LEAVING THE STATES TODAY

09-23-2014

7:00 AM

I awoke a little early and went downstairs to smoke a cigarette.  The "free" breakfast was being served so I got dolly a cup of coffee and some peanut butter and went back to the room.  We watched CNN with the news about the bombing in Syria.  Really interesting and a little sad.  We had not gotten our boarding passes so we went to the Business Center to print them.  We did everything, but the printer was not working.  Dolly had them sent to email.  We got some of the free breakfast and went back to the room to prepare to check out.  Our flight was not until 11:55 PM.  We were going to go and look around and then hang out a Judi's place.  She and Brook were going to take us to the airport in the evening.

 

While we were getting our stuff together, Judi called and told us that the Air France pilots were on strike.  Dolly called the airline and she was told that our flight had been cancelled and we would be placed on the same flight the next day at 11:55 PM.

 

After some frustrating conversation with the agent, Dolly gave me the phone and I explained that we had commitments that could not be changed.  He asked me to hold a bit while he checked on some other options.  He said he could put us on Air Tahiti Nui leaving at 11:10 PM and arriving in Papetee at about 5:00 AM the next morning.  We accepted and we were booked.  He said he would email everything to us.  Dolly got an email shortly thereafter, but I had not gotten one.  We went out to LAX to go to Air Tahiti Nui, but we discovered that the counter did not open until 6 PM.  We wanted to get our boarding passes and seat assignments, but that did not happen.  Dolly called customer service and told the representative that I had not gotten my confirmation by email.  She said she would send it right way.  She did and all was well.

We kind of just chilled at Judi's place in the late afternoon.  We had to wait for Brook to come home from work.  Eventually, Brook got home and we sat around for a while.  I had to take the minivan back and then we had to leave there and go to the airport.  I had already filled the tank, so it should be a breeze.  We left and they followed me to the rental office.  Sure enough, it was a quick process getting checked in.  Judi and Brook dropped us at the William Bradley International Terminal and bid us safe travel.

We went to the Air Tahiti Nui counter and slowly made it to the front.  We transacted our business and went to security.  That did not take long and we were headed toward the food area.  We found what we wanted and found seats to eat.  It wasn't long before they were calling our flight to begin boarding.

The flight left on time and we were on our way to French Polynesia.  Check us out tomorrow.

The Day Has Come

09-22-2014

6:00 AM

I arose prior to the sound of the clock radio.   I lay in bed for a while.  Today is the first day of our journey to French Polynesia.   We are on a non-stop flight to LA at 9:15 AM.  It's a beautiful day.  Cloudless and the temperature is just perfect. 

We got a Lyft car to transport us to Reagan National Airport.  After checking our bags we eventually went to the waiting area for our call to board the plane.  The flight was almost booked solid.  The ticket person gave me an exit row seat that appeared to have been vacant.  Dolly and I would not be sitting together.  That was only OK, but nothing more than OK.  The flight was good and uneventful. 

I called the rental agency for our minivan and they told me to take the parking lot bus to Lot 1 and there would be a driver waiting for us.  We caught the next bus and got off at Lot 1.  the driver was there waiting for us and took us to the office.  Dolly was concerned that the vehicle had not tags on it.  I had inquired about that and the clerk told me as long as I had the contract, I was legal.

We got a rental minivan and proceeded down the street to our hotel, the Best Western Suites Plus.    It is close to the airport.  We got settled in and connected with Judi and Brook.  We arranged to get together later in the evening for dinner.  Brook worked a little late so Dolly and I picked up Judi and Brook was going to meet us at the restaurant.  We had decided on FWD, Fishing With Dynamite.  It was an interesting small place in Manhattan Beach.  Brook came about 30 minutes later.

We had a great meal in a nice atmosphere.  The food was excellent and the music was "kicking".  We all had a great time and enjoyed each other.  We left and headed our respective ways.  It was a good evening.

Less Than Two Weeks

It's less than two weeks before we arrive in "Paradise" and begin sailing the beautiful crystalline waters of the South Pacific.  I am putting the final touches on packing carefully.  The flight between Papeete and Raiatea only allows you to have 20 kilos or 44 pounds.  That throws a different spin on packing.  From California on Air Tahiti Nui, you are allowed considerably more weight.  I'll figure it out and it will be fine especially since I have a trusty luggage scale.

The Sojourners are preparing to invade French Polynesia.  It is going to be a great adventure.  Stay tuned for more information and insights.

 

FRENCH POLYNESIA, HERE WE COME

09-13-2014

The crew is set for our glorious adventure in French Polynesia.  In exactly two weeks, we will be aboard our new and luxurious 44 foot catamaran.  We will board our vessel at about noon on September 27, 2014 and receive our provisions.  We may need to do some shopping to obtain some other items at the nearby market.

The crew and subsequent photos will follow.  This is going to be the BOMB!!!!!!  An adventure in Paradise.

8 Hours of Discomfort

September 20, 2013

We headed for our gate to go through security.  In Amsterdam's airport, the security checkpoints are at each gate.  The process went pretty quickly rather than a "mob scene" at one large checkpoint. 

 

We eventually boarded the aircraft and went to our seats.  We had selected to get "comfort coach" seats.  We sat and discovered that these were not what we had paid 30 Euros for.  I alerted the purser of that flight and he checked his manifest and said we were not scheduled to have "comfort coach" seats.  He later came back and took some information from me and said he would submit this to the airline.  We were stuck with what we had.

 

They eventually served us a meal.  We had requested Kosher meals and they were only passable.  We were hungry, however, and we ate.

 

The flight was uneventful and we landed a little early.  Of course there was the usual crowd at immigration at Dulles.  Our driver, David, had alerted me that he was outside.  He said he could not come to the pickup area because he was a private car.  We finally proceeded out of immigration and customs and went to the baggage claim area.  We collected our bags and he met us at the carousel and helped with the bags. 

 

The ride back to   the house was quite comfortable in spite of the fact that it was evening rush hour.  In about an hour it was "home again home again jiggety jig."  What a great trip to eastern Europe and then to Barcelona!   We will return to Barcelona and beyond.

 

SOJOURNER TRAVELERS HAVE MORE FUN!!

Heading Home

September 20, 2013

Earlier that evening, we had arranged with our daughter in the States to call us and awaken us.  In addition, I had set my alarm on my phone to go off as well.  We had to be ready to leave at 4:00 am because the concierge had arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 4:00.  We scurried around and got ourselves downstairs to await the taxi.  He was on time and we were ready.

 

The driver expeditiously got us to the airport, about a fifteen minute ride.  We went inside and began the check-in process.  When we got to the agent, it was discovered that my bag was overweight.  I had to pay about $75.00.  They sent me to the baggage desk and I paid.  Fortunately, we did not have to get back in line.  After we were checked in, we looked for food.

 

We found a food court of sorts and  got something from McDonald's.  It was not very good.  Dolly abstained from eating fast food. 

 

We left there, went through security and went to the waiting area.  Our flight to Amsterdam was departing on time.  We had a short wait and boarded the plane.  The flight was rather quick and we were in Amsterdam.  We had thought about going to the city, but our passage through immigration and customs took forever, so we decided to remain in the terminal.  Additionally, the weather was lousy. 

 

We waked around a little and bought some gifts and some chocolate  While we were shopping we went into a duty free store and found these gadgets that can charge your phone.  We had some Euros left so we bought two, one for each of us.  I went to smoke and then we waited for our trans-Atlantic flight.

Walking the Neigborhood

September 19, 2013

We had decided the night before that we would remain in the neighborhood and walk around.  We awoke and lounged a bit.  We went out to have breakfast and found a great little place not far from the apartment that had nice al fresco seating.  We ordered and just sat and enjoyed the ambience of a business day in Barcelona.  It was quite lively.

 

We ate and left and walked down a very busy avenue.  Somehow Dolly knew where we were and our relationship to the apartment.  We did a little window shopping and went into a few stores to browse.  The walk was quite enjoyable

 

We checked email and just relaxed for a while.  Since our flight was quite early in the morning, 6am,  we felt it would be a good idea to pack most of our items.  We did that and then just chilled.  A nice lazy afternoon of sorts. 

 

We had seen a Chinese restaurant while we were walking that was not far from the apartment.  We checked the menu and it appeared adequate.  That was where we would eat dinner.

 

After relaxing and packing, we got dressed and went out to dinner.  As it turned out, we were the only customers.  The service was quite good.  We got lots of attention.  The food was also quite good.  We dined well and left to go back to the apartment.  It was a balmy evening and we had a nice walk.  We got back and put the finishing touches on packing and went to bed.

 

 

Going for Gaudi

September 18, 2013

We decided that today, we would go to Gaudi Park and La Sagrada Familia (the Sacred Family), a cathedral designed by Gaudi.  I had a little orange juice and Dolly had some coffee and we left the apartment. 

 

We walked to the metro and found the directions to get to La Sagrada Familia.  It was a short ride with one transfer.  We got there and there were people everywhere around the building.  Dolly said she would like to go inside so we got in the line, which was wrapped around the entire edifice.  She got in line and I walked around and took some pictures which will follow.

 

 

 

It is a truly magnificent building.  It is not completed and according to lore regarding Gaudi, it will never be completed.

 

 

Dolly had not made much progress in the fifteen minutes or so that I was wandering around taking pictures.  She said that she was not anxious to wait for a long time to go inside, so she got out of line and we wandered around admiring the building.

 

 

Dolly and I in front of La Sagrada Familia

 





We went to the McDonald's across the street from the site and had a bite to eat.  We then boarded the metro to go to Gaudi Park.

 

It was a rather quick ride to the stop for El Parque Gaudi.  We exited the metro and got to street level where I inquired of a vendor where the entrance to the park was.  He gave us directions and we began our trek.  We rounded a corner and followed the signs.  The park was at the top of a steep hill.  We started up.  The first few levels had escalators.  Whew!!!  After that however, it was climbing steps.  I had to stop a couple of times because it was hard work.  We finally got to the entrance and we climbed a little bit more.  At least it was a ramp type situation.

 

On the way up inside the park, I took a few photos of the Barcelona skyline from that vantage point.  The blue you see in the background is the Mediterranean Sea.

 

 

La Sagrada Familia

A Barcelona landmark

 

We wandered the park around many trails.  While walking, we encountered several vendors and some real characters.  One man was dressed in a animal print jumpsuit and singing.  He was not very good.  Later we encountered two mimes who were quite good.

 

 

Dolly and the mimes

The mimes

 

 

We proceeded further up the trail toward what we thought was the top.  Not so, but we were at a restaurant type area that was cut into the mountain. 

 

 

The mountain in Gaudi Park

 

 

We used the facilities and ordered some food.  If you notice, Gaudi designed the columns above the snack bar.  It was quite impressive.  We ate and wandered out onto a plaza that had more examples of Gaudi's genius.

 

Buildings in Gaudi Park

A bench on the plaza

Dolly on one of the benches

 

The art you see on the benches and the roof of the buildings is an  example of the broken tile technique that Gaudi experimented with.  The pieces were quite beautiful.

 

 

We decided to leave the park and headed down a steep hill past a number of souvenir shops and small restaurants.  We were trying to find a bus stop so that we could get back into the center of town.  We casually walked down the hill stopping several times to look in the shops.  We finally got to the main street level and caught the right bus back toward Las Ramblas. 

 

We walked down Las Ramblas toward the harbor area.  We had decided to go for a sail on a 75 foot Fontaine Pagot catamaran around the harbor and into the Mediterranean Sea.  We were a little early so we got a snack to eat and Dolly got the tickets for the cruise.

 

The boat left at approximately 6:30 with a two man crew and captain.  We also had a saxophonist who was quite good.  They had wine on the boat and we got a glass and sat down back near the helm and the captain.  He was quite a likable guy.

 

The sky was clear and the moon was full and we had a great sail out of the harbor and in to the Mediterranean Sea.  It was great. 

 

 

 

 

Dolly and I on the catamaran

 

 

Barcelona from the sea

 

 

We went a few miles out into the Med and sailed around for a while and then started back.  The moon was magnificent!  We sailed our way back into the harbor and pulled into the slip.  We thanked the captain and disembarked.

 

We were hungry and did not want to eat anywhere on Las Ramblas.  We had seen a nice restaurant in the marina next to Mar Magnum called Maritime.  That was where were going.  

 

The restaurant was empty and we were seated rather quickly.  The place was beautiful.  We were out on a covered open air area that was quite lovely.  The service was perfect!  The servers were efficient and the food was delicious.  We casually dined and relaxed.  It was restful to just look at the marina.

 

We left and walked back up Las Ramblas to the metro.  Of course, I had to stop and get a gelato.  We sat on a bench and watched the people.  We noticed a couple of hustlers working the people.  We went on to the metro and traveled back to our apartment.  A truly great day.



 



 

 







 





 

 



 





Another Tour Day (Open Top Bus)

September 17, 2013

We awoke at about 8:00 AM and Dolly went out for her walk.  She said she needed to burn some more calories because we have been eating well.  I lounged a little bit and then I got up.  Dolly came back with some goodies for breakfast. We ate our European breakfast in the apartment and planned our day.  We had another day of touring on the Open Top Bus so that was the plan for the day.  We got dressed and headed out.  It was a slightly cool and somewhat overcast day with mild temperatures.  We caught the metro and headed down to the circle adjacent to Las Ramblas.  We found the area where our bus line was and waited to board a bus.  The area was crowded with tourists and shoppers as there was a large department store and restaurants in the area.

 

Finally we were able to board a bus.  We had to sit down in the covered area because the top level was full.  After a stop or two, we were able to get upstairs.  It was getting cloudier and there appeared to be a serious threat of rain.  Fortunately, I had my rain jacket and Dolly had a poncho for raingear.

 

Going down El Diagonal

 

 

These buses have different routes and we took a different route today since we had done the entire circuit of one route yesterday. The bus started down El Diagonal again and once again the view of the shops and buildings was amazing.  The bus headed north toward a very different part of Barcelona.  Today we were passing through more residential neighborhoods, but one place we passed was La Sagrada Familia, a cathedral designed by Gaudi. We decided to go there tomorrow when we could spend more time and go inside.

 

We stayed on the bus until we were in the area of a local marketplace with vendors, fresh food, and a few restaurants.  We selected an alfresco place in the market to have lunch.  The food was good and we enjoyed our meal there.  The proprietor was impressed that I spoke Spanish and he wanted to talk.  A small group of Anglos sat at the table next to us and wanted to engage us in conversation.  We talked for a bit and then paid our bill and left.  We wandered around the market and bought some gifts for folks back in the U.S.

 

We reboarded the bus on the same route and proceeded on our day's tour.  We headed toward the area of the Universidad de Barcelona.  It was a very open and spacious area that housed the numerous buildings of the university.  We also passed near the Parque Gaudi.  We decided that we wanted to visit the park tomorrow.  Dolly wanted to go to El Museo del Gaudi, but it was in the suburbs and not easy to reach. 

 

The rest of the tour was rather uneventful, but quite interesting.  It rained some during the afternoon, but we were prepared.  The bus took us back through some of the residential neighborhoods and we returned back to the Las Ramblas area.  We got off of the bus and wanted to get something to eat.  We ended up going to The Hard Rock Café.  The food wasn't bad, but it was so loud.

 

Gary in The Hard Rock Café

 

Dolly refused to have her picture taken in the Hard Rock.  She said it was too American.

 

We left there and walked down Las Ramblas for a bit toward the harbor.  It was raining intermittently and we decided to head back to our apartment.  But first, I had to have a gelato.  Good eats!!!! 

 

We went back and decided to tour on our own tomorrow. 

 

Dolly had the idea of calling Air France and complaining about how we had lost two days of sightseeing because we had no luggage.  She did not make any headway.  I took the phone and requested to speak to a supervisor.  Eventually, a very nice agent in Atlanta came on and began helping me.  Air France, Delta and KLM are all in the same alliance and ownership.  After about an hour on the phone the agent booked us on a KLM flight out of Barcelona through Amsterdam to Dulles International scheduled for September 20, 2013 as opposed to September 19, 2013-- a day later, but it did not cost any fees.  Bonanza!!!!!

 

After that, we went to bed and got ready for our adventures tomorrow.



 



 

 









 

I Hope the BAGGAGE comes!!!

September 16, 2013

We awoke at about 7:30 AM.  Dolly decided that she wanted to take a walk around the community and burn some calories.  I stayed in bed.  She came back after about an hour with some bags and some breakfast goodies.  She had found some inexpensive articles of clothing for herself as well.  We sat and ate some cheese and bread with some juice for me and coffee for her.  Dolly said that we ought to go back to the store where we got my shirt and see if they had any pants that would fit me.  I had clean underwear and a clean shirt, but I wanted some pants.  We went back to MareMagnum to the same store where I had gotten the shirt.  The sales person said they had some pants to fit me.  We left after the pants did not fit.   

 

We walked back up Las Ramblas toward the Open Top Bus stops.  I called Air France and inquired about our luggage.  Finally there was some positive news.  They had found Dolly's bag, but had not positively identified my bag.  Dolly's bag went to another city in France.  The agent stated that both bags would be delivered tonight after six pm.

We decided to buy a two day ticket for the tour bus.  We boarded the bus and began our tour.

 

Upstairs on the Open Top Bus

  

The bus started down El Diagonal, a beautiful tree lined avenue with many upscale shops and eateries.  The bus took us toward some buildings that were designed by the Spanish artist, Gaudi.

 

 

A Gaudi design

Another Gaudi design

 

As we traversed El Diagonal, there were many examples of his style of architecture.  If you notice from the pictures above, much of his designs appear to resemble melting wax in many areas like around the windows and the decoration of the balconies.

 

As we proceeded down that avenue there were numerous beautiful examples of architecture.

 

 











Barcelona Soccer Stadium 

 

We wound our way through the city discharging and collecting passengers as we went.  As an interesting observation; when we stopped at the different stops we looked on top of the bus shelters and they were covered with discarded earbuds.

Most of our tour was of the downtown area to start.  We were taken past the football (soccer) stadium of their famous football team, pictured above.

We next climbed a series of hills and went up to the Olympic Stadium and complex.  It was built on a site that had once been the residences of many poor residents. These people were relocated to another area into new houses. There was the swimming venue as well as an Olympic museum on this site.  There was also a tram that ran from the harbor area to the Olympic venue.

We next descended from that area and headed toward the Mediterranean Sea and the harbor.  The view was magnificent as you can see from the picture below.  That's the Mediterranean Sea in the distance.

 

 

We toured the harbor area and saw Barcelona's largest mall, Mar Magnum with its accompanying marina.  It was absolutely beautiful.  While in the waterfront area, we were taken past a great beach and the Olympic Sailing Center and part of the Olympic Village.

 

The buildings that had once housed the athletes were sold once the Olympics had ended.  The tour guide stated that it had once been believed that the farther away from the sea you were the more valuable your property was.  The Olympics and their dwellings changed that thinking.  They were sold after the Olympics were over and are very valuable real estate.

 

We proceeded through the financial district and an older part of Barcelona.  Before we knew it, we were back where we had started our tour.  We disembarked the bus and headed back to our apartment to receive our luggage.

 

We picked up some food on the way to the apartment and began our wait.  We had left word with the concierge that Air France would be bringing our luggage and she placed a note on the glass door to ring the bell to our apartment.  Now we settled in to wait for the delivery of our bags.

The hours seemed to drag by with no courier with our bags.  I got tired of waiting in the apartment.  I went down to the lobby and took a chair and propped the door open to wait for the driver.  Some time near 10 pm, the driver arrived with our bags.  HOORAY!!!!!!!  We checked them and went to bed.  We now have fresh clothing.