Wandering Barcelona!

 

Beth told the gelato artist that it was "too pretty to eat"........but it would have melted!

The amazing city of Barcelona is 39.2 sq miles in size.  That's a lot of territory.  While we didn't see it all, we covered quite a bit of the city over the past five days.  With the exception of the taxi from the ship, one funicular and one cable car it was all on foot!

Ready to get on the funicular.........

............that took us to the cable car which took us to Montjuic Park which overlooks the city and harbor.  Other than these two, our modes of transportation were our feet!

We were excited to get back here since we had enjoyed it so much on previous visits.  We disembarked the Enchanted Princess around 8:00 AM.  The daily activities of life start a little later in Spain and the streets were quiet as we made our way to the hotel.  We're early to bed, early to rise people and we often joke that in Spain they're just putting away the dinner dishes when we're getting up and going.

Our hotel is located in the Gothic Quarter of the city, just a few blocks off what is arguably Barcelona's most famous street, La Rambla.  This three quarters of a mile, tree lined street has a wide pedestrian path in the middle and is bustling with activity day and night (just not at 8:00 AM).  We were thrilled when the friendly person working the hotel's front desk told us our room was ready and we could check in early.  Shortly after dropping the luggage in the room, we were off to explore.

La Rambla on a sunny afternoon

We had a few things on the agenda for our five day stay.  Some were revisiting areas we had enjoyed in the past, as well as some new things we wanted to explore.  We also had a couple of places out of Barcelona we were interested in visiting (Montserrat and Tarragona).  Both of these would require a train ride to reach.  As it turned out, every day in Barcelona was so much fun that we never made it to either of them.  Thankfully we had visited the beautiful monastery in Montserrat in the past.  Tarragona will just have to wait.

Here's a few highlights of our five days in Barcelona:

Artist and Architect 

Over the years many notable people have called Barcelona home.  Two of it's most famous residents were Pablo Picasso, the world famous artist and Antoni Gaudi, whose works have left a lasting impact on the city.  

Picasso was born in Malaga in 1881.  His family moved to Barcelona in 1895.  He called Barcelona home on and off until 1904 when he moved to Paris.  He had numerous friends in Barcelona and visited the city throughout his life.  There is a small, but well worth visiting, Picasso Museum here in Barcelona that showcases much of his early work.  While none of his more famous paintings are here, it's interesting to see his transition from more "classical art" to the modern cubism that he is known for throughout the world.  

Picasso painted this when he was sixteen.  It's title is "Chairty".

He's more famous for his cubism paintings later in life.  I'm not kidding!

The famous architect, Antoni Gaudi's works have left an impression around Barcelona.  There are a number of his famous houses intermingled around the city, as well as his influence on the design of Parque Guell, which is now a huge city park.  His most famous work is actually still a work in progress, and that's La Sagrada Familia, the massive basilica that can be seen from many parts of the city.  Contruction on the basilica began in 1882 and became the driving force in Gaudi's life until the time of his death in 1926.  There have been periods where construction has been halted for various reasons (wars, finances and even COVID) but work is now continuing on the project and it is expected to be completed in 2026, some 144 years after it started!  In a unique way Gaudi continues to oversee the construction.  He's buried inside the church.

Parque Guell was an early attempt at urbanization.  It was supposed to be a housing development complete with streets, markets and green spaces and was designed by Gaudi.  Construction started in 1900 and ended in 1914.  It was a little ahead of it's time and never developed as visualized.  It's now a park.  There is a street above this structure and dry space underneath.

It was intentionally designed so there would be shelter underneath the road.

Open space was intentionally included in the design.

A couple of more shots from Parque Guell

This was supposed to be a market space with numerous stalls.

Gaudi's most famous work is still under construction.

It's one of, if not the most visited site in Barcelona.  This was late in the day and there were still large crowds.  We opted not to go inside on this visit.  There is an entrance fee (it's advisable to buy tickets in advance).  If you have never been inside, it's well worth the price of admission.

We're happy with the progress they're making!

Casa Vicens-Gaudi's first house in Barcelona

Casa Batilo and museum

Casa Mila is just a short distance from Casa Batilo

Sun and Fun

Barcelona is located on the Balearic Sea, which is a section of the Mediterranean Sea.  Although it does  get chilly (temps have been in the 60's to low 70's this week), Barcelona gets over 2500 hours of sunlight per year.  Mix the sea with the sun, throw in a bunch of sand and you've got some really nice beaches that are within walking distance of the Gothic Quarter.  Saturday was sunny and warm and it seemed like all of Barcelona was outside, with a large number of folks enjoying beach time.  We enjoyed walking past the modern Port Vell Waterfront Harbor which was lively with families and friends packing all the outdoor cafes.  The beach has a very nice promenade that extends for far longer than we were going to walk.  After turning around, we stopped for lunch at one of the many outdoor beachfront cafes and enjoyed watching some of the very competitive sand volleyball games before making our way back towards the hotel as the sun set.

It's probably going to be a sunny day in Barcelona.  Don't forget your sunglasses!

This famous statue of Christopher Columbus is located at the port end of La Rambla.  Cruisers often say he is pointing the way back to the cruise ships.  Barcelonian's will tell you he is pointing the direction of India, which was his intended destination.

Port Vell is a waterfront development that includes shops, restaurants, hotels and apartments.

Port Vell Marina......lots of sailboats and some HUGE yachts are docked here.

Beachfront promenade.......it was a beautiful sunny day but a little too chilly for my speedo.

We finished the day sitting in front of the Cathedral of Barcelona and enjoying a symphony band and groups dancing to the music.

Foodie Heaven

I'm not exactly sure what defines a person as a "foodie".  Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure that Barcelona could easily be considered "foodie heaven".  There are over 7,500 restaurants throughout the city, serving a wide variety of different cuisines from around the world.  Local favorites such as pastries, paella and tapas can be found everywhere.  You gotta eat, so you might as well eat good, and in Barcelona that's a pretty easy assignment!

La Boqueria Market is located just off La Rambla and is a must see.......

rows and rows of colorful foods of all types ranging from candies to.........

 ...........fruits and veggies..........to

..........meats and cheeses.  Much of which is "ready to eat"!

Not exactly a traditional Spanish dish.  Grilled chicken and steak but at least the sangria is traditional......

Chocolate and Churros!

Pallela at a beachfront restaurant.  This is "Mixed Paella" which includes seafood and meat.  We learned that there are regional variations of paella around Spain.  Our favorite so far is the paella in the Valencia area.

Patatas Bravas!  Similar to "home fried potatoes" with a special sauce on top.  Really yummy!

Tapas at La Tasqueta de Blai.  It's located on Carrer de Blai which according to Trip Advisor is one of the best streets for tapas.  

Thanks Ed and Judy!  The food at Mustafa's Donner and Grill was great!

Plenty to share!

Breakfast our final morning in Barcelona.  Banana and Nutella Crepes..........

Harvest Grain Banana Pancakes.................

................Cafe Con Leche

Getting Lost in Barcelona

Thanks to modern technology, getting lost in a city is pretty hard these days.  We were never truly "got lost" but we do love getting "lost" by simply wandering around, turning whichever direction we want to go without a real destination in mind.   We've always enjoyed traveling this way and we now seem to be enjoying it more than ever.  We no longer really need to see too many particular sites.  We want to experience where we are, and this magnificent city is perfect for doing just that.  In our five day stay, my i-phone tells me we walked over forty-five miles.  That's a lot of wandering and boy was it amazing!

NOTE:  Areobus is an easy and inexpensive way to get between the airport and the Gothic Quarter.  The link below may be of some help.

Aerobus

Enchanted Princess Ports of Call.........Funchal, Cadiz, Malaga, Cartagena & Palma de Mallorca

 

Land Ho!  Cruising into Funchal after seven great days crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

After seven really fun filled days at sea Beth opened the curtains early in the morning and proclaimed "there's land out there"!  For as much as we loved the days at sea, we were excited to do some exploring on land at our first port of call, Funchal.  Funchal is the capital city of a four-island autonomous region of Portugal.  It is located on the island of Madeira, which with a population of around 250,000 is the most populated of the four islands. The island of Madeira is located approximately 560 miles from the mainland of Portugal and 370 miles from Morocco.  The island is known for it's wine, colorful flowers and pre-historic forest. It has earned the distinction of being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This was my second visit (Beth's third) to the colorful island and it was great to be back.  We typically don't purchase shore excursions (although we have several on the next cruise), preferring to roam around at our on pace, going where we want to go and finding plenty of time for sitting and enjoying the scenery.  The Enchanted Princess docked close to the city center.  We enjoyed a leisurely walk from the ship through the Parque de Santa Catarina (City Park and Gardens) which overlooks both the harbor and the city center.  The park was full of benches and while we didn't try them all we found several good ones to enjoy before exploring the narrow streets which were now coming to life.  One area of Funchal that we had enjoyed on our last visit was "Old Funchal".  This area is located just a short walk on the opposite side of the city center to where we were docked.  The main attraction of this area is the "street art" which consists of numerous painted doors on both businesses and residences.  

A view of the colorful city of Funchal

Us and our mode of transportation

Parque de Santa Catarina is located between the port and city center

The park is full of flowers, fountains and benches!

Another park in the city center

After several hours of roaming and sitting we stopped at the Barreirinha Bar Cafe.  This cozy cafe with outdoor seating sits high up on a cliff overlooking the sea and the city.  Our intentions were to just have something to drink until one of the servers walked by with the most amazing looking grilled cheese sandwich.  Temptation got the best of us and we enjoyed sharing one (one was plenty for both of us) of the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever, while taking in the incredible scenery of Funchal and the Atlantic Ocean.

Funchal is pedestrian friendly and full of narrow tiled streets 

The plaza in front of Funchal's City Hall

A couple of the many painted doors in "Old Funchal"

That's the Barreirinha Cafe Bar under the umbrellas.........great views and a great grilled cheese sandwich

The sign on the unisex restroom door at the cafe

After lunch we slowly made our way back to the ship.  It was a wonderful day and it really felt good to be "international travelers" once again!  

Between Funchal and our next port of call was our final "sea day".  We were again very fortunate with great weather and plenty of shipboard activities.

We even took time to enrich our brains a little bit more.  This presentation was on Barcelona

Our next port of call was Cadiz, Spain which is located on the southwestern coast.  Cadiz is a relatively small city but one with a long history.  It was founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC and is often regarded as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe.  For cruisers it is often considered the Gateway to Seville, which is located just over an hours drive inland. We felt very fortunate that we didn't have to make a choice between exploring Cadiz or Seville.  Our next cruise will also be stopping in Cadiz so we'll be able to see both of them before getting back to the US.  Seville will have to wait a few weeks.  We opted to spend this day in Cadiz.

Beautiful blue skies greeted us in Cadiz.  The port was very nice and close to the city center.

  

Along the walk from the port to the city

We stopped at the tourist information booth which was located just off the ship to pick up a map and a few suggestions.  We told the young lady working the booth that we liked to explore by foot.  She highlighted a map for us that took us by all the main sights of the historic section of Cadiz.  She said that non-stop it would be about a two hour walk.  Since we tend to roam a bit, then sit a bit, we figured that was the perfect amount and that it would fill our day.

Our first three points of interest along the way were a small plaza, the cathedral and the outdoor market.  They were all very nice but we couldn't help but notice that there was a lack of activity even though it was now around 10:00 in the morning.  Most shops were closed and only a few of the numerous outdoor cafes were open.  Even the outdoor market was closed!  We didn't think too much of it since we're not shoppers and we had eaten breakfast on the ship.  Besides, the city was really very scenic.  

We continued on our outlined route which took us along the seaside promenade, past Playa de La Caleta, which is a very nice beach, and finally to Parque Genoves, a very nice park which contained several large banyan trees.  As we made our way, we noticed that the activity seemed to be picking up.  We decided to veer off our outlined route and head back into the heart of the city.  The small streets were now bustling with activity.  Shops were open, cafes were full of young and old enjoying the sunny day.  We stopped for Churros and Chocolate at a small place near the cathedral and later for drinks at another plaza.  At both places enjoying the atmosphere of the now vibrant city.

I got a kick out of these guys fishing along the promenade.  One person holding the rod and 7-8 people lending their expertise.  It worked!  Shortly after this picture they caught one.......

Playa de La Caleta

Castillio San Sebastion.......guarding the entrance to Cadiz for centuries

Loved all the Banyon Trees in the park!

Waiting on my buddy James to bring his chess set.......he's a tough opponent!

Low on energy?  Try a Cafe Bon Bon.....condensed milk topped with a shot of espresso.  It'll keep you going for a while.

Need more energy?  Try Chocolate and Churros!

It doesn't get much better than a colorful bench in a park full of flowers and plenty of shade provided by Banyon Trees.

It wasn't until later that evening that we solved the mystery of why Cadiz was so sleepy when we arrived.  Being retired we often comment on not knowing what day of the week it is (sometimes even what month it is).  We thought we were in Cadiz on a Saturday, but it turns out that it was actually on Sunday!

We probably won't have much time to see Cadiz on our next visit.  We'll be heading off to explore Seville.  If we do have a bit of time we'll certainly enjoy roaming around a while.  If not, there's a pretty good chance that the city will still be there for a few more years...........it seems to have longevity on it's side!

Next up was Malaga, the birthplace of the world-famous artist Pablo Picasso.  Malaga is a place that we have visited twice previously and really enjoyed. Malaga was our first port of call on the Mediterranean Sea.  To reach it we passed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean by way of the Straits of Gibraltar.  Stepping off the ship and walking into the historic section of the city, we quickly remembered why we had enjoyed Malaga so much in the past.  It was somewhat of a walk down memory lane as we passed familiar sites including the hotel where we stayed a few years back before taking a trans-Atlantic cruise back to the US. 

A panoramic shot of the sun rising over Malaga as the Enchanted Princess pulled in

Malaga has a long beach conveniently located near the port and historic city center

 

Once we finished exploring in the city we made the climb up past Alcazaba, a fortress high on a hilltop that was originally built in the 10th century and modified several times over the next five hundred years.  We made it as far as the castle (Castillo de Gibralfaro), but we opted not to go in.  The viewpoints at the top made the climb (it can also be reached by bus or taxi) well worth it.  After enjoying the views, we made our way down by taking a different route.  One that brought us down to Playa la Malagueta, the closest of many beautiful beaches near the city of Malaga.  We rewarded our efforts for making the climb to the top with a nice casual lunch at one of the seaside cafes.  We made our way back to the ship by passing through the historic city center to once again appreciate this wonderful city.

The Cathedral is the center piece of Malaga's historic city center 

The Roman Theater ruins.  It is estimated that it would have held over 7,000 people when it was built.

Still smiling after the climb to the top!

Another view from the top.  Overlooking the bull ring, beach, port and the Enchanted Princess.  Bull fights are not as common, but they are still held in some Spanish cities.  I think Malaga still has them occasionally.

Playa la Malagueta

Between the port and the historic city center is a really nice park

When we woke up the next morning we were docking in the city of Cartagena.  This was our first visit to this city of over 220,000 that is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Like so many places along the coast of Spain, Cartagena has a long history.  It was founded by the Carthaginians in 228 BC.  Between it's founding and the 15th century it was under the rule of  not only the Carthaginians but also by the Romans, Christians and Muslims.  Thankfully no battles for ruling the city have taken place for centuries and we were able to enjoy a peaceful, sunny day of exploring the city, as well as some of the historic ruins that are intermingled. 

Sunrise arrival in Cartagena

Setting off to explore Cartagena

Cartagena's City Hall.  It's located near the port at the beginning of Calle Mayor (the main shopping street).

The highlights of Cartagena included the Calle Mayor which is the city's main pedestrian shopping street that is lined with shops and cafes.  Near the Calle Mayor are the ruins of the Roman Theater where we enjoyed watching archeologists continue to carefully excavate the area for artifacts that have been buried for centuries.  There is also a great promenade along the port with plenty of benches to sit and soak up the sun and surrounding scenery.  

Calle Mayor was just coming to life when we got there.

We were happy to see the Roman Theater........especially when we discovered there is a park right behind it so we didn't have to pay the entrance fee!

See the people in the picture?  You have to pay to get there.  We liked our view from the top very much!

Excavation work continues around the base of the theater

More from Cartegena's historic past

One of the things we enjoyed the most in Cartagena was the school children.  With all the historical sites we can only imagine that it is a popular destination for school field trips.  There were groups of children ranging from pre-school through high school.  While we were sitting on a bench a group of what looked like 3rd or 4th graders walked by.  One of the first in line offered me up a "high five" which I couldn't resist.  From then on every student had to have a high five or fist pump from both Beth and I as they passed by.  They also offered up in their best english "what's up bro" as they passed by smiling on their way back to their bus.

Sunset sail away from Cartagena.......it was a very nice day........bro!

Our final port of call before disembarking in Barcelona was the city of Palma on the island of Mallorca.  Mallorca is the most populous of the four Spanish islands (known as the Balearic Islands) that lie off the east coast of Spain.  The island has a population of close to 900,000 of which around 50% live in the city of Palma.

The harbor pilot arriving to guide the Enchanted Princess into Mallorca

Early morning view from the ship as we docked.  Le Seu Cathedral stands out above the city of Palma

Like Funchal and Malaga, we had visited Palma previously and really enjoyed it.  Also like Funchal and Malaga, this visit did not disappoint.  

The ship docks about two miles from the city center but it's a great, flat easy and scenic walk from the port to the city.  Along the way there are numerous marinas with more boats, sailboats and multi-million dollar yachts than you can imagine.  Like many Spanish cities the most prominent landmark in Palma is the cathedral (Le Seu Cathedral).  There is a small entrance fee to go inside the cathedral.  Sometimes we go inside and other times we just enjoy the exterior.  This time we opted to go in and were really glad we did.  The cathedral's main stained glass window contains 1236 pieces of glass.  On a sunny day (Palma has an average of 300 sunny days per year) the sunlight coming through the glass creates a rainbow of color on the floor and pillars of the interior that is well worth seeing.

It's not a short walk from where the cruise ship docks to the city, but it's very scenic.  If walking long distances isn't possible there are buses and taxi's that can get you there.

Two thumbs up for Palma!

This incredible stained-glass window produces..............

colorful images on the floor...........

and pillars of the cathedral

Outside the cathedral

Palma's La Rambla isn't quite as busy as Barcelona's, but it's very nice

It's a clothing store

Sailing away after a great day in Palma!

After roaming the town a bit and enjoying a lunch of tapas we headed back to the ship for our final evening on the Enchanted Princess.  It had been a memorable fourteen day crossing.  As we disembarked in Barcelona and went through passport control I couldn't help but smile a bit when I heard the familiar sound of our passports being stamped..........I missed that sound!