Travis W. Inman's Blog, page 6

Mediterranean Madness Part VII, Sea Days

The Sea was like glass


Days five and six:

I won't spend too much time on the sea days.  This review is mostly about the ports.  But, I know some of you will be disappointed in this otherwise perfectly written review, if I don't at least mention the sea days. 
We were all so tired from those previous three days that we wanted to sleep late and have a casual morning.  We were really looking forward to an easy day.  In fact, it was very similar to a day off, if you will.   It was Monday, and we were ahead of the States by several hours, so I was able to catch a couple of the late Sunday football games that morning when I got up, which was a blessing for me.  For I woke up feeling sick—and not sea sick.  I felt like I caught a stomach bug, which disappointed my wife greatly.  She had plans for us.  But, I lay in bed for most of the morning and watched football.  Why is it the Cowboys only win when I am out of the country?  But I digress…

When I woke up sick, well, it changed how our day would play out.  I did go to breakfast with Sarah and Caitie; Seth was staying with his grandparents.  But we caught up to him pretty quickly thereafter and took him to the rock wall, only to discover that it was closed because the crew was washing the deck.  So, he jetted off to Adventure Ocean.  Man, it's nice to have kids who are old enough to check themselves in and out at their own discretion!  Around 10:30 the wall was dry so Seth made his attempt at climbing.  He didn't make it all the way, but he came close!
And this may be why I was sick...          He did great for his first rock wall!

I was still feeling puny, so I went and executed my best horizontal meditation methods while Sarah and Caitie occupied themselves walking the shops on the ship and generally exploring the ship.  At 11:00 we had the Cruise Critic party in the Viking Lounge, so I drug myself out of bed and attended that party.  Caitie really wanted to attend that party because she wanted to spend some time with the ring leader of our Cruise Critic subculture, Staci Fecura.  Staci did a great job of organizing us from a random band of barbarians into a click of great friends and travel partners.  Unfortunately, there are no photos to prove we were there...

 
Stromboli Island is an active volcano.

While enjoying those festivities, we noticed that Stromboli Island was just off the starboard bow, so we ran and grabbed Seth, who anxiously wanted to see a live volcano in action.  Stromboli Island is an active volcano, and occasionally you can see lava pouring out of it.  On this day it was quiet, but Seth still enjoyed seeing it.  While we were watching the island float past, Caitie tried her hand at the rock wall.  She's part mountain goat and climbed it in only a few seconds.  By this time the kids were hungry and I was nauseous, so Sarah took them to eat lunch and I returned to the room and retired to my bed.  I was very aggravated by this sickness.  The seas were glass, and every activity imaginable was happening.  But I was not happening.  The entire day I never actually got sick, I just felt like I was going to be at any minute…
There goes the mountain goat...   Look at how smooth the Sea was!  A rare treat, indeed!

Anyway… sometime around 1:00 that afternoon the Captain announced that we were about to pass through the Strait of Messina, which is the very narrow passage between mainland Italy and the island of Sicily.  I drug myself out of bed and joined my group in the Viking Lounge to watch Sicily float past (and in case you were wondering, I do understand that we were the ones floating, not the island).  We were close enough to see individual cars and homes. 
 
The Viking Lounge is a great place to sit for quiet contemplation.

We watched Sicily for about an hour, and then I returned to bed, Seth left for Adventure Ocean, and the girls went to watch the activities on deck four at the Centrum.  There was a group practicing the Thriller dance, which was apparently entertaining to watch.  Today was also a formal night, and we had the Crown and Anchor Reception in the Safari Lounge at 5:15, so Sarah returned to the cabin and gussied up.  I was almost feeling better, so I got dressed (like I had an option!) and we went to the party.  They were serving rum punch, blue margaritas, and champagne.  (Sarah really wanted me to mention the drink menu!)  I grabbed a flute and sipped on my champagne, and it actually helped me feel better, so I grabbed another one.  Or two… But that isn't important to the story.  Sarah wanted me to mention that on our cruise they had a ship's officer scavenger hunt and most of the ship's officers were at the party.  This is your windfall, if you want to take advantage of it, all of the officers were very happy to sign the form for you!

Chris and Micah joined us at the party.  Don't we look posh?

Don't I look happy to be there!  Mike and George Anne were looking sharp, too.

After our formal meal, we attended one of the aerial shows in the Centrum that was worth watching.  I was still feeling a little off, and I ended up at the Centrum on deck Seven and leaned against the railing until the show started.  It was a clever show about Jack and the Beanstalk, and it was performed by the acrobats.  They swung from as high as deck ten and descended and climbed from the floor to the ceiling several times.  It was only 10 minutes long.  By this time the evening show was starting, and it featured a hypnotist.  If you've never seen a hypnotist show, you must work one into your schedule.  And don't worry; you won't be called up to the stage and bark like a chicken or cluck like a dog.  At least I don't think I did those things…  But I do have these unexplainable urges to rub every bald head that I see...  That show was fantastic, and I highly recommend it.

The Jack and the Bean Stalk show was entertaining.  We were on deck 7 and had a great view. The second shot is looking down at deck 4.  And there were no nets.  If they fell, they fell 6 stories to the bottom.

Let me get out my soapbox for a moment if you will… Ahem…
I must mention how disappointed we were with the shows on the ship, overall.  Most ships have shows that are really good, and a few that are okay.  Serenade had most shows that were okay, and a few that were good.  We loved the hypnotist.  That was fun, and the Beatles tribute was fun, and the best show was the pianist Brooks Aehron.  He was a fantastic entertainer, and he was a very gifted musician.  The others were not very exciting, and we found them to be a little annoying.  Take, for example, the Flaming Gauchos (or whatever their name was).  They had a fun skill, swinging their bolos around and creating their own style of Stomp, but it got old after 10 minutes or so.  We once took a cruise that had a gaucho show that was absolutely fantastic.  Those guys had a fun routine and they used whips in their presentation, and they made us laugh when they kept hitting themselves (all part of the show).  But, these people lacked presence.  Okay, enough whining, right?  One does not go on a Mediterranean cruise for the shows.
Once the show was over, Sarah and I went to the Safari Lounge for a night cap and the kids went to their grandparent's room, so we had the evening to ourselves.  Too bad I was still a slight shade of pale, or we could have gone dancing or try a stab at karaoke, but we went to the room and called it a night.  This was the night the ship set her clocks forward one hour to match Turkey and Greece, so we lost an extra hour of sleep.
The kids preferred to be in this room.  They actually had room to roll over without rolling into someone else!

The next sea day I was feeling much better.  I was able to spend time with Sarah doing various things.  In truth, most of what I did was sit with her in the Viking Lounge and work on writing this review while it was still fresh on my mind.  To me, writing is fun, so I had a peaceful day with my keyboard.  Seth spent a lot of time in Adventure Ocean, and Caitie spent her day drawing and playing her electronic games, and had a go at the arcade.  The teen club was nonexistent, as only about 10 teens were on board, and none of them hung out there.  This is the one major drawback to cruising off season…the kids activities are limited.  And then we went to bed.  End of story.
BUT, my wife doesn't want me to rush through the sea days, so I will back up and give it to you blow by blow.  Since I woke with a new spring in my step, we went to breakfast and slowly eased into our morning.  We didn't involve ourselves with too many activities before lunch, and we chilled out in the Viking by doing nothing important until lunch time.

Mike and George Anne prefer to eat in the Windjammer.

I'll take this time to tell you that I really don't like eating at the Windjammer, which is the buffet that is open all day long, well, almost all day.  I have paid good money for a good cruise, and I want my wife to be waited on and spoiled for a few days.  So, we eat every possible meal in the dining room.  That's the great part about cruising.  Everyone can do what they like without inconveniencing anyone else.  The kids liked the buffet, so they ate breakfast there a lot with Grandma and Pop.
As a matter of chance, we arrived at lunch at the same time as most of our other family members, and we shared a table and enjoyed spending time with the Bluto half of our troop.  After we ate, I wanted to attend the champagne art auction, which is something I do on every cruise.  Sarah and I both attended, and I bought two art pieces.  It's okay, I didn't spend much, and I had Sarah's approval before I did it!  I really love art, and the free champagne was a nice bonus.  The art auction only lasted an hour.  While Sarah and I attended the art auction, Caitie went to the international belly flop competition with the Bluto part of our gang.  Reports were that it was great fun!


 
There was a lot of this going on, too!  The Blutos know how to enjoy a cruise!


And this!

While we were otherwise occupied, Seth continued to lavish in the wonderful world of Adventure Ocean.  After the activities were over the kids wanted a snack so Sarah took them to the Windjammer.  I wish I was young enough to still enjoy Caitie's idea of a snack!  (see above)  The only event we had planned as a group was to meet at the cinema and watch, The Impossible, which is an incredible movie.  The room was packed, and I mean standing room only.  We were fortunate to get there early enough to grab our seats (we sat in the back with Mike since he was on his scooter, where they have a few chairs up there for family of those with mobility issues).  If you haven't seen The Impossible, I highly recommend it.  The story is about an tourist family who are vacationing in Thailand when the tsunami hit, effectively washing them away from the beach and deep into the jungle.  The family was split up and had no idea if any family members survived.  It's a great movie about facing the insurmountable and choosing to survive.  And it's a true story, to boot!  But, this isn't a movie review, so let's get back to our business at hand.  After the show we had just enough time to change into our business casual clothes for dinner.

 


We went to dinner, swung our napkins as the staff paraded around the dining room, a great time was had by all.  We had to get up early the next morning so we skipped the show and went to bed. Both the kids stayed with the grandparents again and met up with us the next morning before our tour.  Speaking of the next morning, let's move on to Turkey.  But first, random shots...



Every day on a cruise ends with towel animals and Cruise Compass (schedule for the next day).  Of course, the Stateroom Attendant turns down your bed, so there is minimum stress in getting undressed and into dreamland. 

In case you have missed any of the previous days...
Part I Getting there

Part II Barcelona

Part III Barcelona Continued

Part IV France

Part V Livorno, Pisa, and Florence, Italy

Part VI Rome

Pearl Harbor -- 72 Years of Rememberance

I want to offer my most sincere gratitude for the men and women who were attacked 72 years ago today in the sleepy naval port known as Pearl Harbor. It was a quiet Sunday morning, and many of our sailors went to bed thinking they still had years ahead of them. They went to bed in peace, and awoke to WWII, and the stench of ballistics material, burning oil, and the blood and sweat of their brothers and sisters in arms. From the chaos arose the young Americans who would become the greatest generation. They were the sleeping giant, and they were angry. And once the smoke cleared, they rolled up their sleeves and went to war! And the world would never be the same again! They secured our freedom and made it safe for my kids to sleep at night without fear. So, I offer you my most profound gratitude.

Thank you! You have made the difference.

Mediterranean Madness Part VI: Rome, Italy

Day Four; Port ThreeRoman Roaming PantheonThe next port was Civitavecchia, Italy (saveeta vekya) which is the port that services Rome.  We were really looking forward to our day in Rome, and, once again, Seth could hardly stay in his skin for excitement about visiting the Colosseum.  This tour had me and my group of four, Sarah's parents, Mike and George Anne, and Sarah's sister and her husband, Chris and Micah.  Our guide's name was Octavio, and he was a friendly, professional man who spoke very softly.  But what he lacked in volume he made up for in knowledge.  He was a wealth of information and never seemed to tire of us asking what are probably dumb tourist questions.  I enjoyed his random observations such as, "Those hills over there were probably the first settlements of the Etruscans."  I'm really into trivial details like that.
He intended to take us first to the Colosseum, but he immediately changed his plans when we asked if we could fit in the catacombs.  It didn't matter to him, but we had to stop there first and then proceed to the Colosseum.  He did mention that it might be busy by the time we got there, though.  As you get closer and closer to Rome, you see no end of ancient walls, old watch towers, and aqueduct ruins.  I was determined to get up close and personal to some of those ruins and examine them.  I'm simply amazed that something could stand for more than 2,000 years, when I can't seem to get my bedroom door to stop squeaking.  We arrived at the Catacombs of St Callixtus, and the tours were guided in whatever language you spoke, and they left every few minutes.  It cost 8 Euros per adult/ 5 Euros per child (so 26 Euros for our family of 4). The entrance to the catacombs
While we were waiting for our turn to enter the catacombs, I spotted an old building near the restrooms.  It might have been small, but I'll bet it played a significant role in history.  I walked over to it and placed my hands on it, finding that emotional connection that comes with personally and physically interacting with a piece of history.  How many other people had touched this small building over the last 2,000 years?  Had Julius Caesar himself leaned upon these very stones?  Had gladiators possibly breathed their dying breaths in this very soil?  I saw a placard on the building and, in my limited Italian, read, when the building was erected, in Roman numerals, no doubt. MCMXXIX. Let's see, when a C comes before an M...  What the?!?!  That small shed was built in 1929?  I was emotionally connected with a tool shed that didn't even see WWI?  Moving right along...
  We bootlegged a few photos.  You're not supposed to take pictures, but the group behind us was flashing away, so we snuck in a few.  Not only are these an opportunity for you to see how incredibly good looking we are, but you can get a feel for the tunnels.

Our turn came to tour the catacombs, and I have to say, it was an incredible place to visit.  The words cryptic and labyrinth are the only true description that actually instills the proper image.  We saw frescos that chronicled the desperate lives of the 1st century Christians, and marveled at how they developed codes to avoid the Roman authorities, and how they preserved their faith through the worst prosecution the Christians would ever face.  Despite all they endured, their tombs were celebrations of life rather than the sufferings of meaningless deaths.  Our guide even let us go off trail for a moment as we crawled over a dirty wall and emerged in a tomb in another corridor.  The only reason he allowed us to do that was because we were a small, private group.  Cool stuff!  Our guide reminded me of an Italian version of James Spader.  I'll let your imagination take you where it will...  Unfortunately, Mike was unable to enter the Catacombs (he was expecting this), as they are most definitely not wheelchair friendly.  He spent his time wandering around the rather lovely park that surrounded the catacomb entrance, and though he was disappointed, didn't seem to be too upset by his limitations.  The kids absolutely loved the underground tour, and all of us were very grateful we took time to visit the Catacombs.
A crypt we were allowed to view that had remains in it.  The grounds were very pleasant and Mike enjoyed touring above ground while we toured below.

As we were getting back into the van, I asked Octavio if he was familiar with the La Bocca della Verità, which is a sculpture at the church of Santa Maria and is thought to be from a first century AD fountain.  It has an open mouth, and it was believed that if one told a lie with one's hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off.  It was also made famous by the movie, Roman Holiday.  It was also featured on one episode of Castle.  When I asked Octavio about it, he shook his head sadly.  "I was saving that as a surprise for you."  Great!  I have a knack for spoiling tour surprises.  When we arrived at the sculpture, there were so many people standing in line and pretending to have their hands bitten off that we were forced to skip it.  Too bad.  Now we will never know if I'm a liar.

Okay, now it's time to go see the Colosseum.  Octavio loaded us up and before we knew it, we were driving through some magnificent arched gates and we entered the old part of Rome.  We were driving on Appian Way, one of the earliest roads ever built, dating back to 312 BC.  And I suppose this is the proper time to get it over with: this road did lead to Rome.

Now we were in the heart of the historic district, and emperors really did travel this path.  Entire armies marched down this road as Rome continued to advance with each passing year.  And, our guide pointed out, Sophia Loren also passed this way.

Suddenly, there it was!  Can you see the hoards of barbarians forming?We drove along for a moment gazing from one ancient building to the next.  There was a church from the 2nd century AD, here was a wall built in 100 BC, and then we turned a corner and there it was.  The Colosseum was suddenly right in front of us, and the pavement wrapped around it like it was always intended to do so.  Cars and scooters flew past it like it was a sycamore tree on Main Street back home.  But Octavio paused a moment and let us appreciate what was happening.  He then circled around and he hurriedlyparked a hundred yards from one of the most impressive historical sites I've ever seen.  We climbed out of the van and simply marveled.  I looked around and tried to imagine what life was like when this masterpiece was constructed.  I allowed my mind to drift and I activated my imagination.  I envisioned Roman soldiers standing on the cobble stones, their presence both seen and felt.  It was so real to me.  I watched as one soldier, a centurion, in fact, turned from his companions and lifted his cell phone to his ear and drew deeply on a cigarette.  Wait a minute!  Those weren't the product of my fertile imagination; they were re-enactors who posed for photos.  But, it was a nice touch!  We had pre purchased our tickets, so Octavio told us which line was ours in order to visit the site, and we headed out with a full hour to see as much as we could.
Mike was able to access almost every part of the Colosseum with his scooter.

At that moment we realized why Octavio mentioned that it might be crowded and that we were no longer ahead of the barbarians.  Holy sardines packed in a tin can, Batman!  I had never seen that many people in all my life, and I've ridden the subways in Mexico City, where they hire people to push on passengers butts to press them into the car so the doors will close.  Every person in the European Union was trying to press their way into the Colosseum at that very moment, and the entrance was completely overwhelmed by a sea of humanity.  In actuality, there are three lines for the entrance to the Colosseum.  There is one for those who need to purchase tickets on the right.  There is a line for those who have already purchased tickets in the middle, and the third line if for large tour groups.  But there was no way to tell where the lines were because every person on the planet, and all of those who were yet to be born were packed in so tightly that no one could move.  I'm not a crowdy kind of person.  I like things to be simple.  We stood somewhere near the crowd trying to figure out just how to get inside that building.  I turned around for a moment to see if there were any signs telling us where to be and when I turned around again, my family group was gone.  Every last one of them.  And I was all alone in that ocean of barbarians.  And I was deliberately wearing a bright orange shirt so I could be easily seen!  In the distance I could hear Micah yelling my name, but I wasn't sure where.  Finally, I saw her waving at me, and I was immediately grateful that Mike Brown had at least one tall child.  I began wedging myself into the crowd and bullied my way through several thousand people until I was caught up with my family group.  It was at that moment that I said, "I can see now why the gladiators were so willing to kill people."  We continued to press our way to the scanners that would read our tickets and grant us entry.  After several more minutes of pushing through, we finally made it into the Colosseum and discovered that it was worth the pain to do so.  Take a tip from me: pre-purchase your Colosseum tickets.  It will save you a ton of time.
Once we pushed through the gate this is the crowd inside.  Can you see the three lines?

The Colosseum is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture for a reason.  It is the largest amphitheater in the world, and it was built in only 10 years, and was completed in 80 AD.  It had a series of tunnels and chambers that allowed the gladiators and animals to come and go without being hindered, and it had the first retractable dome.  Well, sort of.  There were retractable canvass shades.  It was supposed to have a seating capacity of around 80,000 people.  I can attest to that, as all of them were standing in there with me.  I counted twice to confirm the number.

If you want to become emotionally invested in a piece of Roman history, this will fit your bill.  Try to imagine the crowds swelling into the stadium to watch blood and gore, all in the name of Rome.  Here on these grounds, countless Christians were sent to be slaughtered for refusing to worship Caesar.  Here, on these grounds, countless bulls, lions, and tigers were slaughtered to entertain the masses.  Here on these grounds, the gladiators fought, hoping that they would eventually win their freedom and be released from slavery.  And one little tidbit of information: Most gladiator battles did not result in the death of a warrior.  Many were allowed to live if they fought valiantly and were honorably defeated.  It was more common for a gladiator to live to fight again than it was for him to be sacrificed.  Okay, enough reminiscing, back to the tour...
I promise we didn't wear orange to be a cutesy couple.  We did it so we could find each other in the crowd!


The inner ring, and the view from the second level.  Behind the arches is where the Roman soldier was smoking and where Octavio met us with the van.

We stumbled across a small space that surprisingly had no one standing in it, so we seized the moment and we all took turns posing for family photos.  We then fought our way around the outer ring and even managed to work our way to the second level, which was a little less crowded.  We ambled around a few more minutes, but we were tiring of the competition for real estate, and decided that we had seen almost everything we wanted to see.  Really, an hour was plenty of time, even considering how long it took us to get in the gate.  I swore to never return, but Sarah insists that when we DO return, we will take a tour that is exclusive to the restricted areas where the public is not allowed.  Those tours explore the underground walkways and the subfloor of the stadium.  She is right, of course.  When you go, pay the extra for that tour and don't fight the crowd.  They even have their own entrance!
Liquid Courage to keep fighting the crowd.

Seth found his snow globe in the souvenir shops just outside the gates, and I found a small bottle of wine at a concession stand near the souvenir stand.  We each grabbed a snacky type of item and pressed on with our tour.  Try not to judge me for buying the wine before noon.  Numerous studies have been conducted on men who have been subjected to large crowds in malls at Christmas time, and they concluded that the stress they feel is somewhat akin to that experienced by a fighter pilot in a dogfight.  Check it out! 
Forum

From there, we went to the Forum, where the remains of the senate stood tall and proud.  The Forum was located just across the hillside from the Colosseum, and you can see one from the other. It was a great place for us to get out of the van and walk around for a few minutes.  We found the prison were the Apostle Peter was held, at least according to legend. 
The view from the Forum

A building called the Wedding Cake and me drinking from a public fountain.

From there we drove past the site where Julius Caesar was murdered and I was proud of my kids for knowing that Brutus killed Julius.  At least according to Shakespeare.  My kids love to say, "Et tu, Brute?" and someone usually responds with, "No, we ain't et yet."  I guess it's funnier if you grew up in the South.  But this reminded us that we had not yet had our lunch, and the Colosseum had taken it out of us.  We were all starving, and asked Octavio to take us to eat.  He nodded and explained that we were on our way, but there were a few places to stop first.  Okay, but make it quick.  We were hungry, and getting cranky.
We next stopped at the Pantheon, which is practically indescribable, and free to enter.  But, Octavio stopped the van in a square with a statue of an elephant and pointed down across the rather large square.  "That is the Pantheon.  Please try to be back in about 30 minutes."  We looked and looked, but couldn't see it.  We asked him again, but he pointed across the square.  "That building right there."  We looked at it, but it in no way resembled the Pantheon, which is a stately structure with massive columns and large doors.  We could only see an old brick building.  But, we trusted our guide and set out across the square and followed the street as he instructed us.  Half a block later we emerged in a larger square and suddenly realized that we had been walking along the edge of the Pantheon the entire time, but we had approached it from the back side, which looks nothing like the front. 
Trust your guide.  That round building turned out the be the Pantheon.

Again we were befuddled by the shear mass of barbarians.  They were everywhere.  By the thousands.  But, we pressed our way into the impressive doors and entered what proved to be one of the most spectacular ancient sites in Rome.  The enormity of the building was inspiring, and I have no idea how the ancient people were able to build such an elaborate structure.  The temple was circular with a dome, and had an open roof, which allowed rain to fall into it, but today we only had sunshine.  This is still the world's largest unsupported dome, which is 147 feet from floor to ceiling.  We spent several minutes wandering around with the rest of the barbarians who were crammed into the building.  We found Rafael's crypt and by that time the crowd was so massive that we decided to return to the van.  Don't miss the Pantheon.  What a marvelous structure.  And it is very old, having been built 2,000 years ago.  It is also unique in that is has been in continual use since Hadrian had it rebuilt.

We were most assuredly ready for our lunch by this point, and we asked Octavio about it again as we loaded up, and he assured us he was headed that way now.  Only we had to stop at Trevi Fountain before we could eat.  The Fountain was only a few blocks away, and we didn't want to miss that.  So, according to legend, if you toss a coin into the fountain over your shoulder, you are guaranteed to return to Rome some day.  But when we arrived at the fountain, the sea of Barbarians just about overwhelmed me.  Whoever was not at the Colosseumor the Pantheon was at the fountain.  An exceedingly large mass of barbarians were pressed in so close that we almost never found a way to get down to the water's edge.  But we did.  And we tossed our coins.  Great, now I have to go back.  But I want it to be on a slower traffic day!  Oh my goodness!  I was so frustrated with the number of people that I was growing very crabby.  And we wanted to eat.  To make matters worse, we walked right past two glorious looking restaurants as we walked the street to the fountain.  I will stop complaining long enough to say that Trevi Fountain is a really cool place to visit.  It is simply wonderful, and I would dearly love to see it again…someday. 

Money well spent?


Grandma throws in a coin for Mike, who couldn't get to the fountain.  See the barbarians?


There is no way I'm fighting that crowd.  The Spanish Steps and (finally!) our restaurant!

From there, Octavio promised that we were now on our way to eat.  But, did anyone want to drive past the Spanish Steps?  It would only delay us by five minutes.  FINE!  (How do you say no to the Spanish Steps?  Right?  I mean, were already there, and all we have to do is delay our meal by five minutes.)  So, we headed that way.  The steps are so named because that is where the Spanish Embassy is, and if you climb the steps you can see an awesome sunset.  But as we approached the steps, there was no way on Earth we were going to get out of the van and fight that crowd.  So, we scooted past and made our way to the restaurant.  Octavio promised that it would be an easy place for Mike to get in and out with his wheelchair/scooter.  And he was right.
See how grumpy we were becoming?  For those who are counting, that is my second glass of wine for the day...  And this is a salami pizza.

We had to cut every pizza with a knife.  And that lasagna?  Incredible!

The restaurant was a lovely place.  And it was a busy place.  Many locals were eating there, along with several other tour groups from Rome in Limo tours.  We had pizza again, and it was wonderful.  The salami pizza I ordered was absolutely amazing, and it went great with our bottle of wine.  Seth had his Margherita pizza, and Caitie ordered something with mushrooms.  Sarah had lasagna, and it was jaw dropping amazing as well.  Getting some food into our bellies made us all feel better, and we were now ready to continue facing the mob of barbarians who were awaiting our arrival at Vatican City.
The Vatican.

Much can be said about the Vatican.  One thing that stood out to me was the sea of humanity.  Thousands upon thousands of barbarians meandered about the grounds, and we jumped right in with them.  St. Peter's Basilica was open, but the line to get into it was four hours long, and we simply didn't have that much time.  We desperately wanted to visit the Sistine Chapel, but as it was a Sunday, it was closed to visitations, so we were out of luck.  We simply didn't have enough time to do anything other than casually explore.  So, we wondered around for a little while until we decided that we really needed some gelato.  We found a small gelato stand just beyond the barrier for the Vatican and tried their wares.  The kids smiled when they saw the gelato came with wafer, which was stamped with a likeness of the Pope.  I have to say, that gelato was the most unimpressive of all that we had tried.  So far, Italy was falling short in the search for incredible gelato. 

It was now time to head back to the ship, but I wanted to visit the restroom before climbing aboard the van.  I found a gift shop very close to the gelato stand and saw that there was a public restroom.  I was expecting there to be a very long line for the restrooms, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that only a few people stood in line ahead of me.  Within a minute I was walking into an open stall and noticed that one old woman was fussing at me with a vengeance.  I figured that she must be desperate, so I stepped aside and allowed her to pass.  When I did, another woman rushed up and began fussing.  Well, I needed to go, but she looked like she was in a bad way, so I granted her passage as well.  But, my own needs were pressing me to hurry, so I dashed into the next open stall.  When I emerged, a man commented something to me in German, but I have no idea what he said.  And then I turned the corner and saw the line for the restroom.  It stretched down the hall and out the door, and onto the street.  I had cut in line, and everyone knew it but me.  You would think that the people at the Vatican would be more forgiving, but those folk were a bit testy, and they were looking me over.  I could see no good reason to hang out, so I found the van and advised Octavio that now is a great time to start driving.  I certainly didn't want to wait around for the next Inquisition. 
Thus concluded our day in Rome.  We really enjoyed seeing the sites and touring the culture of the ancient city.  What we were not expecting was the volume of barbarians who were in the city with us.  We mentioned it to Octavio, but he shrugged.  "It's a Sunday," he explained.  "It's usually much busier."  Holy smoke!  How could it have been busier?  Well, regardless, we had a great time and enjoyed a great meal.  We would go back to Rome, but next time, we won't be on such a tight schedule.  This will allow us to not feel so rushed.  We were all exhausted from the day, but we had two sea days ahead of us, and we desperately needed some down time.
When we started the day we decided that we needed to attack Rome with a vengeance and see as much as possible in the few hours allotted us.  Who knew when we would ever get back to Rome?  Now that we've seen the highlights, we know what to do when we return.  And even though the crowds were insane, it was well worth it.  Rome was incredible!

And tomorrow we will discuss the sea days.

Mediterranean Madness Part V; Livorno, Pisa, and Florence, Italy

Day Three; Port Two Lovely Livorno
Florence, ItalyOur next stop was Livorno, Italy, which is the stop for Pisa and Florence.  Seth was almost euphoric about visiting the Leaning Tower in Pisa and could hardly stay in his skin.  On this trip we had a larger private tour with Sarah's mom and dad, Mike and George Anne Brown, and her sister and her husband, Christopher and Micah Bluto.  Mike, Sarah's dad, has horrible arthritis and is wheelchair bound.  This poses several obstacles when it comes to touring.  He found a really cool travel scooter that was light weight and offered very impressive maneuverability.  And, it folded up and sat neatly in the back of the van.  I will discuss how successfully he was able to tour as the story progresses.  We met on the pier and walked out of the gate to meet our new guide for the day, and up to that point I thought the day was cloudy, but when we met Elizabetta, I know there is nothing but sunshine and lollypops in her life.  She met us with a smile that would impress a Texan, and a bubbly personality that would shame the finest French Champagne.  The best description I can use would be a fiery volcano who loved to laugh.  She was the stereotypical Italian, who spoke with both hands, even if she was driving.  With her spontaneous outbursts of "Mama Mia!" we discovered that Elizabetta was going to be a hard act to follow.  She gave us a tremendously detailed description of Italian politics, history, and current events, and made the tour an absolute delight.  We would continually laugh when she would tell a joke and crack herself up.  She knew exactly where to take us for our tickets, she knew when and where to pick us up, and she gave great advice on how to enjoy our tour.
She took us to her home town of Pisa with great enthusiasm and pointed out facts that only a local could possibly know.  She built our anticipation of the tower so much that I almost felt as though I needed a cigarette once we finally got there, and I don't even smoke!  She kept telling us that we were ahead of the barbarians who were on the larger bus tours, and that we would have the place to ourselves for at least an hour.  She was right!  The route we drove took us around the block from the tower and she paused as the tower came into view and we excitedly snapped photos through the glass windows.  Seth was about to come unglued!  Elizabetta rounded the corner and suddenly we were face to face with one of the most remarkable works or art ever constructed. On the journey Elizabetta told us the process the tower endured in its construction, and you have to imagine the quintessential Italian telling the story for its full effect.  It went something like this:  "So, when he realized that his a'tower was a'leaning, and that it mighta fall a'down, they said STOP a'building it.  And then it a'sat there.  And then another architect said he knew how to a'fix the problem.  So, he made the columns shorter on the side that was a'leaning, and made the columns a'longer on the side that wasn't a'leaning.  And it helped, so they finished the tower.  But now, do you know what a'shape it is?  It's a BANANA!" and she laughed as if it was the first time she told the story.  She told us that modern day engineers knew the tower would eventually fall down, so they started correcting the problem.  And they did a good job.  And then the Italian government told them not to correct it too much, because it was famous because it was a'leaning.  So, they stabilized it where it wouldn't fall and left it alone.  It's quite safe to visit and climb. And now we were standing in front of a truly magnificent masterpiece.  It is hard to imagine that the tower was almost 950 years old and that it was just right there!  When we first approached the tower, it was from the leaning side, so we didn't see just how much it actually leaned.  When we started circling the tower we saw just how imposing the slant was.  I have trouble believing that it didn't fall down!The scroll work on the tower was incredible, and the art work fashioned into it is almost impossible to describe, so I won't try.  Just look at it yourself when you get there! 

My publisher and I decided that we would take some publicity shots while I was in Europe, so I took a newspaper from home and had my photo reading it in front of the tower.  If you're from a small town they will print that photo in the newspaper, and it will be great advertisement for my new books!  We also took the obligatory shots of us holding the tower up, or of pushing it over.

Caitie didn't quite get the idea at first.  But we finally got her posed in the right direction! And Seth was able to join in the fun! 


 Our tickets to climb the tower were for 9 o'clock that morning, and it was perfect timing.  We had walked around the tower, took our photos, and were able to climb the tower before the hoards of barbarians arrived.  The climb was not as daunting as I imagined it would be. 


Although, I freely admit it was a bit disconcerting when you got the leaning side of the spiral staircase.  The marble steps were very worn and slippery, so take your time and step deliberately while you climb.  Take your time!  Ha!  There are nearly three hundred steps, so you will be taking your time.  Plus, there had been a passing shower earlier that morning, so some of the steps were wet.  Just don't get in a hurry!  When we arrived at the top, I was shocked to see that the tower was completely hollow.  It is a cylinder with a fancy suit of armor! 

The last steps to the top and a view of the cylinder. 


The tower, of course, is a bell tower, and we meandered around the top for a while and then we realized the guard at the top was stepping out of the center of the tower and was making her way to the edge.  I asked if the bells were about to ring and she told me that it usually rings every 15 minutes, but not every time.  She told us that if we wanted to hear it ring, to wait a couple of minutes.  If it didn't ring, then they forgot to do it.  So, we waited.  After a couple of minutes it was 9:17, so we concluded it wasn't going to happen and we began our descent.  Thirty seconds later the bells rang and we were both relieved and disappointed.  It would have been loud if we were there when it happened.  So, if you see the guard getting out of the way, take your cue.
At the top!  Lots of bells.  See the guard in the blue jacket?

 Can you see Mike on his scooter down there?

Mike wasn't able to climb the tower, and there are no elevators to the top.  Instead, he and George Anne tooled around, checking out the church and the baptistry while we made our ascent.  Other than climbing, the area was very wheel chair accessible.   Oh, and there are restrooms on site.  And they were free. When we were getting back into the van I asked Elizabetta where the second leaning tower of Pisa was, and for the first time she frowned and announced that I ruined her surprise!  Most people don't know about the second tower, and very few tourists get to see it.  Only private tours have the flexibility to fit it in.  She took off and drove us through some winding streets and then proudly announced that her beautiful town had two towers that were doomed to fall.  The second tower was built in the 12th century and didn't have the sparkle and shine of the famous tower.
The "other" leaning tower of Pisa

Elizabetta then took us to Florence and told us many funny and fact filled stories along the way.  As I was looking at the countryside, or what I thought was the countryside, I recognized that nothing looked like the rolling hills of Tuscany.  You know what I mean?  The hills you see in paintings?  Everything was flat and...well, flat.  And Texans know flat.  I was disappointed.  Elizabetta then offered to deviate from the course for a few minutes and she would drive up a hill that was nearby and we could take some pictures. (Remember how you need to trust your guide?)  By then the clouds had lifted and the rain was finished.  As we parked on the hilltop, we were the only barbarians anywhere around, and we were alone the entire time.  What we saw was perfect.  The clouds lifted again and the sun peaked out, and we were in the heart of the rolling hills I so desperately wanted to see. 


A vineyard stretched out along the hills, and on the distant horizon you could see an old church and a bell tower.  The warm Tuscan colors were splashed across the building we could see.  The yellows, oranges, and reds were dancing across the landscape, completing the vineyards with the very image of Tuscany. We were enchanted!  Italy had cast its spell.
Seth, just before the train hit him...????

We then arrived in Florence and our love affair with Italy was fully consummated.  I have never been to a more charming town.  It was complete with the narrow winding streets, ancient Roman history, and all the bright colors of Italy.  There were many barbarians, but I never felt oppressed, and we were never really crowded.  Except for the Duomo, but I'll get to that in a minute.
The old Roman wall and watch tower

Florence and the Arno River, with the infamous Ponte Vecchio and Il Duomo in the backgrounds.

Elizabetta took us to a hilltop in Florence (Piazzale Michelangelo) that overlooked the city.  Holy cow!  Florence is a beautiful and majestic place.  I have travelled extensively, and I've been to some incredible towns, but Florence is a special place.  We could see cathedrals and domes scattered along the horizon, and the infamous Ponte Vecchio where the Arno River passes through town.  The old city wall meanders along the valley below, completing the image. 
The plaza overlook was easily assessable and had a restroom!

Oh, there are also restrooms at that lookout point.  And I suppose this is a good time for me to offer a diatribe on bathrooms for good measure.  I seem to remember it costing .70 Euros to enter.  There is an attendant standing there with a mop.  The very second you exit the stall, he or she immediately cleans up behind you, and they may or may not be there while you conduct your business.  You aren't really paying for a bathroom.  You're paying for a CLEAN bathroom.  And that, my friends, is worth a lot!    By the way, the men's restroom is the kind where there is only a hole, not a seat.  The women's has a sit down throne.  There were only a few places where there were no formal toilets, in fact, and the other was in Athens.  So if you were worried about that, you can relax.  There was never a toilet that was horrible.  And, some were self cleaning.  So, if you enter a toilet that is dripping wet from top to bottom, it is because when you close the door to exit, a blast of water drenches everything.  It can be quite startling if you don't know about it.  Only once did I experience a bad bathroom incident, and that was a self inflicted wound that almost caused a riot at Vatican City.  But that is reserved for tomorrow's story.
The Duomo is just a hop, skip, and a jump from here...You can see the dome!

From that hilltop, Elizabetta took us into the heart of Florence, and dropped us off a stone's throw away from the Duomo.  She told us to take an hour and then we could all meet back at her location.  She was very worried about Mike being able to get around on his scooter, so she wanted us to reconvene to ensure that he was being taken care of properly.  We walked a block to the Duomo and staggered in our steps. 
 
I seem to remember the gold doors belong to the baptistry next to the Duomo.

It may not be real gold, but it is inspiring non the less.

The Duomo is a magnificent work of art, and a cathedral with few rivals.  The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (English: Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) is the main church of Florence. Il Duomo di Firenze, as it is ordinarily called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style, and is faced with marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white.  It has incredibly detailed and intricate scroll work and sculptures adorning it from the ground all the way to the dome.  I kept trying to capture it by camera, but it was too vast to do so.  And which part do you take a picture of?  It was magnificent!  The church is actually a basilica, is one of Italy's largest churches, and the dome was the largest in the world until the modern era. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed. 

A few shots of the exterior...

Well, we certainly wanted to enter the church, but I was dismayed when I saw the line of barbarians waiting to enter.  The line was long.  But it was moving.  So we got into it.  While I'm standing in line, let me tell you of your two options when you visit the Duomo.  You can take the free, self guided tour and stand in line to enter the church.  Or, you can pay a small fee (8 Euro, I think) and stand in line to climb to the top of the dome.  I've heard it is a magnificent thing to do, but we opted to stay on the ground.  After all, we had just climbed the tower in Pisa, and our legs were jelly.  Plus, Mike was on his scooter (there is a separate side entrance for those with mobility issues.  Elizabetta made sure we knew where this was before we left her).  The wait to get into the Duomo was actually very short.  We only stood in line maybe 10 or 15 minutes, and most of that time was spent marveling at the gorgeous facade of the church exterior.  And once we entered the Duomo..., well... it was simply magnificent.  The church is ornate.  

Tile work in the floors




And the tile work in the floor alone is worth visiting.  Elizabetta told us that the Duomo was so ornate and so awesome that the church had to cover up a lot of its artwork (also some had been stolen and some had been removed to museums), because it was too distracting to people trying to worship.  Man, it must have been overwhelming before, because it was still magnificent in its current, toned-down state.  The domed ceiling was painted by a contemporary of Michelangelo, who might have been one of his students.  Well, I could go on and on... 
Looking up at the dome.  I know, it's hard to capture by photo...


I attempted a close up of the fresco on the dome...

By the way, once we were inside, there was plenty of room for everyone.  It wasn't crowded at all.  AND, you do have to be dressed appropriately for the church.  No shorts that reveal your knees, and no swim suits.  You know the drill. 
After we left the Duomo, we met Elizabetta, who told us that we had 3 hours of free time.  We decided to split up as a family group and we could all do whatever we wanted.  But eating was the first thing on our radar.  We all ended up at the same restaurant in Piazza della Repubblica which is an extraordinary place to eat.  I cannot remember the name but it was across the Piazza from Caffe Gilli, which is an historic restaurant.  Had I known about it at the time we would have probably eaten there! You will recognize the Piazza by the big carousel in the center, and let me tell you, the food was incredible.

Sorry!  We keep forgetting to take a picture before we dive in!

Sarah and the kids each ordered a pizza, and I ordered the lasagna.  I will give a tutorial about ordering pizza in Italy later on, so I won't focus on that right now.  But let me tell you, pizza in Florence is painfully good, and, even though it's nothing like American pizza, it is just as tasty.  And the lasagna, well, holy cow, and thank God Columbus brought tomatoes back to Europe!  Add the bottle of wine we shared...it was a great meal.  And it only cost about 55 Euros for the four of us.  Another bonus about this place was the Wi-Fi access.  We were able to connect our phones to their server and take care of some business.  I checked to see if the government shutdown was over, which it wasn't, and Sarah uploaded a few shots to Facebook.  I was even able to connect with my family in Texas via Face Time for a few minutes.  But, it was really early in Texas, so I accidentally woke them up.  It was about 5AM there!
Once we finished this fantastic meal, we walked to the nearest gelato place and gave Italy its fair shot at impressing us.  It was good, but so far, St. Paul was the best.  Then we walked down to the Piazza della Signoria, which is an L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, which is the town hall, so to speak.  The Piazza is rather unique in that it is the home to dozens of statues, one of which is a copy of Michelangelo's David.  Many famous statues inhabit this square, and all of them are incredible.  Most were sculpted in the 1500s.  The original David is kept at The Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, AKA "Academy of Fine Arts of Florence".  We intended to visit the Accademia, but they were hosting a special event which would have cost many more Euros.  We decided that it was more expensive than we wanted to spend.  But, we did get more free time to wander around Florence, and that was a priceless exchange. 
David and part of his host of statues in the Piazza

At this point, our family group hit a snag.  Mike needed a bathroom, and in his scooter he was having a hard time accessing one, as most of the restrooms were downstairs.  So, Sarah went with him to find him some relief that didn't involve a fine for indecency, and I took the kids to look for souvenirs.  

We found a quiet street to explore


We pressed through the crowd on the Ponte Vecchio in search of souvenirs.

The kids and I walked a couple of blocks down to the Ponte Vecchio, which is an historical bridge which crosses the Arno River.  It was built in the early Roman days where the Via Cassia crossed at the narrowest point.  Throughout the millennia that followed, the bridge had shops built onto it, many of which were food service stores, such as butcher shops and restaurants.  Apparently the smells on the bridge were offensive to the Medici family who crossed using a corridor built into the top, so an ordinance was passed that only jewelry stores could occupy the shops.  And we're not talking about cheap gold, either.  You're gonna spend some serious cash buying something on that bridge.  And there were scores of barbarians looking for a place to spend their money. 
Seth wanted his snow globe, and Caitie was looking for a trinket box of some kind, and I had my eyes open for a magnet and some local art.  We found it all very quickly.  In fact, all of our small purchases were made at a souvenir stand just off the bridge.  The kids picked out their items and I reached into my pocket only to realize that I had given all of my money to Sarah at lunch.  But where was she?  So, we walked the few blocks back to the Piazza, but they were nowhere in sight.  We trekked back to Ponte Vecchio and found Micah, Sarah's sister, and I borrowed enough cash from her to pay for our souvenirs.  Sarah was still a no show.  Apparently she was having trouble finding Mike a bathroom that would work for him.  But while waiting on her to return, I found a couple of artists who were painting on the street.  I bought one small water color for 15 Euros, and a really nice acrylic for 25 Euros.  By this time our group had reassembled and we were once again under the love and protection offered to us by Elizabetta, who had one more stop planned for the afternoon before shuttling us back to the ship.
The Basilica                                              Galileo's tomb.

Michelangelo's tomb                                Poor Leonardo's tomb is so plain...

The Basilica di Santa Croce is the principal Franciscan church in Florence, and is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about a half mile south east of the Duomo.  It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile, Dante, and Rossini, thus it is known also as the Temple of the Italian Glories.  If you're into dead people, or, more accurately, into visiting the tombs of famous dead people, then you will really dig the graves found in Santa Croce, all jokes about necromancy aside.
When we finished our tour we used the restroom facilities at the church and loaded up into the van so Elizabetta could return us to our ship.  She had promised at the beginning of the day that she wouldn't talk to us on the return trip, just so she wouldn't excessively annoy us on the way back.  But, Mike was sitting in the front seat, and the two of them kept exchanging stories and laughing.  It helped make the 40 or so minute drive back to the ship pleasant.  By this time, we had spent two intense days of port calls that were both physically and emotionally draining.  Our "culture-ometer" was full, which made us tired.  We were looking forward to our evening dinner and then bed time.  So far, the evening shows on the ship were less than interesting, so we would retire fairly early.

Elizabetta was a treat for us.  Request her as your guide.  You won't regret it!

About this time we received a blessing from Mike and George Anne.  They insisted that one or two of their grandchildren spend the night with them in their room as often as possible.  This helped us tremendously.  As we mentioned earlier, our room was distastefully small, and sending one kid to their stateroom made ours more bearable.  Every night the kids would swap back and forth, allowing us much more use of our very crowded room.
A couple of thoughts about Florence before I take you to Rome...  Florence is a wonderful city, and it has all the charm and grace of any European city, and it is a beautiful place to visit.  We marked Florence as a place we dearly wished to return to some day.  And by God's grace we will make it back there.  If you're into wine, you might like to know that this area of Tuscany holds very high and restrictive standards on the wine making process.  Chianti Classico is their trademark product, and it is a wonderful dry red wine to drink with steak dinners, or with pizza and lasagna.  To ensure that you are receiving a Chianti that meets those high standards, look for the seal on the bottle that has a red rooster on it.  Only wines made to these local standards are allowed to carry that seal.  My time in Florence was meaningful in other ways as well.  During WWII, my grandfather crossed the Arno River, but under much different circumstances.  I remember him telling us about their invasion of Italy, and how they fought on the very same ground that our ports visited.  The Italians hold no ill will against the Americans, and often speak critically of what the Germans inflicted upon their beautiful cities.  But, time heals all wounds.  Over half of the barbarians touring the cities were German, and that speaks highly of the Italians' ability to overcome their past.
Mike was mostly successful with his scooter in Florence.  He had access to anyplace he wanted to visit, his only issue being bathroom breaks.  Overall, he fared very well.  Let's see how well he would do in Rome.

Mediterranean Madness Part IV, France

This is the part of the review where we are actually on the ship and visiting ports.  The story really takes off from here!  Oh, and I call the first port call as day one.  Some would call it day two, since we did start sailing from Barcelona about 12 hours earlier.  Tomato, tomato(e)..
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St. Paul, France



Day One; Port OneFrench Riviera  A side note before I describe this port call.  You have several options when it comes to touring the Med (don't I sound sophisticated?  The Med!  Ha!).  Well, you can do anything from wing it once on shore, to organizing an elaborate, fully catered tour.  Some tours include wine and a meal.  It depends on what you want, and HOW MUCH you want to pay.  Ship sponsored excursions are sometimes the most economical and safest bet, as the ship will usually guarantee that you return on board if something goes wrong, but, you spend the day with 30 or 40 other people on a bus.  A private tour will provide you a tour guide, comfortable accommodations, and privacy, which is a big deal to us.  Plus, a private tour allows you to change your itinerary if you decide to do so.  If you wing it, then remember that God give grace to the fool and the drunkard, so good luck!  There is another option that is worth discussing.  You can book a tour package that includes multiple port calls.  Again, this is very similar to a ship sponsored tour in the quality of the tour and accommodations, but IT IS NOT a ship sponsored tour.  If something goes wrong and you are delayed the ship doesn't have to wait for you to return.  You could be left behind.  This rarely happens.  Really.  Some of our group booked all of their tours through this type of deal. Sarah's parents and sister/brother-in-law booked their Cannes tour through this company, and it worked out okay.  (I'll tell you what went wrong a few paragraphs further down.) Sarah and I had decided early on that we wanted to reserve some of the tours for just ourselves and our children.  Cannes was one of those tours.  Our first port call was Cannes, France (pronounced can, like a Coke can), and we initially booked a deal for a private tour with one tour company, but later we discovered another private tour group called, Riviera Premium Tours, which was 200 Euros less, and basically offered the same amenities.  Our guide met us at the gate as we disembarked.  As you exit the port, you will see the guides standing near the gate holding a sign with your name on it.  You won't have to search for them.  Our guide's name was Ingrid, and she was a pretty, slender blonde with a charming smile, and had a decidedly classy, European look to her.  And she occasionally commented, "Ooo la la" whenever something funny was said, or when someone cut her off in traffic.  We had a great day with her, as she asked us lots of questions at first, trying to determine if we liked big city shopping or small town explorations.  We told her that we wanted to visit Nice (pronounced niece), and explore Eze (pronounced ezz as in Esmerelda), and if we had time we could drive through Monaco and see Monte Carlo.  She nodded that she understood what we wanted from her and then we were off.  We had a charming drive along the French Riviera coastline, and stopped in Nice for an hour, where Ingrid told us to walk down to the beach, then tour the flower market, and explore the blocks surrounding an old cathedral.  We were to meet her at a corner near the flower market.  The kids loves the rocky beach!  Nice is in the background of the first shot.
We walked two blocks to the beach and were shocked to see that the beach was rocky.  Not rocky like the Oregon coastline, but small river rocks and pebbles.  And people were laying on them and sun tanning.  To me, it looked as comfortable as a bed of nails, but hey, it was the French Riviera, and life is good.  We each touched the water and sunbathed for a moment, so we can now cross that off of our bucket list.  There were a few women who were sunbathing without tops, but it was not a hot day, so the area was not terribly overrun with sunbathers.  We had our kids with us, so I was a little concerned.  Well, since we didn't point it out, neither of them noticed the semi-nude sunbathers, all of whom were face down, so we escaped without being traumatized by the audacity of semi-nude sunbathers!  At this point, let me tell you that if you intend on swimming in the Med at all, this would be a good opportunity, as the other tours don't really take you to the shore line.  You can have the kids wear a bathing suit under their clothes and you can jump in the water and play.  But, an hour goes really fast, so you must decide if you want to swim or walk around.  Barcelona does have an actual sandy beach, and the water is warm enough to swim.  THAT would be your most strategic time to swim.  But this tour is about culture.  If you want swimming, go to the Caribbean, right? From there we walked two blocks back to the flower market and spent another 30 minutes or so walking and exploring a very simple, but beautiful market.  We found several artists selling original works in the market, and bought a few pieces for incredibly affordable prices.  We bought two water colors at a price of two for 15.00 Euros.  There was a man selling very nice original oils for 30 Euros each, and they were on loose canvas, so they could be rolled and packed away easily.  Seth was on a mission to find snow globes at every port, and he found his first one quickly; things were off to a good start for us.  Caitie and I stopped and bought a slice of pizza that had anchovies and tomato slices, which was surprisingly tasty.  Our hour evaporated must faster than we anticipated.  We didn't make it any farther than the end of the flower market before our time ran out, so we returned to our meeting place, and Ingrid drove us along the coastline to the medieval village of Eze.   Nice has beautiful streets and is charming.  We would love to visit this city again! ___________________ Before I take you into Eze, let me pay homage to a particularly enjoyable and informative review of Serenade and the Med.  In preparation for our trip, we read the review posted by a woman named Sheri who calls herself the Middle Aged Drama Queen, and her review is awesome.  You should check it out.  Well, she refers to the other tourists as barbarians.  It's funny, and she includes herself and her family as part of the barbarian hoard that invades Europe.  It's all in fun.  And now, back to our story... Eze quickly turned out to be one of our favorite stops.  There were few barbarians there, and we had the run of the town without feeling crowded.  Eze is loaded with simple shops that sell art and jewelry, and restaurants which sell anything from crepes, to sandwiches, to actual dinners.  We meandered along the narrow winding streets until we found ourselves at the very top, where the castle used to stand before one of the many King Louis destroyed it.  It is now a garden and we paid 6 Euros each to walk through the garden.  The kids were free!  It turned out to be more of a cactus garden, which surprised me, but the views of the Mediterranean were inspiring, and worth the money spent to tour the gardens.  Several historical markers with explanations in both English and French dotted the pathways, and we enjoyed a casual stroll to the top of the ruins.  These pathways are the streets!  There are no cars.  You will only find winding streets and stairs leading from one level to the other. At the top you will discover the ruins of an old castle.  This is all that remains.
From there we had 50 minutes left so we decided to find a place to eat.  First we went and sat at a restaurant just outside of the garden entrance, but by then, several score of barbarians arrived and everyone decided to sit at the same restaurant at the same time.  So, we found a sandwich shop that sold very tasty chicken and ham sandwiches on baguettes for about 6 Euros each, and a place where we could by some crepes for a great price.  We bought 3 for 6 Euros.  Sarah went with the kids to the crepe place, and I went to the sandwich shop and picked up a couple of items, along with some wine and cokes (standard American products) and we sat on the terrace at the sandwich shop and enjoyed our last few minutes.  And what a tranquil place for us to sit!  The wine was so good, and our lunch was very relaxing. When we returned to our vehicle, Ingrid asked if we enjoyed our time at Eze, and when we assured her we loved it, she announced that she knew exactly where to take us next.  She suggested that we skip Monaco and go St. Paul.  It is my firm conviction that you trust your tour guide.  If the guide makes a suggestion, then go with it.  Don't over think their suggestions; unless it's something you had your heart set on.  Ingrid drove us to a hill that overlooked Monaco and we looked down upon it from a half mile or so away.  Monaco is the second smallest independent state in the world, the second richest in the world, and it's only commissioned naval vessel is an oil tanker.  And from where we stood, we could plainly see a cruise ship in port, and we knew there would be thousands upon thousands (not making those numbers up) of barbarians crowding the streets.  We discovered later that we would not be allowed to visit the Monte Carlo Casino without certain attire (the kids couldn't visit it at all), and Grace Kelly's gravesite was closed to tourists.  So we didn't feel cheated not to formally visit Monaco. That hill side offered a double bonus, not only could we see Monaco, but we could also see Italy clearly from that vantage.  Three countries from one place.  Not too shabby!    That blue peninsula on the left is Italy.Then Ingrid told Seth to stand in the middle of the star diagram on the patio in front of us, and she instructed him to start talking.  He spoke and then he immediately recoiled in surprise.  Seeing his reaction, I tried it next.  That particular place on the patio offered a rather strange echo that could only be heard by the person standing in the middle of the star.  Each of us tried it and all agreed that was a very fun surprise. And now on to St. Paul (below). This is how you enter the village...
Having seen Monaco from the hill side, we then journeyed further inland and visited the town of St. Paul, another medieval village.  This town was remarkable in every aspect.  It was similar to Eze, but it was much larger.  The entire town was within walls built by the King during the 13th or 14th century.  He ordered 700 homes to be demolished and used those stones to build the walls and fortifications.  They stand to this day.  St. Paul is a charming and comfortable village to visit, and its shops are just as charming.  If you're into gelato (and who isn't, right?) you will discover a gelato store as you enter the village and look to the left.  I've tried gelato in many European cities, and I can say with all confidence that the gelato in St. Paul is the best I've encountered, and is only rivaled by Fargii in Barcelona.  This gelato was so good the kids dropped to the street and started eating! This fountain is near the village center.  The water is potable! Chocolates, caramels, and art.
We spent an hour and a half walking the streets.  If you like narrow, quaint, charming, and inviting, you will find St. Paul to be the quintessential French medieval village.  The streets are too narrow for cars, so you will see a few scooters and many push carts moving throughout the shops.  We stopped at a candy store named Le Cure Gourmande and bought some incredibly rich caramels and sampled several varieties of chocolate covered nuts.  And, if you like art and wine, this is your next favorite haunt.  Every other shop was either wine or art, and the quality of these products is unparalleled.  The clerks were friendly and inviting, and seemed to appreciate our interest in their products. We could walk these enchanted streets all day!
If you walk to the end of the city, which is where the city wall forces you to turn to the left or right, you will see a commanding view of the sea and the rolling hills of the French Riviera.  And you will also find a cemetery, where Chagall is buried.  Another interesting point about St. Paul is the lack of bright colors you would notice in Nice or Cannes.  The drab stone colors are more consistent with the traditional French look.  I can tell you without a doubt that an hour and a half is insufficient amount of time for a visit to St. Paul.  View from the end of the street with Mediterranean in background. This is also where we discovered our first pay for service restroom.  It's common in Europe to pay for access to the services.  It is almost always less than a Euro, so keep some spare change in your pocket for just such an opportunity.  But, if you buy something in a restaurant, they will generally allow you to use their services for free.
Sadly, our time was exhausted and we were forced to surrender our delightful tour of France and return to the ship.  I will give you a little of Ingrid's background, so you have an idea who she is, and you might choose to request her as your guide.  She has a degree in archaeology, which gives her a very broad foundation for historical information and theories.  She was very concerned to know that we were happy with the progress of our tour, and she continually adjusted her presentation to match our interests.  She is from Paris, but prefers to live in the Nice area because she prefers small town living.  She is very fashionable and knows how to outfit any shopper who wants to experience shopping for the bling offered by the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  At the same time, she knows how to connect with tourists who want a quaint and introspective tour of the Riviera.  You won't regret having her as your guide.  Trust me! Ingrid was a wonderful guide! Do we look like we just returned from a medieval village or two?That night we had a formal night on the cruise.  We made it back to the ship in time to get ready, but if you have formal attire that is a little less formal, this would be a good night for it.  If you require more than an hour to make your grand presentation, then you might be pressed for time if you have the first seating.  That evening we heard the horror stories of our family members who were on that group tour I mentioned earlier, not the ship sponsored one.  They had a family group in their tour that was left behind in Monte Carlo because they simply disappeared.  The guide waited for them until the last possible moment, but eventually had to get the other cruisers back to the ship (Our family made it back on the last tender…Whew).  That couple had to take a cab from Monaco to Cannes.  I'll wager that was an expensive ride.  Barbarians!  Private tours are worth the expense...  
Okay that was our first port and a fun day in France.  Tell me, am I posting too many photos?  Or would you like more?  Feel free to leave a comment below, you don't have to register.

Mediterranean Madness Part IV

This is the part of the review where we are actually on the ship and visiting ports.  The story really takes off from here!  Oh, and I call the first port call as day one.  Some would call it day two, since we did start sailing from Barcelona about 12 hours earlier.  Tomato, tomato(e)..
______________

St. Paul, France



Day One; Port OneFrench Riviera  A side note before I describe this port call.  You have several options when it comes to touring the Med (don't I sound sophisticated?  The Med!  Ha!).  Well, you can do anything from wing it once on shore, to organizing an elaborate, fully catered tour.  Some tours include wine and a meal.  It depends on what you want, and HOW MUCH you want to pay.  Ship sponsored excursions are sometimes the most economical and safest bet, as the ship will usually guarantee that you return on board if something goes wrong, but, you spend the day with 30 or 40 other people on a bus.  A private tour will provide you a tour guide, comfortable accommodations, and privacy, which is a big deal to us.  Plus, a private tour allows you to change your itinerary if you decide to do so.  If you wing it, then remember that God give grace to the fool and the drunkard, so good luck!  There is another option that is worth discussing.  You can book a tour package that includes multiple port calls.  Again, this is very similar to a ship sponsored tour in the quality of the tour and accommodations, but IT IS NOT a ship sponsored tour.  If something goes wrong and you are delayed the ship doesn't have to wait for you to return.  You could be left behind.  This rarely happens.  Really.  Some of our group booked all of their tours through this type of deal. Sarah's parents and sister/brother-in-law booked their Cannes tour through this company, and it worked out okay.  (I'll tell you what went wrong a few paragraphs further down.) Sarah and I had decided early on that we wanted to reserve some of the tours for just ourselves and our children.  Cannes was one of those tours.  Our first port call was Cannes, France (pronounced can, like a Coke can), and we initially booked a deal for a private tour with one tour company, but later we discovered another private tour group called, Riviera Premium Tours, which was 200 Euros less, and basically offered the same amenities.  Our guide met us at the gate as we disembarked.  As you exit the port, you will see the guides standing near the gate holding a sign with your name on it.  You won't have to search for them.  Our guide's name was Ingrid, and she was a pretty, slender blonde with a charming smile, and had a decidedly classy, European look to her.  And she occasionally commented, "Ooo la la" whenever something funny was said, or when someone cut her off in traffic.  We had a great day with her, as she asked us lots of questions at first, trying to determine if we liked big city shopping or small town explorations.  We told her that we wanted to visit Nice (pronounced niece), and explore Eze (pronounced ezz as in Esmerelda), and if we had time we could drive through Monaco and see Monte Carlo.  She nodded that she understood what we wanted from her and then we were off.  We had a charming drive along the French Riviera coastline, and stopped in Nice for an hour, where Ingrid told us to walk down to the beach, then tour the flower market, and explore the blocks surrounding an old cathedral.  We were to meet her at a corner near the flower market.  The kids loves the rocky beach!  Nice is in the background of the first shot.
We walked two blocks to the beach and were shocked to see that the beach was rocky.  Not rocky like the Oregon coastline, but small river rocks and pebbles.  And people were laying on them and sun tanning.  To me, it looked as comfortable as a bed of nails, but hey, it was the French Riviera, and life is good.  We each touched the water and sunbathed for a moment, so we can now cross that off of our bucket list.  There were a few women who were sunbathing without tops, but it was not a hot day, so the area was not terribly overrun with sunbathers.  We had our kids with us, so I was a little concerned.  Well, since we didn't point it out, neither of them noticed the semi-nude sunbathers, all of whom were face down, so we escaped without being traumatized by the audacity of semi-nude sunbathers!  At this point, let me tell you that if you intend on swimming in the Med at all, this would be a good opportunity, as the other tours don't really take you to the shore line.  You can have the kids wear a bathing suit under their clothes and you can jump in the water and play.  But, an hour goes really fast, so you must decide if you want to swim or walk around.  Barcelona does have an actual sandy beach, and the water is warm enough to swim.  THAT would be your most strategic time to swim.  But this tour is about culture.  If you want swimming, go to the Caribbean, right? From there we walked two blocks back to the flower market and spent another 30 minutes or so walking and exploring a very simple, but beautiful market.  We found several artists selling original works in the market, and bought a few pieces for incredibly affordable prices.  We bought two water colors at a price of two for 15.00 Euros.  There was a man selling very nice original oils for 30 Euros each, and they were on loose canvas, so they could be rolled and packed away easily.  Seth was on a mission to find snow globes at every port, and he found his first one quickly; things were off to a good start for us.  Caitie and I stopped and bought a slice of pizza that had anchovies and tomato slices, which was surprisingly tasty.  Our hour evaporated must faster than we anticipated.  We didn't make it any farther than the end of the flower market before our time ran out, so we returned to our meeting place, and Ingrid drove us along the coastline to the medieval village of Eze.   Nice has beautiful streets and is charming.  We would love to visit this city again! ___________________ Before I take you into Eze, let me pay homage to a particularly enjoyable and informative review of Serenade and the Med.  In preparation for our trip, we read the review posted by a woman named Sheri who calls herself the Middle Aged Drama Queen, and her review is awesome.  You should check it out.  Well, she refers to the other tourists as barbarians.  It's funny, and she includes herself and her family as part of the barbarian hoard that invades Europe.  It's all in fun.  And now, back to our story... Eze quickly turned out to be one of our favorite stops.  There were few barbarians there, and we had the run of the town without feeling crowded.  Eze is loaded with simple shops that sell art and jewelry, and restaurants which sell anything from crepes, to sandwiches, to actual dinners.  We meandered along the narrow winding streets until we found ourselves at the very top, where the castle used to stand before one of the many King Louis destroyed it.  It is now a garden and we paid 6 Euros each to walk through the garden.  The kids were free!  It turned out to be more of a cactus garden, which surprised me, but the views of the Mediterranean were inspiring, and worth the money spent to tour the gardens.  Several historical markers with explanations in both English and French dotted the pathways, and we enjoyed a casual stroll to the top of the ruins.  These pathways are the streets!  There are no cars.  You will only find winding streets and stairs leading from one level to the other. At the top you will discover the ruins of an old castle.  This is all that remains.
From there we had 50 minutes left so we decided to find a place to eat.  First we went and sat at a restaurant just outside of the garden entrance, but by then, several score of barbarians arrived and everyone decided to sit at the same restaurant at the same time.  So, we found a sandwich shop that sold very tasty chicken and ham sandwiches on baguettes for about 6 Euros each, and a place where we could by some crepes for a great price.  We bought 3 for 6 Euros.  Sarah went with the kids to the crepe place, and I went to the sandwich shop and picked up a couple of items, along with some wine and cokes (standard American products) and we sat on the terrace at the sandwich shop and enjoyed our last few minutes.  And what a tranquil place for us to sit!  The wine was so good, and our lunch was very relaxing. When we returned to our vehicle, Ingrid asked if we enjoyed our time at Eze, and when we assured her we loved it, she announced that she knew exactly where to take us next.  She suggested that we skip Monaco and go St. Paul.  It is my firm conviction that you trust your tour guide.  If the guide makes a suggestion, then go with it.  Don't over think their suggestions; unless it's something you had your heart set on.  Ingrid drove us to a hill that overlooked Monaco and we looked down upon it from a half mile or so away.  Monaco is the second smallest independent state in the world, the second richest in the world, and it's only commissioned naval vessel is an oil tanker.  And from where we stood, we could plainly see a cruise ship in port, and we knew there would be thousands upon thousands (not making those numbers up) of barbarians crowding the streets.  We discovered later that we would not be allowed to visit the Monte Carlo Casino without certain attire (the kids couldn't visit it at all), and Grace Kelly's gravesite was closed to tourists.  So we didn't feel cheated not to formally visit Monaco. That hill side offered a double bonus, not only could we see Monaco, but we could also see Italy clearly from that vantage.  Three countries from one place.  Not too shabby!    That blue peninsula on the left is Italy. Then Ingrid told Seth to stand in the middle of the star diagram on the patio in front of us, and she instructed him to start talking.  He spoke and then he immediately recoiled in surprise.  Seeing his reaction, I tried it next.  That particular place on the patio offered a rather strange echo that could only be heard by the person standing in the middle of the star.  Each of us tried it and all agreed that was a very fun surprise. And now on to St. Paul (below). This is how you enter the village...
Having seen Monaco from the hill side, we then journeyed further inland and visited the town of St. Paul, another medieval village.  This town was remarkable in every aspect.  It was similar to Eze, but it was much larger.  The entire town was within walls built by the King during the 13th or 14th century.  He ordered 700 homes to be demolished and used those stones to build the walls and fortifications.  They stand to this day.  St. Paul is a charming and comfortable village to visit, and its shops are just as charming.  If you're into gelato (and who isn't, right?) you will discover a gelato store as you enter the village and look to the left.  I've tried gelato in many European cities, and I can say with all confidence that the gelato in St. Paul is the best I've encountered, and is only rivaled by Fargii in Barcelona.  This gelato was so good the kids dropped to the street and started eating! This fountain is near the village center.  The water is potable! Chocolates, caramels, and art.
We spent an hour and a half walking the streets.  If you like narrow, quaint, charming, and inviting, you will find St. Paul to be the quintessential French medieval village.  The streets are too narrow for cars, so you will see a few scooters and many push carts moving throughout the shops.  We stopped at a candy store named Le Cure Gourmande and bought some incredibly rich caramels and sampled several varieties of chocolate covered nuts.  And, if you like art and wine, this is your next favorite haunt.  Every other shop was either wine or art, and the quality of these products is unparalleled.  The clerks were friendly and inviting, and seemed to appreciate our interest in their products. We could walk these enchanted streets all day!
If you walk to the end of the city, which is where the city wall forces you to turn to the left or right, you will see a commanding view of the sea and the rolling hills of the French Riviera.  And you will also find a cemetery, where Chagall is buried.  Another interesting point about St. Paul is the lack of bright colors you would notice in Nice or Cannes.  The drab stone colors are more consistent with the traditional French look.  I can tell you without a doubt that an hour and a half is insufficient amount of time for a visit to St. Paul.  View from the end of the street with Mediterranean in background. This is also where we discovered our first pay for service restroom.  It's common in Europe to pay for access to the services.  It is almost always less than a Euro, so keep some spare change in your pocket for just such an opportunity.  But, if you buy something in a restaurant, they will generally allow you to use their services for free.
Sadly, our time was exhausted and we were forced to surrender our delightful tour of France and return to the ship.  I will give you a little of Ingrid's background, so you have an idea who she is, and you might choose to request her as your guide.  She has a degree in archaeology, which gives her a very broad foundation for historical information and theories.  She was very concerned to know that we were happy with the progress of our tour, and she continually adjusted her presentation to match our interests.  She is from Paris, but prefers to live in the Nice area because she prefers small town living.  She is very fashionable and knows how to outfit any shopper who wants to experience shopping for the bling offered by the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  At the same time, she knows how to connect with tourists who want a quaint and introspective tour of the Riviera.  You won't regret having her as your guide.  Trust me! Ingrid was a wonderful guide! Do we look like we just returned from a medieval village or two? That night we had a formal night on the cruise.  We made it back to the ship in time to get ready, but if you have formal attire that is a little less formal, this would be a good night for it.  If you require more than an hour to make your grand presentation, then you might be pressed for time if you have the first seating.  That evening we heard the horror stories of our family members who were on that group tour I mentioned earlier, not the ship sponsored one.  They had a family group in their tour that was left behind in Monte Carlo because they simply disappeared.  The guide waited for them until the last possible moment, but eventually had to get the other cruisers back to the ship (Our family made it back on the last tender…Whew).  That couple had to take a cab from Monaco to Cannes.  I'll wager that was an expensive ride.  Barbarians!  Private tours are worth the expense...  
Okay that was our first port and a fun day in France.  Tell me, am I posting too many photos?  Or would you like more?  Feel free to leave a comment below, you don't have to register.

Mediterranean Madness Part III, Barcelona Continued

Barcelona continued...One of the hardest things we had to plan was our hotels in Barcelona for the day before the cruise and the day after.  Many of the hotels in Spain don't accommodate Four people; if you needed more space, you got a second room.  Since most of the rooms we were considering were running between 100 - 200 Euros each night, two rooms was going to significantly increase our expenditures.  But, Sarah, excessive planner that she is, found two hotels within our budget and desired area that would accommodate up to four people to a room.  She fussed with the details for a long time and when she found a rate she liked, she jumped on it.  In our opinion, we weren't going to find a better deal.  So, we ended up with reservations at the Hotel Regina for 150 Euro per night.  We were right off Plaza Catalunya and just at the top of Las Ramblas, a street famous for it's touristic shopping.  We found a great location!  One corner on Las Ramblas At the end of our tour Jordi dropped us off at the door to our hotel and gave us a recommendation for dinner.  We thanked him for a wonderful tour and proceeded to check in to our room.   Check in was quick and easy.  They do take all of your passport numbers down for the tourist tax and I had to fill out a form as the head of household stating that my children are under age 17 (they were exempt from the tax).No matter where we go our children seem to enter a hotel room and then immediatelydetonate a dirty bomb.  They seem to explode upon entry.  I'm sorry we forgot to take pictures before we turned the kids loose.  But these pictures will work, I hope.  They have to.  We have no others.   We were so tired by this point; we actually had the discussion that we might just skip eating entirely for that day and go straight to bed.  But, Sarah and Caitie were starting to get headaches, so we summoned the strength to walk the two blocks to the restaurant.
Sarah's sister, brother-in-law, and parents as well as several of our cruise critic roll call buddies had been in Barcelona for several days already and had been posting pictures of the wonderful tapas and sangria.  We were determined to not to get on the ship without having sampled the food.  Jordi recommended Ciudad Condal, it was just a few blocks from the hotel.    It was very easy to find and we were quickly seated.  We sat for a few minutes examining the menu but were so tired that nothing was making sense to us.  The waiter finally came by (he was from the Philippines and spoke perfect English) and we explained that we had been up for 30 hours, did not know what we were doing, but really wanted to try some tapas and sangria.  He suggested we let him choose some of the more popular items to bring us.  This sounded like a plan we could get behind!  We tried some delicious tapas.  Unfortunately, it is a blur.  I know there were some bread and ham type meat.  There were veal medallions on toast.  There were papas bravas (fried potato wedges with a creamy sauce and red pepper sauce).  The kids had some mini hot dog and hamburger tapas.  The sangria was delicious but went straight to our very tired heads.  It turned out to be a great meal.  We were satisfied with our tapas experience.  On the way back to the hotel the kids spotted a Burger King.  We stopped and picked up some nuggets and fries to carry back to the hotel in case someone woke up hungry at a strange time.  We didn't have to worry about that because as soon as the kids got still they were down for the count!  Seth fell asleep playing his game and Caitie went down while drawing! That night we went to bed at 6:30 and slept soundly until 4 AM.  Hotel Regina is a very nice hotel, and the rooms are comfortable, the beds, which were all single beds, were comfortable, and I suppose the bidet was comfortable, if that's possible.  One quirky thing about the hotel was trying to figure out how to turn on the lights.  We walked around hitting every switch and looking for a breaker box, but then Sarah remembered reading that your key card must be inserted into a slot on the wall.  We did that and, "voila" the lights came on!  Very clever, so long as you don't lose your key.  Plus, it helps you remember to take your key with you when you leave your room.    When we woke up (at 4am) it was much too early to get going so we used the excellent hotel Wi-Fi to FaceTime my parents back in Texas.  Of course it was midnight to them so we woke them up, but they were glad to hear from us none the less.  We chatted for a while and got ready for the day.  We left the hotel about 8AM to walk around the town.  We ambled down a very quiet Las Ramblas until we found La Boqueria. La Boqueria Market...well, a small portion of it.   Various shots of the market...  A great place in the market to stop for breakfast. We wandered around the market marveling at all the item being set up for the day.  We found a little spot at the back of the market to have some breakfast.  Churros y Chocolate!  Delicioso! And the coffee was also fantastic.  The kids ate the chocolate with a spoon!   
  The Columbus statue is pointing at India, in case you wondered.We continued our walk down to the Columbus statue, then back up Las Ramblas and off through the Barri Gotic.  We ended up at the Barcelona Cathedral.  It is a magnificent structure.  There was no charge to enter the Cathedral but proper dress was required.  Luckily we were properly covered and allowed to enter.    After our visit to the Cathedral we headed back to the hotel to pack up for the cruise.  We got back to the room and gathered our things and checked out about 11:45.  We had prepaid this room on Hotels.com so we only had to pay the tourist tax which was a couple of Euros. Random shot.  Who knows?
We went out to the street to find a taxi and there was one sitting right there!  We started loading our bags into the back then I noticed the meter was already running.  Hmmm....we realized then that someone had called for this cab and we quickly took our things out of the trunk.  We didn't want to pay that extra charge (if you have the hotel summon your cab for you the meter starts when he gets the call).  We only had to wait a couple of minutes for another cab to pass by and we snagged it.  Loaded up and headed off to the port. 
The cab ride to the port was 15-20 minutes and cost about 24 Euros for the four of us. We arrived just after noon.  This was a departure from our normal cruise routine where we get to the port as early as we think we can get away with and end up sitting, waiting for them to let us board.  We were able to check in within minutes (they did keep our passports which are returned after the stop in Turkey) and walk directly onto the ship.  No waiting.  It was great.  We did stop at the duty free shops after check in and buy two bottles of Cava for about 10 Euros each to carry on board.  Cava is Spain's version of Champagne, and is quite pleasant. 
Once on board we headed to the Windjammer where we got some lunch and found some family.  The rest of the family had been staying in a different hotel in Barcelona and had spent several extra days there so we actually did not see them until we boarded the ship.  Then went to the stateroom, which was ready.  Our luggage had already been delivered to our room!  All five pieces!  And it was only about 1:30!  Chris and Mich (Sarah's sister), and Chris' mother, Meg.  Chris playing putt putt with his father, Chris, Sr. and grandpa, Mr. (Bill) Bellamy. We're ready to roll...or sail! 
Now I will mention the only big disappointment on this cruise, our stateroom.  We had originally booked a balcony.  Then in an effort to save money dropped down to an ocean view.  A few months before the cruise I caught a rate that gave me a balcony guarantee for the same price as my OV so I switched.  The rooms were assigned and we got 7154.  I found out about the white ship structure that would be just off my balcony, didn't really bother me.  We like the balcony just because it's nice to be able to step right outside from the room and not have to go to another deck.  But it was the configuration of the 3rd and 4th berths that made this room almost unliveable.   We squished the hide a bed back a little to move around the room.  Once someone is in it, you are landlocked!  When the four beds were out you could not get to the bathroom.  We have sailed many times with our kids in the same cabin and until this cruise Carnival held the honor of the worst layout but that has been handed over to this cabin!  I know it is not the case for all RCCL ships because we have not had this issue before.  But now it is a question Sarah will definitely ask.  The balcony was a definite plus though!  In fact, the balcony was almost exactly the same size as the stateroom!  The main dining room and our table.  Mike and George Anne are Sarah's parents. We had a great time eating every night with her folks.
The rest of this day was spent exploring the ship and unpacking.  We went to our first dinner in the main dining room.  We had early seating and all of our reservations had been linked.  They put us as two tables (one for 10, one for 6).  This worked fine except it would have been nice if the same server had been working both tables.  As it was, the table for 10 was always finished much faster than our table of 6.  This made coordinating after dinner activities more difficult.  But it wasn't a big problem.  After dinner we went to the Welcome Aboard Show featuring Sasha and Luis (Gauchos).  In retrospect, I would have gladly skipped this show for some extra sleep.  Not good.  After the show it was off to bed.  We were still feeling the effects of the jet lag and we had to be ready for Cannes, France the next morning!
Now, about Barcelona...  We loved it!  It is a beautiful city with a rich cultural and historical past, and it is a city with a vision for the future.  I can see why it is the third most visited city in the European Union, with Rome being first, and Paris second.  I would have to say, though, the city is a bit schizophrenic.  With the ancient influences of Rome, the fortifications of the Catalonians, and the bizarre and partly insane designs of Gaudi, there was so much contrast that we had trouble making sense of it.  Perhaps being so exhausted, that's the way we interpreted it.  But when you are sleep deprived, and then you stand in front of a Gaudi designed building that has the appearance of melted wax, it is hard to keep a firm grasp on reality!
And next is France and our first day of cruising!

Mediterranean Madness Part III

Barcelona continued...One of the hardest things we had to plan was our hotels in Barcelona for the day before the cruise and the day after.  Many of the hotels in Spain don't accommodate Four people; if you needed more space, you got a second room.  Since most of the rooms we were considering were running between 100 - 200 Euros each night, two rooms was going to significantly increase our expenditures.  But, Sarah, excessive planner that she is, found two hotels within our budget and desired area that would accommodate up to four people to a room.  She fussed with the details for a long time and when she found a rate she liked, she jumped on it.  In our opinion, we weren't going to find a better deal.  So, we ended up with reservations at the Hotel Regina for 150 Euro per night.  We were right off Plaza Catalunya and just at the top of Las Ramblas, a street famous for it's touristic shopping.  We found a great location!  One corner on Las Ramblas At the end of our tour Jordi dropped us off at the door to our hotel and gave us a recommendation for dinner.  We thanked him for a wonderful tour and proceeded to check in to our room.   Check in was quick and easy.  They do take all of your passport numbers down for the tourist tax and I had to fill out a form as the head of household stating that my children are under age 17 (they were exempt from the tax).No matter where we go our children seem to enter a hotel room and then immediatelydetonate a dirty bomb.  They seem to explode upon entry.  I'm sorry we forgot to take pictures before we turned the kids loose.  But these pictures will work, I hope.  They have to.  We have no others.   We were so tired by this point; we actually had the discussion that we might just skip eating entirely for that day and go straight to bed.  But, Sarah and Caitie were starting to get headaches, so we summoned the strength to walk the two blocks to the restaurant.
Sarah's sister, brother-in-law, and parents as well as several of our cruise critic roll call buddies had been in Barcelona for several days already and had been posting pictures of the wonderful tapas and sangria.  We were determined to not to get on the ship without having sampled the food.  Jordi recommended Ciudad Condal, it was just a few blocks from the hotel.    It was very easy to find and we were quickly seated.  We sat for a few minutes examining the menu but were so tired that nothing was making sense to us.  The waiter finally came by (he was from the Philippines and spoke perfect English) and we explained that we had been up for 30 hours, did not know what we were doing, but really wanted to try some tapas and sangria.  He suggested we let him choose some of the more popular items to bring us.  This sounded like a plan we could get behind!  We tried some delicious tapas.  Unfortunately, it is a blur.  I know there were some bread and ham type meat.  There were veal medallions on toast.  There were papas bravas (fried potato wedges with a creamy sauce and red pepper sauce).  The kids had some mini hot dog and hamburger tapas.  The sangria was delicious but went straight to our very tired heads.  It turned out to be a great meal.  We were satisfied with our tapas experience.  On the way back to the hotel the kids spotted a Burger King.  We stopped and picked up some nuggets and fries to carry back to the hotel in case someone woke up hungry at a strange time.  We didn't have to worry about that because as soon as the kids got still they were down for the count!  Seth fell asleep playing his game and Caitie went down while drawing! That night we went to bed at 6:30 and slept soundly until 4 AM.  Hotel Regina is a very nice hotel, and the rooms are comfortable, the beds, which were all single beds, were comfortable, and I suppose the bidet was comfortable, if that's possible.  One quirky thing about the hotel was trying to figure out how to turn on the lights.  We walked around hitting every switch and looking for a breaker box, but then Sarah remembered reading that your key card must be inserted into a slot on the wall.  We did that and, "voila" the lights came on!  Very clever, so long as you don't lose your key.  Plus, it helps you remember to take your key with you when you leave your room.    When we woke up (at 4am) it was much too early to get going so we used the excellent hotel Wi-Fi to FaceTime my parents back in Texas.  Of course it was midnight to them so we woke them up, but they were glad to hear from us none the less.  We chatted for a while and got ready for the day.  We left the hotel about 8AM to walk around the town.  We ambled down a very quiet Las Ramblas until we found La Boqueria. La Boqueria Market...well, a small portion of it.   Various shots of the market...  A great place in the market to stop for breakfast. We wandered around the market marveling at all the item being set up for the day.  We found a little spot at the back of the market to have some breakfast.  Churros y Chocolate!  Delicioso! And the coffee was also fantastic.  The kids ate the chocolate with a spoon!   
  The Columbus statue is pointing at India, in case you wondered.We continued our walk down to the Columbus statue, then back up Las Ramblas and off through the Barri Gotic.  We ended up at the Barcelona Cathedral.  It is a magnificent structure.  There was no charge to enter the Cathedral but proper dress was required.  Luckily we were properly covered and allowed to enter.    After our visit to the Cathedral we headed back to the hotel to pack up for the cruise.  We got back to the room and gathered our things and checked out about 11:45.  We had prepaid this room on Hotels.com so we only had to pay the tourist tax which was a couple of Euros. Random shot.  Who knows?
We went out to the street to find a taxi and there was one sitting right there!  We started loading our bags into the back then I noticed the meter was already running.  Hmmm....we realized then that someone had called for this cab and we quickly took our things out of the trunk.  We didn't want to pay that extra charge (if you have the hotel summon your cab for you the meter starts when he gets the call).  We only had to wait a couple of minutes for another cab to pass by and we snagged it.  Loaded up and headed off to the port. 
The cab ride to the port was 15-20 minutes and cost about 24 Euros for the four of us. We arrived just after noon.  This was a departure from our normal cruise routine where we get to the port as early as we think we can get away with and end up sitting, waiting for them to let us board.  We were able to check in within minutes (they did keep our passports which are returned after the stop in Turkey) and walk directly onto the ship.  No waiting.  It was great.  We did stop at the duty free shops after check in and buy two bottles of Cava for about 10 Euros each to carry on board.  Cava is Spain's version of Champagne, and is quite pleasant. 
Once on board we headed to the Windjammer where we got some lunch and found some family.  The rest of the family had been staying in a different hotel in Barcelona and had spent several extra days there so we actually did not see them until we boarded the ship.  Then went to the stateroom, which was ready.  Our luggage had already been delivered to our room!  All five pieces!  And it was only about 1:30!  Chris and Mich (Sarah's sister), and Chris' mother, Meg.  Chris playing putt putt with his father, Chris, Sr. and grandpa, Mr. (Bill) Bellamy. We're ready to roll...or sail! 
Now I will mention the only big disappointment on this cruise, our stateroom.  We had originally booked a balcony.  Then in an effort to save money dropped down to an ocean view.  A few months before the cruise I caught a rate that gave me a balcony guarantee for the same price as my OV so I switched.  The rooms were assigned and we got 7154.  I found out about the white ship structure that would be just off my balcony, didn't really bother me.  We like the balcony just because it's nice to be able to step right outside from the room and not have to go to another deck.  But it was the configuration of the 3rd and 4th berths that made this room almost unliveable.   We squished the hide a bed back a little to move around the room.  Once someone is in it, you are landlocked!  When the four beds were out you could not get to the bathroom.  We have sailed many times with our kids in the same cabin and until this cruise Carnival held the honor of the worst layout but that has been handed over to this cabin!  I know it is not the case for all RCCL ships because we have not had this issue before.  But now it is a question Sarah will definitely ask.  The balcony was a definite plus though!  In fact, the balcony was almost exactly the same size as the stateroom!  The main dining room and our table.  Mike and George Anne are Sarah's parents. We had a great time eating every night with her folks.
The rest of this day was spent exploring the ship and unpacking.  We went to our first dinner in the main dining room.  We had early seating and all of our reservations had been linked.  They put us as two tables (one for 10, one for 6).  This worked fine except it would have been nice if the same server had been working both tables.  As it was, the table for 10 was always finished much faster than our table of 6.  This made coordinating after dinner activities more difficult.  But it wasn't a big problem.  After dinner we went to the Welcome Aboard Show featuring Sasha and Luis (Gauchos).  In retrospect, I would have gladly skipped this show for some extra sleep.  Not good.  After the show it was off to bed.  We were still feeling the effects of the jet lag and we had to be ready for Cannes, France the next morning!
Now, about Barcelona...  We loved it!  It is a beautiful city with a rich cultural and historical past, and it is a city with a vision for the future.  I can see why it is the third most visited city in the European Union, with Rome being first, and Paris second.  I would have to say, though, the city is a bit schizophrenic.  With the ancient influences of Rome, the fortifications of the Catalonians, and the bizarre and partly insane designs of Gaudi, there was so much contrast that we had trouble making sense of it.  Perhaps being so exhausted, that's the way we interpreted it.  But when you are sleep deprived, and then you stand in front of a Gaudi designed building that has the appearance of melted wax, it is hard to keep a firm grasp on reality!
And next is France and our first day of cruising!

Mediterranean Madness Part II, Barcelona, Spain

Part IIArriving in BarcelonaOur cruise was to depart on Thursday, Oct 10th.  Monday (Oct 7th) morning we loaded the car and embarked on our vacation.  We planned to drive the 100 miles to Spokane, WA, which is the nearest airport and spend the night at the Ramada right next door. We stopped at the Verizon store and had them insert the proper SIM card into my phone so we could have a short upgrade to Global Roaming.  (I'll discuss whether or not the upgrade was worth it at the end of the trip.)  Anyway, our plan for that day was to eat a very early supper at around 3 or 4 that afternoon, and then go to our hotel and take a Benadryl and go to sleep between 6 or 7.  We had two reasons for attempting that idea.  First, our flight from Spokane left at 6 AM, and we were going to get there 2 hours early, which meant we had to wake up at 3 AM.  The other part of our idea was that it would help us to acclimate to European time.  We were going to take another Benadryl when we left JFK in New York and force ourselves to sleep on the plane and "Presto!" when we arrived at Barcelona, we would be refreshed and ready for the day.   So, we took our sleeping pills and went to bed.  It ended up being 8 PM when we actually got into bed.  The bed was hard, and my broken ribs were screaming at me, even through the pain pills I took, so I woke up around midnight.  Sarah woke up around 2 AM.  The kids got up at 3, and our vacation was officially launched.
  Caitie and Me on our first flight out.  Seth and Sarah.  Seth's first selfie! Mom needed one that was less blurry!
We had two domestic flights from Spokane to Salt Lake City, and then to New York.  Our flight was supposed to leave JFK at 7:45, but there were delays with Delta, so we left an hour late.  By the time they served us our in-flight dinner, which was chicken with mashed potatoes, it was 10 PM.  We took our sleeping pills and waited for the magical sleep.  But it never came.  We tried and tried to sleep, but it just wouldn't happen.  The kids finally dropped off at about five hours into our 7 hour flight.  But Sarah and I didn't even nod off.  So, by the time we actually landed, we were already 24 hours awake.
We had planned to be picked up at the airport by Barcelona City Tours to enjoy a 4-hour tour of the Barcelona Highlights.  We hoped that this would help us to stay awake and begin to acclimate to the time change. 
A couple of random thoughts on flying into Barcelona.  Once you land at the airport, it is a LONG walk to baggage claims.  The signs do have English on them and there are enough arrows to point you the right way.  Customs and Immigration were very simple.  The officer hardly inspected our passports and then actually stamped them.  Most cruisers don't get to have stamps in their passports, and if you're into stamps, you can collect one there.   We never actually went through a customs inspection.  Just a guy with a stamp.  When we finally got our bags we had spent about an hour at the airport.  We left baggage claims and followed the arrows into the customs inspection area (just two lines, one for those with nothing to declare, one for those with things to declare but there seemed to be no one doing any inspecting) which opened immediately into the unsecured part of the airport.  A very long line of tour guides stood with white pieces of paper with people's names on them.  We found Jordi near the end of the line, and he greeted us with a smile.  It was a good start!
Once we initiated our tour, Jordi asked when we were going to board the ship, and Sarah responded "Thursday", to which he said, "Oh, tomorrow."  We said, "No, not tomorrow, Thursday."  He looked at us queerly and said, "That is tomorrow."  Somehow we lost an entire day on our journey, and failed to recognize that we lost an entire half day due to the time changes.  In our minds, we had an entire day in Barcelona on the day we flew in.  In reality, we landed around 10 AM and by the time we went through customs, which, by the way, was as easy as buying tickets to see a movie, and retrieved our luggage, it was already 11:00.  Gates to the Olympic Stadium  Proof we were actually there!
Our guide, Jordi, took us from the airport and went straight to the Olympic complex, which was built in order to accommodate the 1992 games.  Barcelona should be, and is, proud of what they built.  It is awe inspiring.  The sculptures are nothing short of art, and the entire complex was charming.  Do you remember in 1992 when the archer shot a flaming arrow into the Olympic torch and ignited the flame?  It was a magnificent moment in sporting history, but when you stand in the stadium and see what that archer actually accomplished, you have to stand it awe of his skill and audacity to think he could pull that off!  Brilliant!  We were sufficiently impressed! This is the rest of the torch.  It's shaped like a whale.
We left the complex and immediately drove to the Montjuic Castle, which offers a commanding view of Barcelona, the Mediterranean, and the mountains beyond.    I highly recommend touring the castle if for no other reason than to see the grandeur that is Barcelona.  It was built in the 17th century and is a fun stop, especially if you have children with you.   There is a small snack stand in the castle, which sells sodas, coffees, wine, beer, and snack type items such as candy bars, nuts, pastries, sandwiches and hot dogs.  This is the place we were instructed by Jordi to grab a snack and failed to do so.  I would like to encourage you to follow his advice.  We did stop and buy some Cokes because I had to take a Hydrocodone for my pain management, and we picked up a bottle of water as well.  (Note: we are from Texas and we are native born Texicans, which means every type of soda ever made is a coke.  You go the Dairy Queen in Texas and order a Coke, and the kid behind the counter will ask, "What kind?")  Caitie actually got a Coke, Seth got a Sprite, and I picked some kind of local soda that turned out to be sparkling water.  That's the Mediterranean beyond the cannon
We spent 20 minutes or so at the Castle, and that was enough time to visit it.  I didn't see a museum or any other type of facility.  But it did have a restroom!  You can ride cable cars to the castle, but we had a tour guide who drove us to it.  Other than that, the castle is an easy tour.  When we left the castle, Jordi took us on a rather pleasant drive through the city where he pointed out fantastic fountains and monuments, spectacular architectural wonders, and the tranquility of the beach.  Everyone was fully clothed on the beach (I wasn't sure what to expect), but it was also only 70 degrees.  Pleasant, but not exactly sunbathing weather. 

Some of the places he showed us include The Poble Espanyol, which is a place we really want to take time for a return visit. Sorry for the glare!
We left the Poble and saw the walls of the Raval district, and then drove along the beach to the Ribera and Barceloneta and then into the Barri Gotic district.  Somewhere along the way we toured the area designed for the World Fair, which occurred back in the late 1920's.  That area had the bull fighting arena, which has been converted into a market when they outlawed bull fighting in 2012.    The bull arena is behind the statue.
Another highlight was the Apple of Discord, which is a remarkable place to see.  It is incredible.  The Casa Batlo was remodeled by Gaudi and resembles a dragon.  You have to see it to understand what I mean.    We stopped at the Sagrada Familia.  I cannot summon the words to describe it.  If you're in Barcelona and you only get to visit one place, make that your stop.  It is Gaudi's masterpiece, and is not describable.  I will post better pictures of the Sagrada later in the review. 
 Jordi then took us to the Park Guell (pronounced "well") which is another of Barcelona's architectural marvels designed by Gaudi.  If you have not slept in 30 hours, it scrambles your brain.  If you are fully alert and refreshed, it scrambles your brain.  But my, what a place to see!  And it was free!  We spent about 15 minutes walking around it, but that was woefully insufficient time.  If you go, plan at least an hour.  There are several buildings to tour, and vendors lined the sidewalks selling jewelry and other trinkets such as magnets and dust collectors.  One part of the Guell was a structure with about a thousand or maybe a million or so columns.  Of course I'm exaggerating, but there were a bucket full of columns.  We were so tired that I forgot to take pictures of the inside!   The kids and I decided it reminded us of the Mines of Moria, where Gandalf illuminated the mines and allowed the Hobbits to see the columns in The Fellowship of the Rings.  Surprisingly very similar. Park Guell   When we left Park Guell, Jordi drove us past the Hospital de Sant Pau, which covers about 8 blocks.  Again, it is an architectural wonder.  But if you are ever significantly ill, go to that hospital.  Just being in it will make you feel better. By that point, our 4 hours were spent and we went straight to our hotel.
Now I haven't even discussed the painters Picasso, Dali, Joan Miro all of whom had great influence on the city of Barcelona.  We wanted to tour the art museums, but we ran out of time.  Barcelona is a city you can't rush through.  To do it properly, plan 2 or 3 days, or a week.  Our 4 hour tour was a great way to start, though.  Jordi drove us past places that we marked down as spots to return and explore.  I highly recommend you follow the same approach.  Besides, it helps keep you awake, and it is unlikely your hotel will let you check in at 10 AM, and if they did, it's too tempting to crash into a bed and sleep.  But, if you have the fortitude to push through until the evening, your Circadian Rhythm will eventually thank you.  More to come... Barcelona continued... Please stand by...

Mediterranean Madness Part II

Part IIArriving in Barcelona Our cruise was to depart on Thursday, Oct 10th.  Monday (Oct 7th) morning we loaded the car and embarked on our vacation.  We planned to drive the 100 miles to Spokane, WA, which is the nearest airport and spend the night at the Ramada right next door. We stopped at the Verizon store and had them insert the proper SIM card into my phone so we could have a short upgrade to Global Roaming.  (I'll discuss whether or not the upgrade was worth it at the end of the trip.)  Anyway, our plan for that day was to eat a very early supper at around 3 or 4 that afternoon, and then go to our hotel and take a Benadryl and go to sleep between 6 or 7.  We had two reasons for attempting that idea.  First, our flight from Spokane left at 6 AM, and we were going to get there 2 hours early, which meant we had to wake up at 3 AM.  The other part of our idea was that it would help us to acclimate to European time.  We were going to take another Benadryl when we left JFK in New York and force ourselves to sleep on the plane and "Presto!" when we arrived at Barcelona, we would be refreshed and ready for the day.   So, we took our sleeping pills and went to bed.  It ended up being 8 PM when we actually got into bed.  The bed was hard, and my broken ribs were screaming at me, even through the pain pills I took, so I woke up around midnight.  Sarah woke up around 2 AM.  The kids got up at 3, and our vacation was officially launched.
  Caitie and Me on our first flight out.  Seth and Sarah.  Seth's first selfie! Mom needed one that was less blurry!
We had two domestic flights from Spokane to Salt Lake City, and then to New York.  Our flight was supposed to leave JFK at 7:45, but there were delays with Delta, so we left an hour late.  By the time they served us our in-flight dinner, which was chicken with mashed potatoes, it was 10 PM.  We took our sleeping pills and waited for the magical sleep.  But it never came.  We tried and tried to sleep, but it just wouldn't happen.  The kids finally dropped off at about five hours into our 7 hour flight.  But Sarah and I didn't even nod off.  So, by the time we actually landed, we were already 24 hours awake.
We had planned to be picked up at the airport by Barcelona City Tours to enjoy a 4-hour tour of the Barcelona Highlights.  We hoped that this would help us to stay awake and begin to acclimate to the time change. 
A couple of random thoughts on flying into Barcelona.  Once you land at the airport, it is a LONG walk to baggage claims.  The signs do have English on them and there are enough arrows to point you the right way.  Customs and Immigration were very simple.  The officer hardly inspected our passports and then actually stamped them.  Most cruisers don't get to have stamps in their passports, and if you're into stamps, you can collect one there.   We never actually went through a customs inspection.  Just a guy with a stamp.  When we finally got our bags we had spent about an hour at the airport.  We left baggage claims and followed the arrows into the customs inspection area (just two lines, one for those with nothing to declare, one for those with things to declare but there seemed to be no one doing any inspecting) which opened immediately into the unsecured part of the airport.  A very long line of tour guides stood with white pieces of paper with people's names on them.  We found Jordi near the end of the line, and he greeted us with a smile.  It was a good start!
Once we initiated our tour, Jordi asked when we were going to board the ship, and Sarah responded "Thursday", to which he said, "Oh, tomorrow."  We said, "No, not tomorrow, Thursday."  He looked at us queerly and said, "That is tomorrow."  Somehow we lost an entire day on our journey, and failed to recognize that we lost an entire half day due to the time changes.  In our minds, we had an entire day in Barcelona on the day we flew in.  In reality, we landed around 10 AM and by the time we went through customs, which, by the way, was as easy as buying tickets to see a movie, and retrieved our luggage, it was already 11:00.  Gates to the Olympic Stadium  Proof we were actually there!
Our guide, Jordi, took us from the airport and went straight to the Olympic complex, which was built in order to accommodate the 1992 games.  Barcelona should be, and is, proud of what they built.  It is awe inspiring.  The sculptures are nothing short of art, and the entire complex was charming.  Do you remember in 1992 when the archer shot a flaming arrow into the Olympic torch and ignited the flame?  It was a magnificent moment in sporting history, but when you stand in the stadium and see what that archer actually accomplished, you have to stand it awe of his skill and audacity to think he could pull that off!  Brilliant!  We were sufficiently impressed! This is the rest of the torch.  It's shaped like a whale.
We left the complex and immediately drove to the Montjuic Castle, which offers a commanding view of Barcelona, the Mediterranean, and the mountains beyond.    I highly recommend touring the castle if for no other reason than to see the grandeur that is Barcelona.  It was built in the 17th century and is a fun stop, especially if you have children with you.   There is a small snack stand in the castle, which sells sodas, coffees, wine, beer, and snack type items such as candy bars, nuts, pastries, sandwiches and hot dogs.  This is the place we were instructed by Jordi to grab a snack and failed to do so.  I would like to encourage you to follow his advice.  We did stop and buy some Cokes because I had to take a Hydrocodone for my pain management, and we picked up a bottle of water as well.  (Note: we are from Texas and we are native born Texicans, which means every type of soda ever made is a coke.  You go the Dairy Queen in Texas and order a Coke, and the kid behind the counter will ask, "What kind?")  Caitie actually got a Coke, Seth got a Sprite, and I picked some kind of local soda that turned out to be sparkling water.  That's the Mediterranean beyond the cannon
We spent 20 minutes or so at the Castle, and that was enough time to visit it.  I didn't see a museum or any other type of facility.  But it did have a restroom!  You can ride cable cars to the castle, but we had a tour guide who drove us to it.  Other than that, the castle is an easy tour.  When we left the castle, Jordi took us on a rather pleasant drive through the city where he pointed out fantastic fountains and monuments, spectacular architectural wonders, and the tranquility of the beach.  Everyone was fully clothed on the beach (I wasn't sure what to expect), but it was also only 70 degrees.  Pleasant, but not exactly sunbathing weather. 

Some of the places he showed us include The Poble Espanyol, which is a place we really want to take time for a return visit. Sorry for the glare!
We left the Poble and saw the walls of the Raval district, and then drove along the beach to the Ribera and Barceloneta and then into the Barri Gotic district.  Somewhere along the way we toured the area designed for the World Fair, which occurred back in the late 1920's.  That area had the bull fighting arena, which has been converted into a market when they outlawed bull fighting in 2012.    The bull arena is behind the statue.
Another highlight was the Apple of Discord, which is a remarkable place to see.  It is incredible.  The Casa Batlo was remodeled by Gaudi and resembles a dragon.  You have to see it to understand what I mean.    We stopped at the Sagrada Familia.  I cannot summon the words to describe it.  If you're in Barcelona and you only get to visit one place, make that your stop.  It is Gaudi's masterpiece, and is not describable.  I will post better pictures of the Sagrada later in the review. 
 Jordi then took us to the Park Guell (pronounced "well") which is another of Barcelona's architectural marvels designed by Gaudi.  If you have not slept in 30 hours, it scrambles your brain.  If you are fully alert and refreshed, it scrambles your brain.  But my, what a place to see!  And it was free!  We spent about 15 minutes walking around it, but that was woefully insufficient time.  If you go, plan at least an hour.  There are several buildings to tour, and vendors lined the sidewalks selling jewelry and other trinkets such as magnets and dust collectors.  One part of the Guell was a structure with about a thousand or maybe a million or so columns.  Of course I'm exaggerating, but there were a bucket full of columns.  We were so tired that I forgot to take pictures of the inside!   The kids and I decided it reminded us of the Mines of Moria, where Gandalf illuminated the mines and allowed the Hobbits to see the columns in The Fellowship of the Rings.  Surprisingly very similar. Park Guell   When we left Park Guell, Jordi drove us past the Hospital de Sant Pau, which covers about 8 blocks.  Again, it is an architectural wonder.  But if you are ever significantly ill, go to that hospital.  Just being in it will make you feel better. By that point, our 4 hours were spent and we went straight to our hotel.
Now I haven't even discussed the painters Picasso, Dali, Joan Miro all of whom had great influence on the city of Barcelona.  We wanted to tour the art museums, but we ran out of time.  Barcelona is a city you can't rush through.  To do it properly, plan 2 or 3 days, or a week.  Our 4 hour tour was a great way to start, though.  Jordi drove us past places that we marked down as spots to return and explore.  I highly recommend you follow the same approach.  Besides, it helps keep you awake, and it is unlikely your hotel will let you check in at 10 AM, and if they did, it's too tempting to crash into a bed and sleep.  But, if you have the fortitude to push through until the evening, your Circadian Rhythm will eventually thank you.  More to come... Barcelona continued... Please stand by...