Steve's Travel Blog: Beginning to Wind Down

Today was actually sunny and warm in the afternoon. We wandered along the harbor, only a few blocks from the apartment. Looking out, this is where the smaller boats arrive. The big ships like ours arrive in another area. Note the cable car crossing the water.

By Turning around 180º, we see a huge monument to that most famous of all Italians, Christopher Columbus. It was created to commemorate the 400th anniversary of his exploration. OK do the math, when it was built?

And there he is, at the very top pointing towards his discovery a considerable ways off.

A detail of one side of the base.

I mean, what in blazes did Columbus ever do for Spain except to set off a territorial claim scramble that went on for 150 years or so? And caused a few wars here & there.

Across from this monument in multiple directions are a number of public buildings done very much in the Spanish style. This one was built to be a Customs facility.

Don't know the purpose of this one but love the Spanish flag flying just right.

This building was built for the administration of the port. The roof tops are reminiscent of the Norman style.

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This following morning was our last yoga class; said "good-bye" to the ladies. Here's the mat area from the back. The wooden floor is beautiful and creaked with every individual move.

Susanne is ready for the foot work.

And here we all are. Teacher Claudia has the best posture. We'll probably be seeing her at the milonga tonight. The other three ladies are our "regulars". All in all a really, really nice super group.

Some thoughts on Barcelona.

We do really like Barcelona. For us it takes more than one visit anywhere to get to "love". Barcelona has its own flavor & ambience. The food is great in its own unique way. The Metro makes it easy to get around although the stops are much further apart than in Paris. The yoga & tango are great. And the bonus...it is so much cheaper here than in Paris. If you want to go to Europe on a budget, Barcelona should be on your possibilities list.

Will we return? Probably, but we'd like to get back to Paris first; haven't been there since 2014. We have a major trip to South Africa in the works for next spring; won't firm that up until November. Then maybe back to Paris.

Did we like our apartment & would we stay there again? Yes & maybe. For a few days up to a week, it's fabulous. Modern, in great condition, lots of space, a clothes washer/dryer, an on-site go-to person. A neighborhood with many restaurants & shops. A not too far of a walk to the Metro and to Las Ramblas. A much better deal than a hotel.

But it's not really set up for a long term stay (ability to prepare some meals in, for starters)...no drip coffeemaker (so we bought one), not enough pots & pans, no place mats, no English language TV news. Overhead lighting difficult to live with for three weeks, especially in the bathroom. Could've used a coat rack in the living room & a table in the bedroom (we used the ironing board instead). We took our old Paris apartment for granted where we had all these things and more without asking. Now we've learned to inquire more beforehand.

This afternoon we strolled around and sat down on a bench in a small plaza area. Susanne was clicking away with her camera. She loves shooting people, with the odd object thrown in. Here's some of what she took.