20241127 Seabourn Sojourn Grand Africa Cruise Day 2/96 - Barcelona Day 1

Grand Africa Cruise Day 2/96 - Barcelona!

After we departed the Admiral's Club in Miami, we arrived at the gate and were met with a boarding zoo. There were issues getting people on the plane. At one point, they closed the door to the jetway as the jetway was completely packed. We eventually got on the aircraft. Arlona was in 4A and I was in 3L, on the other isle, across the cabin. As luck would have it, the man in 5A behind Arlona was looking to change his seat to be near his wife on the other side of the aircraft. He and I swapped seats and everyone was happy.

Arlona, getting settled in

We pushed back on time at 5:40 and started taxiing in the waning daylight.

Leaving Miami

While we were technically flying Iberia Airlines, it was actually an American Airlines 777-200. That was unfortunate because, in our not-so-humble opinion, American Airline's service is a little lacking. Nothing was blatantly wrong, just the minimum level of service. The meals were also nothing to write home about. Yes, I know, first-world problems.

We buckled in for the flight and checked out the movie selection. Arlona watched one movie (Fly Me To The Moon), watched a show on baby animals, read on her Kindle, and took a pretty good nap. I tried to nap but even with the seat laid down flat, I just couldn't drift off. I watched four movies - Borderlands - meh, Fly Me To The Moon - liked it, Despicable Me 4 - cute, and my favorite, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

The sun was coming up over Spain as we approached Barcelona.

A short 4,894 miles, and 7:58 after departure, we touched down in Barcelona. Immigration and Customs went quickly. After that, we headed to the luggage claim area. Our bags were tagged with "Priority" tags and once again, ours were some of the last to hit the luggage carousel. Still, all four arrived. It was great checking just before we departed and seeing all four SmartTags were co-located with my phone, meaning all our bags were on the plane. I'm sold on this as a tool.

We exited the luggage area and looked for our Seabourn rep. And looked. And looked. We saw all kinds of drivers dutifully holding a piece of paper, a phone, or an iPad with their fare's name. We didn't see anyone for us. We didn't see a Seabourn rep. Hmm...

We tried calling the travel emergency line for Seabourn and got a recording saying that they were sorry they missed us and to call back during business hours. Nice.

As we looked around, Arlona met another couple from Naples, Florida who will be joining us on the cruise. They were also looking for their Seabourn ride to the hotel with no luck. I started checking out Uber van options for the four of us when their driver finally showed up. Hot on his heels was another driver for us. Woo! We all went to our assigned vehicles and headed for the hotel, Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona. We arrived at around 9:45 AM so of course, our room wasn't ready. They stored our bags and said they would call when our room was available.

Temperatures this week are peaking just over 60F, colder at night. We grabbed jackets and headed out. We decided to check out Casa Batlló, a formerly private home created by architect Antoni Gaudi. It now serves as a museum.

Gaudi is known for Sagrada Familia, the famous church and cathedral in Barcelona that has been under continuous construction for more than 100 years. There are other Gaudi-designed buildings in Barcelona and this is one of the famous ones.

Shortly after the tour began, my phone rang. It was the hotel - our room was ready. Yea! But we were on a tour, so we continued on.

It's hard to describe as it is visually, well, weird. The roofline resembles a dragon. Nature inspired the interior in different ways in different rooms. I'll let the photos explain it.

The staircase resembles vertebrae

The fireplace, with integrated benches, resembles a mushroom

Wall and ceiling textures are inspired by animals

Gaudi used light throughout the home - the ceiling was said to be inspired by a shell

This was supposed to resemble what water drops rising from the floor would like like if they hit the ceiling

The outdoor patio was under rehabilitation

Another unusual wood staircase

Interesting windows

The slats below this window directed air

The central staircase and elevator

The colors darken and the windows get smaller as the walls go higher

There were several unusual doors

The arches were said to resemble the ribs on an animal

Even the chimneys were pieces of art

You can see the huge skylight

A religious spire graces the front of the home - you can also see the dragon's back

A few other artists had contributed pieces like this chainmail design on the walls and ceiling

After completing the tour of the home/museum, we continued walking mostly south to Plaça de Catalunya - a tree-filled square near the old quarter. From there, we continued down La Rambla. a tree-lined boulevard with a pedestrian center lane.

It continues all the way to the harbor, but we weren't going that far. We stopped at Mercat de la Boqueria - something I wrote more extensively about on our last visit to Barcelona. It is a huge area with tons of food vendors. Some have food to take home and cook, like fresh meat, fish, veggies, and fruit, while others have grab-and-go cooked meals.

We ended up at Bar Quiosc Modern, a full-service eatery. We were seated on the cook's side, so we got a complete show, watching her cook octopus, baby squid, calamari, razor clams, mussels, scallops, and more. 

We chose the Catalan sausage with potatoes and it was yummy

Fed and happy, we worked our way back north to the Majestic Hotel.

The Majestic's façade is being renovated so the front is covered with screening

We picked up our room key and turned in the baggage claim ticket. They told us that our luggage would be brought up for us. 

When we tried to find our room, the goofy design of this hotel became apparent. The floors are split into half floors. After leaving the elevator, we had to descend one half-flight to get to the right level for our room. We were glad we weren't schlepping our bags.

Here's a look at the hotel room - room 245 if you're keeping track.

As you walk in, there is a lot of storage on the right plus an at-cost minibar

Turning left, we see the bathroom

Here is the throne room

The main room is reasonable - they supplied a pair of plug converters for the EU 220V outlets which was nice

Here is our view - the middle of the hotel - at least we're only staying three nights

We hung out in the room for a bit and got some items out of our suitcases. I also got this post going. A little after 5:00, we wandered out again in search of gelato. Luckily for us, there was a shop open right around the corner from the hotel.

Mmmm...chocolate brownie in a chocolate-filled cone

OK, it's not a traditional healthy dinner, but it sure tasted good.

It is now 6:00 (noon if you're on the U.S. East Coast) as I write this and I haven't slept. That means I've been up for 31 hours which explains why my eyes are going wacky as I try to write somewhat coherently.

We won't be going back out tonight and will likely be turning in soon for what I hope will be a good, long sleep. Tomorrow, a tour featuring Park Güell and Sagrada Familia - another Gaudi day.