Espana

Shannan and I had arrived in Barcelona nine days previously, took a taxi to the port and sailed away before evening. We saw every bit of twenty-five minutes of road between the airport and the dock looking through a cab window. Albeit nice, we didn’t get much of a flavor for the city. Today, we would remedy that. I had finished my Insanity workout and had a final run on the ship. It was time to explore the wonders of Espana.

Direct from the ship we took a bus tour to Montserrat where we visited Santa Maria, a Benedictine Abbey, which houses the revered and venerated Black Madonna. The ride to, and walk within, the monastery provided breathtaking views of the Catalonian Mountains. Their captivating beauty was nearly paralleled by the grounds and interior of the church.

Back in Barcelona by early afternoon we discovered many businesses close on Sunday. Fortunately, we located a local market and purchased Cava, cheese and chips. After retiring to our vogue hotel room Shannan and I enjoyed a picnic of sorts. While enjoying bread baked by the Benedictine monks and our other goodies we watched an entire episode of a grammar game show for adults in Catalan. It was a hoot!

Refreshed from the short respite we walked several blocks to see the magnificent Familia Sagrada begun some one hundred twenty-eight years ago under the artistic genius of Antoni Gaudi. This is a must see if you ever find yourself in Barcelona for any period of time. Though envisioned and begun so long ago, the unorthodox cathedral remains far from finished, the work continues. A best case scenario has as completion date set for sixteen years from now.

We did our best to make up for rushing through the great city of Barcelona. I felt good about it.

Tom