Happy April Fools Day Everyone!
Just before landing in Barcelona
Tim and I have arrived safe and sound in Barcelona.
The reason I say it took years is that we have had to cancel three previous attempts to get here. The first was right after 9/11. We were scheduled to leave just a few days after, and chose to stay home. Most air service was cancelled during that time anyway.
The second time we made it to Spain, visited the Andalusia area, but could not swing taking the extra time off to add-on Barcelona.
The third time we were booked on a cruise that departed from Barcelona, but that too had to be cancelled due to illness.
On this trip, we took the SLOW route to get here, but it worked out fine. Leaving Delhi in the middle of the night, we flew first to Doha, Qatar and from there (after a 19 hour lay-over) flew 6.5 more hours arriving at 8:00 this morning.
We have rented a small one bedroom apartment in the Barri Gothic section of the city through Homeaway. It was less expensive than renting a hotel room, has more space, came with a small kitchen area, washer/dryer, microwave and refrigerator. Here are some pictures to show you are new “home”.
Living room with sofa bed, small table and chairs, TV
Kitchen area with refrig, microwave, washer/dryer
The Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic)
After meeting with the apartment representative, we got unpacked and went out to explore our new neighborhood. I am thrilled with the location. We are in the center of the old section of Barcelona, surrounded by quaint neighborhoods, mostly pedestrian narrow streets, small shops, restaurants, fruits and vegetable store a couple of doors down, and close to the metro and several interesting sites.
There is a small bakery with fresh bread, pastries and delicious coffee right across the street.
On top of that we have FREE and FAST Internet service. I am a happy camper!
I am in a sleep deprived fog, so only snapped a couple of shots while walking around but this will at least give you a slight taste of our area.
Right outside our door
The Barcelona Cathedral is two blocks away.
Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Barcelona Cathedral)
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful to have finally arrived in Barcelona after several previous attempts. I think I am going to love it here!
A Note From Abroad 
Glad you are there safe and sound…Love, Laura
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Laura, I think you would love Barcelona. It appears to be a great city to walk in. Sure looking forward to exploring in depth.
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What an adventure you are having! Do you watch soccer? I am “Pura Barcelona”. I bet there was some excitement there today with them playing the top-ranked team of the moment. Some day I will go to Spain. I missed it when I went to Europe when I was 20 – they were having a cholera epidemic and I hadn’t had my shots. That was LONG ago….
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No, Anita we do not follow soccer, but that seems almost criminal here! No cholera to contend with now, so time to put Spain back on your list. We are thrilled to have finally made it here and really looking forward to exploring.
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The old cathedrals are quite amazing. Hope you have a good time after trying to get there for so long.
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Thanks Richard. We are kind of taking it easy our first day here, walked the neighborhoods a little, unpacked, got some groceries and Tim took a nap. Sometimes you just have to get restored. I will be doing some reading of the literature we picked up at the local tourist information center to help me decide which direction we want to head in tomorrow. So much we are looking forward to seeing!
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I have been to Barcelona and I really liked it also…I was there for about 3 days only and I always thought I would love to go back! NOW I CAN THROUGH YOUR TRIP!! Try to see the Giants – they are big Puppets that travel through the historic district (festivals?) and are really fun!
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Thanks Mickey for the tip about the puppets. I’ll keep an eye out for them.
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Looks like you chose a perfect spot! Have fun in Barcelona!
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I think being here in the Barri Gotic will be a great home base. I’m ready to explore!
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Hi Joanne ,it’s Wayne here from sunny England . Your trip sounds amazing and now I am even more jealous than before.haha.i wish you both happiness in your travels.
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Thank you Wayne. I sure enjoy our word games. You are one tough competitor!
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Hi Joanne, I just found your Blog through Lynn Martin (another world traveler) and have enjoyed reading a couple of posts. You are in one of my favorite cities. Our daughter spent 5 months there studying and did not want to come home. When we visited her for five days we understood why. I hope you have at least a month. I will be following along. BTW, renting an apartment is the only way to go.
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We only have two weeks here, but I can easily see why your daughter did not want to leave.
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