We finally rolled in last night at about midnight. It will be a day of adjusting..errands, unpacking, laundry.

We did find the time to walk La Rambla yesterday am and went to the market off La Rambla. It is really something to be seen. It has sections for fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. I have never seen fish displayed so beautifully and it was ever so fresh. Amazing.

Our private car, part of the Regent package, picked us up right on time at 11am. When we got to the airport, the conveyer belts weren't working, so we were worried if we would ever see our luggage. We were able to carry on our suitcase full of pottery and the trip from Barcelona to Heathrow was comfortable. Thankfully, we had a lot of time, because we were told that we had to check this suitcase through to NY and had to take the Heathrow Express to Terminal 4 and then check 2 of our bags. For those of you who don't know, you are only allowed ONE carry-on (and that includes a purse or a computer) at Heathrow. We didn't know that and had two carry-ons. I did find the time to have a massage at the Moulton Brown Spa outside of the BA lounge before our trip home. It was fairly uneventful...arrived about 30 minutes late due to bad weather in NY. Our luggage (ALL our luggage) arrived early and we had minimal lines through customs. We found out that we had two tornados near the house. Due to this, our driver was at the wrong terminal and didn't even know where we lived. So, we lost about 45 minutes. We fell into bed about midnight and were both up by 6am as we're still on Barcelona time. It's tough to be back.

A few thoughts on Barcelona for those of you on CROSS (I think you have two days):

You may want to consider doing the Turistic Bus. There is a stop at the port at the World Trade Center. You can buy your tickets on board. This will give you transportation to all the key sites of the city, which are easily doable on your own. I think it was $23 Euros per person per day and gives discounts throughout Barcelona. These include all of the highlights:
Barcelona Bici (Bike tours) with 15% off; Sagrada Familia (tour and admission $10.5 Eu); Gran Teatre Del Liceu (20%); Funicular (2E instead of $3E); Casa Batllo (20%); La Pedrera (10%), Contemporary Art Museum (20 %); McDonalds (lol) two for one; Museu Egipci (20%); Fundacio Joan Miro (20%);Gothic, Picasso, Modernisme, and Gourmet Walking tours (30%). There are lots of other things included as well, but you can get the drift that you can save yourself lots of money without taking a private driver or Regent tour.

If you want to go to the Dali Museum or Sitges/Montserrat, you need to allow one day for each. The Dali Museum is about 1:45 minutes out of the city by train. Therefore, if these are of interest, you may want to arrange a private guide/driver for these tours.

From the ship, you could begin the tour on the Turistic Bus, getting off at La Pedrera or take a taxi directly there. Taxis are not expensive and are regulated by meters.

If you are into Gaudi, I would recommend seeing the sites differently from the way we did it as there is a way to get the most out of your tours and limited time. La Pedrera is on the main drag, passeig de Gracia. This museum gives you a tour of the house and roof as well as a wonderful overview of Gaudi. The visit includes an exhibition on Gaudi's work, the roof space and the recreation of a period apartment. On the passieg de Gracia, outstanding elements include the hexagonal paving stones, designed by Gaudi, as well as Gaudi designed benches and street lamps which line both sides of the Avenue. Close by, you will find the Museu Egipci, which offers a thematic tour of the civilization of the Pharaohs. From there you want down the Avenue to the Placa de Catalunya. On the way, on the other side of the street, you will pass Gaudi's Casa Battlo.This street offers some of the finest examples of the modernista style, of which the Casa is one. You can visit the mezzanine floor, which was the former home of the Batllo family, the attic and rooftop. Nearby is the Fundacio Antoni Tapies, housed in another interesting early art-nouveau building. Continue down the Avenue and you will reach The Placa de Catalunya, which links the old town with the new extension laid out in the 19th century following the demolition of the medival city walls. It marks the beginning of the famous Rambla, which slopes gently down to the sea. The boulevard showcases a unique and colorful univers including some museums and attractions. Worth seeing is the Musia Catalana, a jewel of Modernisme. On the right side of La Rambla is the Gothic area which is loads of fun to wander through. From there, you might need to stop for lunch and I recommend Picasso's haunt, the 4Gatos. You could then walk back to the Placa and take the Turistic bus.

Then you probably want to visit the Sagrada Familia and the Parc Guell (free)..allow two hours for each. At the Familia, there is a museum, a tour and a trip up into the tower via elevator. All are must sees. You should time these around the English tours which are conducted periodically through 8pm. The Parc has a musuem as well. If you are taking the turistic bus, the Parc is the next stop after the Sagrada Familia. For those who want to see even more Gaudi, there is the Palau Reial, a royal palace built in 1924 and houses two museums: one devoted to decorative arts and another showcasing caremaics from Arabic wares to pieces by Picasso and Miro. Nearby are the Pavellons de la Finca Guell whcih were the first commissions Gaudi undertook.

If you are into art or history, there is much to see. There are, of course, two famous museums: the Picasso Museum and the Miro Foundation. There is also the Palau de Mar, which explains the evolution of the Barcelona area through recreations of historical settings. The CaixiForum hosts a wide variety of cultural activities and exhibitions and showcases a contemporary art collection.

If you like walking around neighborhoods, there is the Gothic Quarter, Gracia (with more Gaudi homes), Sarria (antiques, a variety of small restaurants, a market, etc). La Ribera is the medieval quarter. The church of Santa Maria del Mar typifies Catalan Gothic architecture and the area you can find the Picasso Museum. The best shopping supposedly is in the Sants district.

If you are into science, CosmoCaixa has a range of scientific and educations attractions including a fascinating Planetarium and Flooded Forest.

For those into sports, ther is the Futbol Club Barcelona and the Anella Olimpica, which was the location of the 1992 Olympic games and Port Olympic (beach/casino and good eating).

For picture taking, Miramar features botanical gardens and offers views of the entire city, the Funicular de Monjjuic takes you to a park where you can also get spectacular views of Barcelona.

As you can see, there is a lot to see and do in Barcelona. With limited time, you should plan what you want to do in order to be able to optimize your time doing what interests you most. Wish we could go back and do CROSS, but time and money have a way of interfering with good times.

Hope this is helpful.