BARCELONA, SPAIN—IMPRESSIONS (DAY 1, 4/15/12)

∙ WHAT WE DID/SAW/EXPERIENCED
          ∙ Time in port: 30 hours (“official” overnight no. 9 of 9 -- our last overnight of the trip)
          ∙ The Amsterdam arrived about an hour early (again) – in the late morning.  From 1-5 p.m., we joined a shared tour on a small bus with Spain Day Tours, aka Top Day Tours.  Thankfully, there were several nice people with us (e.g., Alan and Annie, Pauleen and Mike) to help offset the nastiness coming from one lady's mouth (who's seen fit to insult us repeatedly throughout the cruise; oh well, 12 days until we're home).
                    ∙ We stopped first at Park Guell:  Gaudi's greatest park/garden complex, situated on the hill of el Carmel in the Gracia district (built from 1900 to 1914).  The crowds were daunting, even for a Sunday in the Spring.


                    ∙ Next, we visited Gaudi’s world-famous architectural masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia:  an immense basilica under construction since 1882.


                    ∙ We stopped at the beach.


                    ∙ From there, we headed to the Museum of National Art and its stunning views.


                    ∙ We saw Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium, where it all happened in 1992.

 
                    ∙ Finally, we stopped at Montjuic Castle.

          ∙ We spent the evening enjoying a buffet of Spanish cuisine and an authentic and professional Flamenco, at the Tablao Corbodes.  They brought us an entire bottle of wine with dinner, and champagne at show time!  The show was an electrifying mix of thunderous clapping, stomping and “attitude” – served up with a healthy dose of sex appeal!
 

∙ THOUGHTS/IMPRESSIONS
          ∙ From the moment we entered this splendid city, we were mesmerized by Barcelona’s artistry, architecture, style, culture, class.  I only wished they’d invent “no glare” glass, so we could get pictures from these tour busses!  Perhaps the “hop on, hop off” bus is a better option here (unless it’s raining).
          . We from the “New World” found this glimpse of the “Old World” intensely interesting!
          ∙ I could spend a month here, immersing myself into all that is Barcelona.  It belongs on “the list”.
          ∙ I must note – today is the 100-year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  Our ship ignored the occasion, but I can’t let the day elapse without noting the importance of that tragedy in revamping the cruise ship industry to assure that people like me can travel safely all around the globe.