December 2, 2008: Cartagena, Spain
	November 30, 2008: Barcelona (Day 3)
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A Morning Excursion

Well, it is Monday morning on our last day here in Barcelona. We don't have much to do before we head down to the docks and board our cruise ship about three this afternoon, so Fred, Greg and I have decided to make one final excursion out into the city this morning.

As we have done numerous times now here in Barcelona, we began our trip at the University station. Our two-day metro passes have run out though, so we had to purchase new tickets for our subway ride. Then, again as we've done frequently, we headed down to the platform to wait for our train.

We are going to take the subway to the same place that I went on my evening excursion a couple of nights ago. I remembered that there was a trolley that would take you up the mountain to a funicular that in turn would take you to the top and an amusement park, and I thought we might be able to do that this morning.

When we came up out of the subway station, we crossed the traffic circle to find a stop for the tram/trolley that went up the mountainside to the funicular station. We waited there at the foot of Avenue Tibidabo waiting for the trolley for quite a while, but finally concluded that either it wasn't running or there was so much time between trolleys that we should go ahead and walk up the street ourselves.

We did that, following the yellow route I've marked, and taking pictures of some of the buildings along the way. After we crossed over the expressway, the street became a winding hillside road, passing some fairly nice houses and some buildings that apparently were part of the University of Barcelona. At one point, we saw across the street an interesting private entry; we thought that the gates and the brickwork were interesting.

A little ways further up the street, we found the entrance for the Parc de la Font del Raco.

I'd already taken some pictures along Avenue Tibidabo, but they were at night, and now we had a chance to see some of the sme buildings in the daytime. I have put thumbnail images for some of these pictures below, and if you will click on these images you can look at them:

Parc de la Font del Raco

If you are following our route above, you can see that a ways up the street we reached the entrance to the Parc de la Font del Raco. Although we didn't know it at the time, we were at the extreme lower end of the large park. At this end, there is simply a planted hillside with paths leading upward. We followed this path until we came out at the funicular station, church and restaurant. On the way up the hill, we got some nice views of the houses up here on the hillside outside the park, as well as some views out across the city. You can see these views here, here and here.

When we came out onto the parking area at the top of the road, we could see the funicular right in front of us and, looking up the track that led up to the top of the mountain, we could see (courtesy of Fred's excellent zoom lens) the amusement area at the top of the mountain and even the observatory up there as well.

Just beyond the funicular building is the church that I first saw two nights earlier all lit up. Now we could see it close-up and in all its beautiful detail. Fred took three excellent pictures of it, and if you will click on the thumbnail images below you can look at it as well:

We walked down to the end of the parking area and found a small cafe/restaurant that had wide picture windows overlooking the city. So we ordered a drink and took some pictures. While Fred was taking somee excellent pictures of Barcelona, Greg and I talked a bit about his iPhone, and he showed me how to download his email to it. (As it turned out, I ended up getting one about a month after we got home from the cruise.)

I have put some thumbnail images for the best of the pictures that Fred took of Barcelona from this high-up vantage point below; I hope you'll click on each of them and have a look:

I made this movie looking out over Barcelona from the cafe/restaurant we walked to.

We took some additional pictures while walking up to the funicular and also on the way down, and if you will click on the thumbnail images below, you can see these pictures:

We spent a fair amount of time up here in the park, but eventually decided it was time to head back to the hotel. Instead of walking down, we rode the bus that happened to be leaving right when we were ready to go. We actually rode it all the way down into the city to a subway stop, and from there took the subway back to the hotel. Fred took two more pictures before we got back to the Axel Hotel, one just above the University station and another of a flower shop on our way back to the hotel.

Barcelona Architecture

Well, we're back from our last excursion and busy packing and checking out prior to our taxi ride down to the port and the Celebrity Century. But, before we go, I want to include one more section of Barcelona pictures. In all the walking around we did, Fred and I (mostly Fred, but me, too) took quite a few pictures of the amazing architecture and architectural detail that we saw. Buildings in the United States, especially in newer cities, now seem so boring to us after the wonderful variety of construction and ornamentation that we saw in Barcelona.

Architectural Detail and Buildings of Barcelona

Buildings in Barcelona aren't just old- they are ornate. And this ornamentation doesn't stop with buildings. There are monuments and statues all over the city, and most public places are a feast for the eyes as well.

Click on the Image Above to View the Slideshow

There was so much unusual or interesting architectural ornamentatation- most of it on or attached to buildings- that we found ourselves having to ration the number of pictures we took.

Buildings in Barcelona are, to put it succinctly, simply beautiful. There is a style and grace to almost all of them that is unmatched here in America (at least in my opinion).

I'd like you to see as many of our pictures as possible, so instead of half a hundred thumbnails that need to be individually clicked, I've put our pictures of Barcelona architecture and ornamentation into a slideshow.

To view the slideshow, just click on the image at left and I will open the slideshow in a new window. In the slideshow, you can use the little arrows in the lower corners of each image to move from one to the next, and the index numbers in the upper left of each image will tell you where you are in the series. When you are finished looking at the pictures, just close the popup window.

Getting to the Cruise Ship

When everybody got all packed and ready, the thirteen of us met in the lobby to head down to the ship. The desk clerk obtained two large mini-van taxis for us, so we were all able to go in just two vehicles. You can see the approximate route that we followed on the map at left.

There was a fair amount to look at on the taxi ride down to the port, but because the taxi was moving so quickly most times, picture-taking opportunities were limited. Down near the port, we did stop at a light and I got this picture of a Barcelona building that was ornamented in such as way so as to remind me of a reconstruction of a building from ancient Rome.

Down near the port (and as the ship came into view) we were able to get some decent pictures (Fred took most of them with my camera), and so I've included some of them here. If you will click on the thumbnail images below, you can look at these pictures:

I made this movie as we were riding in the taxicab on the way from the Axel Hotel to our ship, the Celebrity Century.

Our Cruise Begins as We Set Sail from Barcelona

At the ship, we went through the boarding process and headed right on board to our stateroom, stopping on the gangway to take a few pictures before boarding, such as this picture of Greg. We were able to get a snack in the buffet, get settled in our cabin, and then go up on deck as the ship nosed out of the harbor. We have placed the pictures we took of our cabin and around the ship in a separate area at the end of this album. For now, you can use the thumbnails below to look at the pictures we took during boarding and as the ship sailed out of Barcelona harbor:

Here we are at the ship pier, and I have filmed the ship from stem to stern before we boarded.

You can use the links below to go to another photo album page.

	December 2, 2008: Cartagena, Spain
	November 30, 2008: Barcelona (Day 3)
	Return to the Europe/Cruise Trip Index