We pulled up to the dock in Barcelona, just in front of the Epic, almost precisely at 6AM. I had booked a half day tour with Barcelona Day tours with an 8:30 meeting time, and requested an 8am departure from the ship. The announcement that the ship had been cleared I think came about 7, and I went to deck 4 Epernay dining room to await departure. The call came about 7:50, pretty close to the expected time. Once in the terminal, those with EU passports went straight to baggage claim while the rest of us had perhaps a 15-minute line to get out passports stamped.
Baggage delivery was by airport-style belt system. I think there were 3 belts serving about 4 tag numbers each, so arriving at baggage claim much before or after your number was called would probably entail problems. I was curbside about 8:20.
The tour was generally well run but meeting the guide was a bit awkward. They had several groups and when you registered you were assigned a group named for the first person registered in that group, so you could be looking for a sign "John Smith Group" without knowing who John Smith was, the sign did not identify "Barcelona Day Tours" and the guides knew nothing about anything except their own group. It would be much easier if Guide Bob would know "Shiela has the John Smith group and she is over there".
Our group of 11 placed our luggage in about a 20-seat bus and headed off to see the city on a tour with 3 stops. Our first visit was Park Guell. This was started in the early 20th century by Gaudi, architect of the Sagrada Familia. Gaudi had intended this to be an exclusive neighborhood but thought it was too exclusive for public transportation, and the project failed after selling only two houses. The park sits on a tall hill and includes a large open theater with great views of the harbor.
Our next stop was Sagrada Familia itself. This massive basilica was begun about 1890 and is not expected to be completed until about 2025, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. The Basilica was dedicated November 7, 2010. I had arrived that day on the Wind Surf and of course the area was totally restricted, so this is the first time I actually saw the Sagrada Familia. When completed, some towers will reach a height of 170 meters. We walked around the structure but did not brave the lines of people waiting to get in; they completely circled the block.
Our Final stop was on Mont Juic. There are a number of historic and modern structures here, most notably many of the venues used for the 1992 Olympic Games. There are also fantastic views of the harbor there.
I was the second person to be dropped off at a hotel (Barcelona Center). I took an afternoon walk around the old city and early evening walked over to Sagrada Familia for some pictures as our stop this morning was too close for good pictures.
Well, as a parting shot my latest adventure is almost over. There have been some highs and lows, but we are always richer for having tried.
Roy
Baggage delivery was by airport-style belt system. I think there were 3 belts serving about 4 tag numbers each, so arriving at baggage claim much before or after your number was called would probably entail problems. I was curbside about 8:20.
The tour was generally well run but meeting the guide was a bit awkward. They had several groups and when you registered you were assigned a group named for the first person registered in that group, so you could be looking for a sign "John Smith Group" without knowing who John Smith was, the sign did not identify "Barcelona Day Tours" and the guides knew nothing about anything except their own group. It would be much easier if Guide Bob would know "Shiela has the John Smith group and she is over there".
Our group of 11 placed our luggage in about a 20-seat bus and headed off to see the city on a tour with 3 stops. Our first visit was Park Guell. This was started in the early 20th century by Gaudi, architect of the Sagrada Familia. Gaudi had intended this to be an exclusive neighborhood but thought it was too exclusive for public transportation, and the project failed after selling only two houses. The park sits on a tall hill and includes a large open theater with great views of the harbor.
Our next stop was Sagrada Familia itself. This massive basilica was begun about 1890 and is not expected to be completed until about 2025, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. The Basilica was dedicated November 7, 2010. I had arrived that day on the Wind Surf and of course the area was totally restricted, so this is the first time I actually saw the Sagrada Familia. When completed, some towers will reach a height of 170 meters. We walked around the structure but did not brave the lines of people waiting to get in; they completely circled the block.
Our Final stop was on Mont Juic. There are a number of historic and modern structures here, most notably many of the venues used for the 1992 Olympic Games. There are also fantastic views of the harbor there.
I was the second person to be dropped off at a hotel (Barcelona Center). I took an afternoon walk around the old city and early evening walked over to Sagrada Familia for some pictures as our stop this morning was too close for good pictures.
Well, as a parting shot my latest adventure is almost over. There have been some highs and lows, but we are always richer for having tried.
Roy
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