Welcome home Olivia - can't wait to see your pics! Thanks for all the great TAP information and most of all so glad everyone had a wonderful time. :)

Welcome home, y'all. It was so much fun to read all your seamail and see the posted photos. Thanks for sharing your cruise with us. You all definitely had much more fun than we did!!!

Tap will be hard act to follow but we'll do our best to entertain you from Fjords :woh: :woh: :woh:

Welcome Home all the TAPers. Thanks for all your great posts, pictures and wonderful descriptions of your days. You'all are great.

Hi again Tappers!

Quick question: Were taxis plentiful at the port in Barcelona?

What about in Valencia? (if you noted it)

Thanks!

Hola from Barcelona...Can't believe this wonderful trip is coming to an end for us tomorrow.

We disembarked on the 14th and it was raining and a bit chaotic. We took a Regent package and left the ship about 9:30 and finally left about 10:30. By the time we finally reached our hotel at about 11:45, the rain had stopped, but it was still a bit chilly. We stood in line to find out our room wasn't ready and then quickly left for some touring. We bought a touristic ticket for the on/off bus and it also gave us discounts. We first went to Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia and had a wonderful hour long tour. Then we went to Gaudi's Parc Guell and walked around. Then we took a city tour and a tour of Gaudi's La Pedrera. These are all great tours and I will post some reactions to them under ports later on. However, including a short lunch, Doug and I toured non-stop from noon to 7:30 and barely dented what there was to see. We then had a delightful dinner with Suzanne at the 7 Portos and rolled back to the hotel at about midnight. This restaurant is located at the port and is located in the building where Picasso first lived with his family.

An interesting aside, that even Suzanne doesn't know...Suzanne was sitting next to the taxi driver and Doug and I were in the backseat. When Suzanne got out to go into her hotel, the taxi driver smiled broadly and said to us "what a beautiful woman!" So, Suzanne, you made some taxi driver in Barcelona very happy.

On the am of the 15th, we were surprised at breakfast with Tina and Prabha and then wandered off to do our touring separately. On our way to our walking tour who did we meet but Wendy and Frank. We made arrangements for dinner and then also went our separate ways. We took a Picasso walking tour, including the museum (about 2 hours and more walking than tour) and then followed it up with a lunch at Picasso's haunt, the 4Cats. We ran into more LCT folks at the restaurant. I highly recommend this restaurant for lunch. After a great lunch, we decided to finish the city tour and take in the Miro Foundation. I then followed this up (Doug went back to the hotel) witha visit to Gaudi's Casa Batillo (I guess you figued out by now that we like art and Gaudi) before freshening up for dinner at Los Caracoles. This restaurant is located off Las Ramblas. After a great meal with Wendy and Frank, we found our way back to the hotel and fondly recalled our wonderful vacation.

Barcelona is really a 5-7 day city and you need to decide what is important for you to see. It is vast and a walking city. There is a beach, a zoo, an aquarium, all sorts of museums, several different neighborhoods...gothic, modern, etc., which are fun to wander through, great shopping, wonderful markets, people watching...I could go on and on. Additionally, if you like Dali, there is a day trip (3 hours Round Trip travel time) to his museum where there is also a market and a day trip to Sitges and Montserrat. We really could have used at least one to two more days in Barcelona to really get to know the city and two more days for the two day trips.

After the initial rain,which stopped by the time we got to the hotel on the 14th, the weather has been blue skies all the way and comfortable weather.

The Hotel Majestic is rated a 5 star hotel, but it is a 3-4 star hotel as far as we are concerned due to service levels. Frank and Wendy are delighted with the Avenida Palace and I understand other boutique 4 star hotels are great. Perhaps it is just the come down from the Voyager that makes the hotel seem less than superior?

Both of the dinner restaurants were great and I can recommend them. They aren't expensive either and casual dress is appropriate. We heard of no horror stories regarding thefts and I felt safe in the city.

Our interesting event on day 2 involved a man (about 70+) walking along the seaport who created quite an uproar. We turned around and saw him from behind, a baseball cap on his head and dressed in a green bathing suit...we thought. Until, we got a look at him from the front and realized that the bathing suit was painted on...all his privates were clearly exposed and he was sauntering along the boulevard causing quite a scene...

What a vacation...sadly, we leave at 11AM tomorrow and we eagerly look forward to our next cruise and seeing Brad and Leslie this weekend and Ray and Penny in a couple of weeks.

We really miss you Tappers already and look forward to seeing you again.

Andi: Thanks for all the Barcelona info - it is really a fascinating city. We also were glad to hear news of Frank and Wendy - wonderful cruise companions!

Wishing you a safe journey home,

Hi Andi,

Thanks for your Barcelona report. Wow, you and Doug sure know how to use your time efficiently! I have been in Barcelona 3 times and have not seen as much as you have.

I was surprised to read about the Majestic as it's supposed to be the "Grand dame" of hotels in Barcelona.

Did you go by the Cathedral? Is it still covered with scaffolding?

Have a safe trip home!

Welcome home TAPers!

Olivia, very much looking forward to your always beautiful photos!

Betty, will you give an update?; hope you've fully recuperated!

Andi, thanks for the extensive report; trying NOT to envision the man in the green bathing suit!

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.

Thanks so much for the Barcelona insights, Andi. Lots of good information, and very helpful for those of us planning our CROSS days there.

Maria, yes we went by the Cathedral...no more scaffolding.

Andi, that detailed information was most helpful! Thanks for the time you took to post it. I am so glad to hear there is no more scaffolding at Sagrada Familia! I understand it has been there for years (and it really works against good photos!), so perhaps they are finally nearing the end, at least on the outside.

Very useful info, Andi. Thanks and welcome home.

Olivia, I meant no scaffolding at the Gothic Cathedral. There will be scaffolding at the Sagrada Familia through 2026!!!

The ceiling is now complete and is gorgeous and two huge stained glass windows have been added. These windows are exquisite. You get pretty good views inside. However the two entrances we are so used to seeing are the side entrances. The main entrance is currently under construction. The wall has been put up and the roof is now being constructed. Eight more large turrets are being added. Additionally, they are trying to tear down the buildings across from the main entrance becaise there isn't enough room for the stairs. The town goofed in erecting the buildings and has to gain clearance to tear them down. The official guided tour was excellent. See how much I learned?

Wendy and Frank didn't take the tour, but took the elevator and said the views were fantastic. They said the vantage points were fantastic for viewing the Temple.

I am not sure how long these links will work but they are jigsaw puzzles made from Ken's pictures.

Click on a link and scroll down the page a bit to the jigsaw puzzle. If the puzzle doesn't fit right on your monitor, click your "F11" key in the top row of your keyboard to make your window bigger.

Spicey Ngaire jigsaw puzzle

Goats in a tree jigsaw puzzle

Karen, really great

Oh Karen, what fun! How do you find all these neat websites?

Here is one more:

6 TAPers and a camel

Oh Karen,
You have done it again, Girl!!!! I continue to be amazed!!!!!!!!!!! TOO CUTE!!!!

Karen, you are too talented!!!! I have about a million things to do tonight, and here I sit doing a jigsaw puzzle!

Thanks for the compliments but all I did was upload the picture!

Andi, Thank you for your thorough review of Barcelona. I am so glad the scaffolding is off the Cathedral. It had been there for over 2 years and it was an eye sore.

Karen, thanks for the puzzles!

Karen...way too much fun!!!

Karen, now jigsaw puzzles I can do quite well!
Lynn

Karen....you're going to make me late this morning - loved those puzzels!

Andi,
Just reading all of your postings puts me right back in Barcelona, which might be our favorite new city of anyplace we have ever been.

We're sorry we never got to hook up with all of you, but time just seemed to go, and there was SO MUCH to see and do and EAT. We hope you got our message.

We enjoyed so much being with everyone, and hope to cruise with some of you again soon. I just hope ya'll forgive me for winning 3 bingo games out of 4 and then another one the next day. I need to look for bingo where we live!

Again, A great time had by all! Helaine and Kelly

Maria,
We went to the Alhambra on TAP, and it was quite amazing. The gardens were spectacular. A very long day after losing two hours sleep, but worth it. Helaine