly REload them to board the plane.
Once in Atlanta, we discussed obtaining food before boarding the international flight but soon realized the brevity of our layover and hauled butt to our departing gate, with a faint thought to exchanging money before boarding. (That didn't happen) We soon realized we were the LAST to board the 5:45 pm flight. Once on board, we checked our clocks, my watch already set to Barcelona time showed our plane taking off at the stroke of MIDNIGHT. Our fears were realized when we found the seat backs blanked and were subjected to airline food. (Plastic Chicken and Rubber Pasta). Beth also enjoyed the brownies (notice the plural, she took one for the team and helped me avoid a sugar coma). It was hard, but I'm pretty sure Beth might take a little bit of pleasure in the extra sweets due to my inability to process sugar. Afterward, we attempted to catch some shut eye on the 8 hour flight...however the baby in the row ahead of us had other plans. Beth would like to call this irresponsible of the parents to do this to such a young child BUT then she realized she would be judging her parents previous attempts to bring a child across the pond. So a very light and brief nap later, I woke Beth for the breakfast and most importantly the 1st cup of coffee for the day.
At the airport, we had our first friendly encounter with the local taxi car director dude asking Beth if it was "fria". Thus started the count of shout outs: 0.5. This only counts as a half due to Beth's interpretation of their "friendly" culture. Once at the hotel, after our friendly taxi driver gave us a discount on the fare. It was the first moment when Beth realized we would not be tipping. "Its just not the done thing here apparently." Its driving Beth nuts! :) We left the hotel with intentions of going to the Sagrada Familia, Beth doubted my sense of direction. "How do you know we're going north?" she asked. Umm, for those of you who KNOW me, I'm a Ranger, I have FANtastic sense of direction. Thus the doubt stopped there. (I Win #1) Also, from then on, Beth was in charge of the map; I just followed the control freak, my second love (Andrew, you are my first), Beth.
We acted like retards in the middle of town, making poses (as seen in Picasa photos, because there is too many to mention after this) probably not just to be goofs but also stay awake. After visiting the Sagrada Familia, we stopped for lunch where we butchered the Spanish language to order our food. (we can order, its just not pretty) This was also where we had coffee #2, the strongest cup so far. It was such a TINY little cup and OH so strong. I had to brave the coffee without sugar....Beth however dumped an entire packet (larger than the cup) into her cup. After this, on our way back to the hotel, we had the "HOLA!" encounter with some Spanish guy on a bike. Count :1.5. We returned back to the hotel for showers, new layers of clothes due to the colder than anticipated weather. We headed to the aquarium for possible entertainment...we probably annoyed the photographer at the aquarium by not even taking the Welcome" photo seriously. Sorry no picture of the picture....I assure you, it was hilarious. Afterward, we realized how EARLY it was and that we still needed to entertain ourselves. We went to the Supermarschet for essentials, champagne and chocolate to celebrate our successful day. Once wrestling with the internet became exhausting, we decided at 8 pm to watch something entirely Spanish, West Wing. (I knew I'd make you proud, Mom).
Day Two started a little early with a health emergency, by a little early I mean 4:30 am Barcelona time. My throat was in excruciating pain and I wanted to catch my parents before they went to sleep. However, the internet did not want to cooperate so the only thing we were able to accomplish initially was contact with Beth's family via Skype. They called my parents, and once we finally connected enough to purchase Skype credit, WE called my parents. I had an over the phone medical evaluation and recommendation. We then slept in. First order of the day was the throat spray and then two internet cafes later we had printed the essential cruise documents. One full breakfast at NOON later, we actually started our day. More coffee at breakfast. After wandering around and finding churches, we were on our way to the Arc de Triumph. We were at a main intersection, and I with the natural direction said we needed to head up the street. Beth however didn't believe me and so we crossed the street and headed in the wrong direction. (I Win #2). We wandered through a park, considered going to the Museum de Geologica but decided that was for Beth's Mom, not us and continued around the park. I took my traditional flower pictures, Beth collapsed on a bench (
le tired), and we finally made it to the arch. We also mastered the art of including things in the background of a photo of the two of us. (the picture in Beth's post). Afterward, we decided to walk back to the hotel....but we made a detour, to the Picasso museum. Beth was impressed with his early works (some done when he was merely 15 years old) however, the later years seemed to be on the level of a 6 year old. We then were practically escorted out of the museum by two security officers. (We were just looking for the way out, PROMISE) We then made the decision to grab take away and a LARGE bottle of water, because we were both dehydrated. After stretching, eating dinner in our beds, and finding the internet working just fine, we had catnaps and ventured out for last minute essentials of the cruise, i.e. more booze.
We made it through the airport security with no trouble in Orlando....despite the lines outside in the congregating area. After arriving at our departure gate for Atlanta, we thought we had 45 min when in actuality we only had 15 min. So after unloading the laptop, the mp3 players, and cameras, we had to quickly REload them to board the plane.
Once in Atlanta, we discussed obtaining food before boarding the international flight but soon realized the brevity of our layover and hauled butt to our departing gate, with a faint thought to exchanging money before boarding. (That didn't happen) We soon realized we were the LAST to board the 5:45 pm flight. Once on board, we checked our clocks, my watch already set to Barcelona time showed our plane taking off at the stroke of MIDNIGHT. Our fears were realized when we found the seat backs blanked and were subjected to airline food. (Plastic Chicken and Rubber Pasta). Beth also enjoyed the brownies (notice the plural, she took one for the team and helped me avoid a sugar coma). It was hard, but I'm pretty sure Beth might take a little bit of pleasure in the extra sweets due to my inability to process sugar. Afterward, we attempted to catch some shut eye on the 8 hour flight...however the baby in the row ahead of us had other plans. Beth would like to call this irresponsible of the parents to do this to such a young child BUT then she realized she would be judging her parents previous attempts to bring a child across the pond. So a very light and brief nap later, I woke Beth for the breakfast and most importantly the 1st cup of coffee for the day.At the airport, we had our first friendly encounter with the local taxi car director dude asking Beth if it was "fria". Thus started the count of shout outs: 0.5. This only counts as a half due to Beth's interpretation of their "friendly" culture. Once at the hotel, after our friendly taxi driver gave us a discount on the fare. It was the first moment when Beth realized we would not be tipping. "Its just not the done thing here apparently." Its driving Beth nuts! :) We left the hotel with intentions of going to the Sagrada Familia, Beth doubted my sense of direction. "How do you know we're going north?" she asked. Umm, for those of you who KNOW me, I'm a Ranger, I have FANtastic sense of direction. Thus the doubt stopped there. (I Win #1) Also, from then on, Beth was in charge of the map; I just followed the control freak, my second love (Andrew, you are my first), Beth.
We acted like retards in the middle of town, making poses (as seen in Picasa photos, because there is too many to mention after this) probably not just to be goofs but also stay awake. After visiting the Sagrada Familia, we stopped for lunch where we butchered the Spanish language to order our food. (we can order, its just not pretty) This was also where we had coffee #2, the strongest cup so far. It was such a TINY little cup and OH so strong. I had to brave the coffee without sugar....Beth however dumped an entire packet (larger than the cup) into her cup. After this, on our way back to the hotel, we had the "HOLA!" encounter with some Spanish guy on a bike. Count :1.5. We returned back to the hotel for showers, new layers of clothes due to the colder than anticipated weather. We headed to the aquarium for possible entertainment...we probably annoyed the photographer at the aquarium by not even taking the Welcome" photo seriously. Sorry no picture of the picture....I assure you, it was hilarious. Afterward, we realized how EARLY it was and that we still needed to entertain ourselves. We went to the Supermarschet for essentials, champagne and chocolate to celebrate our successful day. Once wrestling with the internet became exhausting, we decided at 8 pm to watch something entirely Spanish, West Wing. (I knew I'd make you proud, Mom).
Day Two started a little early with a health emergency, by a little early I mean 4:30 am Barcelona time. My throat was in excruciating pain and I wanted to catch my parents before they went to sleep. However, the internet did not want to cooperate so the only thing we were able to accomplish initially was contact with Beth's family via Skype. They called my parents, and once we finally connected enough to purchase Skype credit, WE called my parents. I had an over the phone medical evaluation and recommendation. We then slept in. First order of the day was the throat spray and then two internet cafes later we had printed the essential cruise documents. One full breakfast at NOON later, we actually started our day. More coffee at breakfast. After wandering around and finding churches, we were on our way to the Arc de Triumph. We were at a main intersection, and I with the natural direction said we needed to head up the street. Beth however didn't believe me and so we crossed the street and headed in the wrong direction. (I Win #2). We wandered through a park, considered going to the Museum de Geologica but decided that was for Beth's Mom, not us and continued around the park. I took my traditional flower pictures, Beth collapsed on a bench (
le tired), and we finally made it to the arch. We also mastered the art of including things in the background of a photo of the two of us. (the picture in Beth's post). Afterward, we decided to walk back to the hotel....but we made a detour, to the Picasso museum. Beth was impressed with his early works (some done when he was merely 15 years old) however, the later years seemed to be on the level of a 6 year old. We then were practically escorted out of the museum by two security officers. (We were just looking for the way out, PROMISE) We then made the decision to grab take away and a LARGE bottle of water, because we were both dehydrated. After stretching, eating dinner in our beds, and finding the internet working just fine, we had catnaps and ventured out for last minute essentials of the cruise, i.e. more booze.
Beth's Barcelona
So, I might have been optimistic when I said we would update every other day, but here goes:
Jan 1-2 (They're kinda the same day in my head since we didn't really sleep in between)
We successfully made it on to both our first and second flights despite a VERY tight connection in Atlanta. I am fairly certain that we were the last to board our second flight. Unfortunately, we did not get the spiffy individual entertainment systems. Arriving in Barcelona at 8:30am and having slept for a maximum of 3 hours, we were fairly daunted by the task of staying awake ALL day. However, getting out bags was a breeze (literally both were within the first 5 to come out) and finding a taxi and the hotel proved simple.
Unable to check in to the hotel until 2pm we decided to go see the sights. Our hotel is situated on Las Ramblas which is basically the Champs Elysees of Barcelona complete with street vendors and LOTS of mimes. Goofing off in the Placa de Catalunya for a bit, we made our way to one of the top sights on our list, the Temple de la Familia Sagrada. This temple, began in 1882, has been under construction for 127 years and is STILL not complete! It was designed and overseen by Antoni Gaudi (a famous architect/designer) until his death in 1926. We wandered through the Apse and admired the facades before taking the elevator up one of the 8 completed towers (12 are planned) to admire the Cathedral and City from above. Coming back down the narrow spiral staircase was a little scary!
Stopping at the hotel for a quick shower we plunged on to the Aquarium where we admired sharks and penguins in Europe's largest Aquarium. We have decided to tag Kelly Parks in every single picture since we believe she would approve of our choice of diversions. On the way to the Aquarium we marveled at the Monument de Colom, dedicated to Christopher Columbus, a statue of whom stands 60m above the square and points majestically to... Libya. Someone screwed up their geography! Finally, we were able to return to the hotel and collapse at the reasonable hour of 9pm.
Jan 3
We slept in, rousing ourselves at 10am and taking care of a few essentials before finding breakfast (which was really closer to lunch). We then made our way to the Catedral Barcelona or Santa Creu, getting lost only once (for some reason, I am the navigator - don't ask me how that happened). The Catedral dates back to the 4th century when it was a Roman basilica. Destroyed by Muslim invaders in 985, in the 11th century it was rebuilt as a Romanesque Church and then again in the 17th century. Entering through the cloister with its 13 white geese, I paused to pay my respects and get my picture taken at the Chapel to the Guild of Electricians (no joke!). Continuing to the Sanctuary we admired the smaller chapels and the large bishop's throne and altar before descending to the crypt of Santa Eulalia who was martyred at age 13 (hence the 13 geese). Once again taking the elevator to the roof we took more pictures looking out over Barcelona before finishing our tour with the museum which included the monstrance, a guilded and jewel-encrusted case for the eucharist donated by the last Catalan king, King Marti.
From there we hiked to the Eglesia Santa Maria del Mar, but could only admire the exterior as it was closed for Siesta (an annoying habit!). We continued on to the Parc de la Ciutadella, admiring the parliament buildings and their gardens. Passing by the Museu de Zoologia and Museu do Geologia, we triumphed at the Arc de Triomf before turning around to make the trek 'home'. We stopped at the Museu de Picasso to take a tour of the life and works of the famous artist before finally arriving back at the hotel. Surprisingly enough, I think I prefer his earlier "less mature" works. I suppose that means I'm not a very mature artist...
Gwen is not feeling well, but I'm hoping we might get out a little tonight to see some of the night life of the city before we board our cruise tomorrow!
Jan 1-2 (They're kinda the same day in my head since we didn't really sleep in between)
We successfully made it on to both our first and second flights despite a VERY tight connection in Atlanta. I am fairly certain that we were the last to board our second flight. Unfortunately, we did not get the spiffy individual entertainment systems. Arriving in Barcelona at 8:30am and having slept for a maximum of 3 hours, we were fairly daunted by the task of staying awake ALL day. However, getting out bags was a breeze (literally both were within the first 5 to come out) and finding a taxi and the hotel proved simple.
Unable to check in to the hotel until 2pm we decided to go see the sights. Our hotel is situated on Las Ramblas which is basically the Champs Elysees of Barcelona complete with street vendors and LOTS of mimes. Goofing off in the Placa de Catalunya for a bit, we made our way to one of the top sights on our list, the Temple de la Familia Sagrada. This temple, began in 1882, has been under construction for 127 years and is STILL not complete! It was designed and overseen by Antoni Gaudi (a famous architect/designer) until his death in 1926. We wandered through the Apse and admired the facades before taking the elevator up one of the 8 completed towers (12 are planned) to admire the Cathedral and City from above. Coming back down the narrow spiral staircase was a little scary!
Stopping at the hotel for a quick shower we plunged on to the Aquarium where we admired sharks and penguins in Europe's largest Aquarium. We have decided to tag Kelly Parks in every single picture since we believe she would approve of our choice of diversions. On the way to the Aquarium we marveled at the Monument de Colom, dedicated to Christopher Columbus, a statue of whom stands 60m above the square and points majestically to... Libya. Someone screwed up their geography! Finally, we were able to return to the hotel and collapse at the reasonable hour of 9pm.
Jan 3
We slept in, rousing ourselves at 10am and taking care of a few essentials before finding breakfast (which was really closer to lunch). We then made our way to the Catedral Barcelona or Santa Creu, getting lost only once (for some reason, I am the navigator - don't ask me how that happened). The Catedral dates back to the 4th century when it was a Roman basilica. Destroyed by Muslim invaders in 985, in the 11th century it was rebuilt as a Romanesque Church and then again in the 17th century. Entering through the cloister with its 13 white geese, I paused to pay my respects and get my picture taken at the Chapel to the Guild of Electricians (no joke!). Continuing to the Sanctuary we admired the smaller chapels and the large bishop's throne and altar before descending to the crypt of Santa Eulalia who was martyred at age 13 (hence the 13 geese). Once again taking the elevator to the roof we took more pictures looking out over Barcelona before finishing our tour with the museum which included the monstrance, a guilded and jewel-encrusted case for the eucharist donated by the last Catalan king, King Marti.
From there we hiked to the Eglesia Santa Maria del Mar, but could only admire the exterior as it was closed for Siesta (an annoying habit!). We continued on to the Parc de la Ciutadella, admiring the parliament buildings and their gardens. Passing by the Museu de Zoologia and Museu do Geologia, we triumphed at the Arc de Triomf before turning around to make the trek 'home'. We stopped at the Museu de Picasso to take a tour of the life and works of the famous artist before finally arriving back at the hotel. Surprisingly enough, I think I prefer his earlier "less mature" works. I suppose that means I'm not a very mature artist...Gwen is not feeling well, but I'm hoping we might get out a little tonight to see some of the night life of the city before we board our cruise tomorrow!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The Move
The apartment has been vacated. It took four people roughly two days to pack, load, move and unload our large collection of stuff in to a storage unit in Orlando. In case you were wondering, we have almost exactly 800 cubic feet of stuff.
How do I know this? The storage unit was roughly 5'x17'x9' to 10' (depending on pipes/ducts) and we filled it to the brim! You can't see it very well in this picture but I assure you the items are stacked to the ceiling and the door is slammed shut, just barely restraining the avalanche of furniture behind it.
The old apartment looks quite stark and bare in comparison to its usual tidy coziness. I'm sleeping on a rejected mattress and using that dying coffee table as my desk at the moment. The only thing which makes this place bearable for the last couple days is Casanova who has found a home with Ashley and Ryan and Katie Murphy for the trip. He and Ashley and Ryan's cat Casey had a little play date today to get to know one another.
Tomorrow, Gwen will be in Stuart and I will spend New Years Eve in Jacksonville with Ashley and Ryan. We will meet in Orlando and begin our journey at 1:30pm on the 1st. So wish us luck as we wish you all a very happy New Year!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Graduation!
It's official. We are now card carrying members of the Florida Tech Alumni association. Oh yeah, and we should have a couple of those degree thingies coming in the mail too. So step one on project "get out of the country" has been completed! Pictures will be added soon.
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