HOLIDAY JOTTINGS - BARCELONA, SPAIN

After Alicante we went to Barcelona.   Now, I have to say that mostly I didn't enjoy Barcelona.   it was extremely crowded, very hot, and very busy.   The traffic was horrendous!   Added to which there was so much pollution that my eyes and nose just streamed!

However, having said all that, there were some very interesting and fascinating places we went to.   

The Spanish are very fond of architectural structures on their roundabouts and road junctions.   They also use statues and fountains.   Makes the road scene much more interesting that Busy Lizzies trying to survive on British roundabouts - if you get that!

We are approaching Barcelona - you can just see the Gaudi church in the centre, and there is also another cruise ship there.

Makes a change from flowers on a roundabout!

The Famous "Ramblas".   I loved the old houses with their balconies.   There isd a pedestrian area in the centre, where all the market stalls are, plus all the pickpockets and small criminals!  We were warned to take great care of our bags etc.

Four stalls in the fantastic Market.   Chillies, fruit spaces and dried fruits and nuts - I could have spent a fortune in there!

    There were lots of stalls selling fish, and lots of Spaniards buying them.   I didn't know what half of them were called, much less how you would cook them!

Some of the fish were positively ugly!

The National Maritime Museum was very new, and mercifully cool.  
The architecture inside was lovely, even if there weren't many exhibits!

I'm not sure quite what this big ship was, whether it was a reconstruction or partly the original, but it wasa HUGE!!   Mr. G obligingly stood in front of it for scale purposes!

One of the biggest, and hottest, squares in Barcelona, and where Mr. G lost me and went back to the ship without me!    (You don't want to hear the rest!!)

HOLIDAY JOTTINGS

I'm really ashamed that I last posted so long ago!   Why I still have followers I don't know, but I love you all!

We have just come back from what, I am sure, will be our last cruise.   Mr.G got the dreaded norovirus and was confined to his cabin for 4 days!   Luckily (?) we were at sea all those days, so he didn't miss anything.   Meals were sent up to him, in a suitably delicate menu for recovering bodies, and the "Hit Squad" came in twice a day and disinfected us thoroughly!   I soldiered on, with very rough seas across the Bay of Biscay, and administering TLC to husband.

However, we eventually got into warmer and quieter waters, the sun came out, and Mr.G was released from his cabin!

Southampton Water, from our cabin window, a lovely, sparkling summer day

Some very rough seas!

The sun at last came out.........

And people began to kipper themselves!   Haven't they heard of sun cancer??

Passing through the Straits of Gibraltar.  That is Africa over there!

Our first Port of call was Aliocante, on the Costa Blanca of Spain

When we got off the Shuttle bus which ran into town, we found an open top bus, which went round the sights of Alicante for a very reasonable price.

Spain is very fond of erecting statues and modern art on their roundabouts.

The bus took us up to the castle

Which we wished we had got off and had a proper look at.

\It was very hot, and we welcomed our iced and foaming glasses of beer with our lunch!

Spain has some marvellous paved pedestrian walks in all their towns, small and large, and some of them give a rather nauseous impression!

Our next stop was Barcelona and then onto Sete, in France, and Mallorca - but I'll save those for  my next blog!