It was that time of the year. The time of the year when we had been looking forward to going on vacation with Steven and Patricia Morgan.
They flew from Albuquerque and we flew from Utah where we met up in Atlanta and boarded another plane bound for Barcelona, Spain.
Funny thing was our seat assignments changed at the last minute and theirs did as well. Turns out we got assigned to the SAME MIDDLE ROW!! It was HILARIOUS!! The airline had no idea we were traveling together as we had made our reservations separately.
At least my screen worked so I could watch movie after movie after movie to try and pass the time. Glen's screen would never work, even after the flight attendant tried time and again to reset it.
When we landed in Barcelona, we were ready to eat. After we dropped off our luggage at our hotel, we went to a nearby Hard Rock Cafe where Patricia and I ordered kid burgers which came on a kid guitar plate. So cute!
I held up my burger for the camera and the top bun slid right off onto the floor. OOPS!! Good thing I wasn't hungry enough to want to eat the whole thing and my bottom bun sufficed.
Glen and Steven's food presentations weren't nearly as cute as ours were.
We took a tour of the building called La Pedrera which a married couple had commissioned architect Antoni Gaudi to build the main floor to be used as their residence Casa Mila. The rest of the apartments above they rented out.
Despite getting so little sleep, we kept going all day long sightseeing. We learned all about Antoni Gaudi, an eccentric modernist architect who is known for his extravagant, shape-shifting structures (according to Google).
I must say that looking at all the curves and the strange iron railings on the balconies of this building helped us instantly recognize it as one of Gaudi's creations. After seeing all his architecture throughout the city, we nicknamed him Gaudy Gaudi.
On the tour we saw a miniature of the building we were standing inside.
We saw another replica of how La Familia Segrada Cathedral was built. We would see it in person the next day.
Gaudi definitely believed more is better. There is so much ornamentation on his buildings and structures.
This view is from the roof looking down into the inner courtyard.
Abe sent a photo of Wynne and Newland in the Spain section of Disney World letting us know they were thinking of us. Sweet!!
Our evening meal was eaten outside on a picturesque street.
The gate was meant to look like a butterfly's wing.
From the roof we could see La Segrada Familia Cathedral off in the distance which has been continually under construction since 1883. It is expected to be completed in 2026. That's a whole lot of time for a building to remain unfinished!!!
The following photos show some of the buildings and streets in Barcelona.
Patricia taught us what Tapas means. It is smaller portions of food that are meant to be shared.
Glen bought a potato on a stick.
We had bought some fruit drinks, which were room-temperature, and not very appetizing at all.
I took a photo of each day's step count. It is interesting to see how much walking we did each day. Mostly, it serves as a good break dividing up the days. But, be sure to admire this hefty step day going on very little sleep. We were exhausted by the end of our first day in Spain!!
The next morning, we walked around a nearby open market looking for what we might want for breakfast. Animal hooves on display did nothing to whet my appetite.
There was a heat wave going on all over Europe at the time we were there and they were having unusually high temperatures with high humidity. That is not my favorite combination--heat and humidity!!
That helps explain why we were so disappointed to get a drink that wasn't cold.
We decided to go to a restaurant and get some real breakfast food. Most of the restaurants and shops were not air conditioned. It was a bonus for us if we found one that was air conditioned more than just a fan blowing.
We had an appointment that morning at a health clinic to get Covid tested to be allowed on our cruise ship.
Patricia had worn a mask the whole time in the airport and on the airplane to help make sure her test would be negative. She was very nervous about it as they had just had a family reunion with all their children and grandchildren.
The test results came back and we were all negative! HURRAH!! Patricia was the happiest of us all to get that good report.
We stayed at the Hotel Reding while we were in Barcelona. THANKFULLY it had very good air conditioning. The second we stepped outside of it, we would break out in a full-body sweat.
The Barcelona Cathedral.
The Barcelona History Museum.
Lunch in an un-air-conditioned restaurant. Notice how hot and sweaty I look in every picture. We were there getting fuel before we spent the afternoon in the hot sun touring Park Guell.
Architect Antoni Gaudi was assigned the design of the Park Guell. It was built between 1900-1914.
It was built on a hill, so there was a great view from the top.
At the high point, there is a stone hill with steps leading up to three crosses.
The small Gaudi border of this bench area caught my eye.
I ordered a beet salad and was very happy the Morgans shared their hearty meal with me. It was delicious!! Glen, as always, is more than a happy man when he can have steak and potato for dinner.
Gaudi is buried in the underground crypt of the Segrada Familia small chapel. He was killed by a tram in 1926, at the age of 73, as he was making his daily walk to confession.
Another tour we took that day was a driving tour on two different city bus routes which pointed out various points of interest along the way.
Notice my beautiful "necklace." It is a battery-powered fan which I wore everywhere we went and it saved my life!! I would have died of heat exhaustion without it!
These two brick buildings look like gingerbread houses to me. I cannot believe how much ornamentation Gaudi put into all his structures whether it be a bridge, a fence, a railing, a wall, a tower, a building, a cathedral, etc.
For dinner Patricia had been craving whatever goulash-type meal is popular in Spain. Her wish came true as she ordered that big skillet of whatever it is called.
Look at this day of many, many steps and many floors out in the hot sun!! Steven's loan of their umbrella for me to use as shade saved my life that day (along with my neck fan)!!!
Our third and final full day in Barcelona began with us going on a tour of La Sagrada de Familia Cathedral. The ornateness, both inside and outside, is indescribable.
The bus was almost air conditioned, and it was nice to be sitting. I like driving around a new city and seeing the sights that way. The required masks on public transportation were annoying since we were already so extremely hot.
We walked along a beautiful, wide sidewalk with trees offering some much-needed shade.
We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant--so, naturally, I ordered a pasta dish. And, naturally, Glen ordered meat and potatoes. 
I was enjoying looking at the wall display of various pastas and different-sized cooking pots. 
Another day had come to an end.
While the other three enjoyed watching what was going on out the window during dinner...
The sign says it all!!
Ice cream dessert was a welcome treat to end our hot day.
The next day was cruise day. Bon voyage!!
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