Day 27 - Barcelona, Spain

It’s moving day! On to Barcelona with Linda and Jerry. My nephew and his family are spending July in the city so we’re going to meet up with them for a few days.

Wiki: Barcelona, the cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, is known for its art and architecture. The fantastical Sagrada Família church and other modernist landmarks designed by Antoni Gaudí dot the city.

Ahhhhh flying in Europe, such a fun experience. Between barking dogs and crying babies, late flights and long lines, it’s a pure joy. We had to be off the ship by 8:30 this morning, so we were at the airport and through security by 10:15. Martha’s backpack got pulled over, but they just scanned it and gave it back. About an hour into our four hour wait we got a notice the flight was delayed. Sigh! We did have priority on the flight but that just meant standing for a very long time on the jet bridge waiting on the magic signal that we could actually get on the plane. Why were we waiting, who knows, as no one explained anything to us.

European planes are also fun. No charging stations at all - so weird. And business class is the first four rows of 3 on each side, with no one in the middle seat. So, same seats as couch with a bit more room. It’s all good, right? Happily after this flight, we switch to trains for a while. When we landed in Barcelona people applauded. Many of did not think we would get there because Air Ita’s communications sucks in Italian and English.

I’m also going to let you know that I am completely sure my pet peeve of people listening to phone calls or watching something without headphones is like nails on a chalkboard. It is crazy annoying. We have all been appalled by the behavior of people in general on this trip: either cutting lines, pushing and shoving, or just plain disrespect for other people. I know people knock American travelers, but this crap happens in every language.

Once we got to our rental flat we were very happy. It’s a cute four bedroom in the middle of a fun neighborhood with restaurants and stores all around. And it’s only five blocks from PJ.