All Our Bags Are Packed!

 

                                              Europe April/May # 34

                                                      Barcelona and Paris

When driving through the countryside of France and Spain there seemed to be a difference with the vineyards. In France, it appeared there were many small vineyards separated by stone or twig walls; perhaps designating different ownership or types of wines. However, in Spain, there were "miles" of continual vineyard growth as the above photo indicates

Barcelona is a great city: interesting architecture, beautiful pedestrian areas and a variety of graffiti styles. As an example, this entire building has an unusual and massive painting on it.

In addition to old and new "designs," there is unique artwork in unexpected places

Barcelona is a city of contrasts: Gaudi's designs did not call for angles and straight lines vs. the traditional approach of "squaring off" a building

There is a lot of greenery throughout the city

A city election will determine if there will be additional city beautification

The current mayor is re-running and has a platform calling for more pedestrian zones, parks and greenery, Does anyone know the name of this tree?

This "Arc de Triomf" was built in 1888 as the gateway to a fair

Unique light fixtures are located throughout the city

There is a lot of elaborate graffiti throughout the city

We took a break from the tour and found a "hole in the wall" place that hi-lighted Argentinean snacks. We tried a Fugazzeta Bellem: A slice of thick egg bread smothered in grilled onions and melted cheese. It was delicious. Cold beer went well with this snack.

There are many large boulevards throughout the city

It seemed that every block had a pastry or bakery shop

One of the city's attractions was Park Guell

It is a large park area composed of gardens and architectural wonders

Gaudi played a significant part in the development of this place

We've been here before. This time, it was over crowded with tourists and locals

Once again, Gaudi's design belief is that everything he built should reflect "nature" - curves and irregular shapes instead of straight lines and angles

This was a house built for a friend of Gaudi and caretaker of the property. The friend passed away years ago. Unfortunately, the family has the responsibility of upkeep but cannot live in the home.

Melted icing on a birthday cake?

Some of the pillars have differing thicknesses and are also tilted to present an optical illusion of a building being greater in size than it actual is

A significant amount of the material used for the designs of this ceiling is made from scarp parts

This would be a fun piece for our backyard

Junk for one person could be valuable for someone else

In all directions there is something interesting to see

This is a "WOW!"

Time to sit and take in everything

Another Barcelona "must see" is La sagrada Familia

This is a basilica. Construction began in 1882! Still not finished!

We have visited this place several times. Although completion is painfully slow, it is still fascinating to see the progress

Eventually, this may be deemed a "wonder of the world!"

Heavy metal doors open up to an amazing interior

Looking up at the fabulous ceiling

We continue to be in awe when trying to take everything in with such a short period of time

The building is large enough for a 600 person choir 

With claims that it is almost finished, it will still take another ten years or so to complete

Everywhere we looked, there is something unexpected to see and ponder

There is religious and historical meanings throughout the design process

This is an artist's rendition of what the church will look like when finished

This manhole was interesting in that the city name was part of the design

Back to the ship and a great meal

From our suite we saw a fishing boat coming into the port. Naturally the boat attracted seagulls eager for a snack

There was an unusual wall switch in the bathroom. When activated, a red light turned on. After the first time, we never activated the switch thinking it was to be used if there was an emergency, On our last day, the housekeeper informed us that, when turned on, it would heat the bathroom floor. Oh well...

Our last meal before heading to Paris and home

One of the Barcelona airport stores was selling hams - at $385 per sack. Each sack weighed about fifty pounds. Is anyone really going to purchase one of these hams (in a sticky, leaking bag) and bring it on board? Maybe...

Jerry shakes hands with a ham's hoof

Unlike most of LAX, most of Barcelona's airport and Paris' new terminals are beautiful, comfortable and offer plenty of upscale stores and restaurants for the passengers

Jerry: That's strange. My backpack didn't come through the x-ray             machine. Oh, it's on the other side. Hmm. I wonder why?

Security: Sir, would you mind if we check your backpack?

Jerry: No problem

Security: I see you have frisbees. It's for a game? Right?

Jerry: Yes

Security: Why do you have them?

Jerry: I give them away to people


Security: There's something in you backpack that's not permissible

Jerry: Why does it take two people to look at my backpack? What's              she doing with my frisbee? Is she going to throw it to a co-worker?

Security: There's a problem

Jerry: You're taking everything out of the backpack pockets

Security: There are a lot of pockets

Jerry: I have a lot of things. Pockets are good to keep things orderly. Are you going to put everything back in the pockets?

Security: No. We don't have time

Jerry: OMG - Now there are three people looking at the screen.                     What's going on? I'm going to miss my flight!

Security: We found the problem.

Jerry: What is it?

Security: Why do you have this small screwdriver?

Jerry: It's used to tighten the tiny screws in reading glasses.

Security: It's not permitted

Jerry: It's only three inches long. Do you think that this small tool             can bring down a plane or kill someone?

Security: We'll let you go this time. Don't do it again or we will take         it from you

Jerry: Thank you for letting me keep the small, three-inch screw                 driver. Since you have been so nice about it, can I give you a             frisbee?

Security: Really? That would be great!

Jerry: Can I take a picture with you?

Security: Of course...

We were surprised to learn that Air France put us on a partner airline - Danish Air Transport. The plane's seat configuration was different. We no longer had extra legroom. (We got a refund). It was "knees to the chin." To make matters worse, we had to hand over our carry on to the gate attendant that would put it on the plane as luggage. This became a problem. There was lots of confusion.

In the process, the gate attendant forgot to return our passports. We didn't realize the issue. Just as the plane was ready to take off, the gate attendant rushed into the plane, found us and returned the passports. Had we ended up in Paris without the passports, most likely, we would have had to fly back to Barcelona, retrieve the passports, return to Paris, miss our LAX flight and we still might be in Europe!

Typically, we stay at the Sheraton Airport Hotel the night before we leave Paris for home. Jerry loves the hotel because he can sit at the desk, work on the blog and look out at all of the happenings on the tarmac and runway

We just took off from Paris airport - heading home, finally!

We're happy! A great trip! Air Tahiti Nui uses new and comfortable Boeing 787's. Very friendly flight attendants and great food.

One of the flight attendants asked if there was anything else she could do for us. Jerry responded with, "Do you have the lucky lottery numbers?" She laughed and continued on serving passengers. A few hours later she returned with "the numbers." Jerry got her name, promised to play her numbers and would share the winnings if "we" hit the jackpot.