Barcelona: Viking Cruise Pre-Extension, Day 2

We took a taxi to Park Guell from Hotel Nobu. Initially, we’d planned a walking route from Nobu to Guell, but the Viking host disabused us of that plan. Though it didn’t sound far — a little more than a mile — I hadn’t considered the topography. As in, all uphill! The taxi got us there in 30 minutes — had to detour around a half dozen garbage trucks on their early morning routes — and cost 10€. Well worth the money. We had timed-entry tickets (10€ per senior over aged 60) purchased two months prior to our visit and arrived just in time to enter during our 30-minute window. (Walk-up tickets were still available for the early entry hours, nothing after 1200.)

While at Park Guell, we took the opportunity to visit Gaudi’s Home (5€ per adult). I loved the view, the details, and especially his private oratorium (prayer room). I never pass an opportunity to visit artists’ homes and I was not disappointed in the house Gaudi designed and built for himself and two family members.

The reward for all that walking and stair climbing? Chocolate croissants in a little bakery on our walk from Guell to Sagrada Familia church. We had ticketed access to the church’s interior beginning at 1515 so we walked around the exterior. I bought a woven palm cross for 2€ from one of the many women selling their homemade creations; it was Palm Sunday and there were all sorts of weavings from the palm leaves offered for sale — and waited.

Finally! Time to enter Sagrada Familia. Security was required for entrance — xray detectors like those found in airport security — and we were required to store our small backpack in a locker. From the end of the line to our entrance into the church took about 20 minutes. Then, finally, we were inside.

We then took the Tower Tour at Sagrada Familia scheduled for 1645. First, we rode an elevator halfway up the Passion Tower, then we climbed several flights of stairs toward the top and took in the views. Then came the fun part. Descending around and round and round, the steps are deep but there is a sturdy steel handrail for most of the descent. Loved the experience, but my legs weren’t happy the day after. If you are not claustrophobic and you can handle perhaps 100 uneven ascending steps followed by 400+ descending steps, this additional tour is well worth your time and money.

Sitting in the midst of ALL the light, I spent lots of time just sitting and watching the light and color shift in the interior of La Sagrada Familia. Gaudi’s masterpiece. The exterior was breathtaking in its grandeur. Still under construction, it’s due to be finished in 2027. But the inside is all organic form and stained glass and color and light.

We chose to not take a guided tour as I wanted to explore/take photos on my own timetable. I did order the self-guided audio tour and we used our Bluetooth headphones to listen to descriptions of the various areas. (We abandoned this halfway through. I’d done my research before going and the guide became a distraction. However, I do think many folks would appreciate the guide.)

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Our Sagrada tickets — entrance, audio tour, and Tower tour for two seniors — were 56€. I purchased them online about 10 weeks prior to our visit. A note: morning sunlight lights up the cool blue and green windows on the east side of the church: afternoon/evening light illuminates the warmer colors — oranges and yellows. If this matters to you, choose tickets accordingly. Next time we go, I’ll try and do a cool colors morning visit.

We took public transit back to the hotel. (Train station is across the street from Sagrada, then across the street from Hotel Nobu.) Super convenient, but a bit confusing. If you enjoy exploring that way, I recommend the experience.

There was an optional Viking walking tour offered in the late afternoon. $59 per person. We didn’t go since we’d planned an independent visit including Park Guell and Sagrada Familia reservations, but there was enough interest that Viking organized several tour groups. (If you want to see specific major highlights, plan on getting advanced tickets and going on your own. Folks were disappointed to find out that main attractions such as Sagrada and the Gaudi Houses were at full capacity. Research prior to your trip unless you’re satisfied with Viking planning and providing their Barcelona experience package.)

One of the Viking hosts recommended a nearby restaurant, Asador de Bierzo, for our second dinner in Barcelona. Not as quaint or cozy as our first dining adventure, but the food was fine. Snails. Catalan tomato bread. Iberian ham. Codfish and lamb for our main courses. A local bottle of wine. More expensive than Brases and I wasn’t a fan of the big screen TVs playing nonstop in a nicely appointed dining room. The staff did their jobs, though perfunctorily. If we could get a do-over, we’d choose differently and find a more intimate local place.

Barcelona: Viking Cruise Pre-extension, Day 1

We did take advantage of Viking’s Barcelona pre-extension because we were using a free airfare promotion and it made sense in this instance. Not always the case. We usually book our own flights, but we always consider our options. $599 per person for the pre-extension at the Barcelona Hotel Nobu was still pricier than if we’d done it on our own, but not by much. For our money, we got transfers from the airport to the hotel, a decent hotel very convenient to transportation, breakfast (which we ate only once in 3 days though many folks took advantage of the “free” buffet), and an included bus tour of the city on our way to the ship for embarkation. Viking hosts were available for questions from early morning to late evening. There were 331 passengers from both the Star and Jupiter at the hotel and Viking had all moving parts coordinated nicely.

Barcelona, while large and urban, is relatively easy to negotiate. Taxis were readily available at the hotel, though not as easy to hail from the streets. (We took a cab three times and only one driver spoke enough conversational English to answer our questions. Prepare ahead with written notes or be willing to use hand signs!) The train station was across the street and provided easy access to not only Barcelona but the surrounding region. We walked from the hotel to restaurants, coffee shops, the pharmacy, and a grocery store — all within a few blocks of Nobu.

We dropped our carry-on baggage in our room, took a quick shower, then headed out to do some sightseeing. I ordered online tickets to the Miro Fundacio though tickets were available at the entrance. Senior admission was half price, 7€ per person. It was a 20-minute taxi ride on a Saturday afternoon. 10€. I highly recommend this museum if you enjoy Miro. Designed by the artist himself, the Foundation has the most extensive Miro collection in the world. 200+ paintings, over a hundred sculptures, plus pencil sketches and more.

The museum is situated high above the city in the Montjuïc area and offers incredible views of the Barcelona skyline with a tiny Sagrada Familia rising from the horizon, plus the Mediterranean Sea glimmering in the sunlight. We ate at the museum’s outside garden cafe — one beer, one juice, and two sandwiches for 30€. Convenient and a lovely setting, decent food. Popular on a Saturday mid-afternoon, we waited about 40 minutes to order and get our food. But after the overnight flight, we were happy enough to sit and linger.

After our Miro visit, we walked through Mediterranean gardens on our way to the National Gallery of Art. It was a free community day so the museum was packed. Security screening was required for all belongings, a minor inconvenience. We walked through a few exhibits before admitting that we were too fatigued to negotiate the crowds, so we returned to the outside gardens. We enjoyed the folks, the music, the views. (Don’t bother with the gelato — awful and expensive.) Then we walked down, down, down, plus escalators, and eventually returned to our hotel.

A late afternoon nap revived us, and we went looking for dinner around 7 pm. (Early for Europe, but jet lag.) Found Brassos Bier. Friendly servers, excellent drinks, local food, English, and a convenient 3-block walk from the Nobu. Recommended. 60€ for one very large gin and tonic, a decent bottle of red wine, a shared bread and tomato appetizer, three tapas, one dessert, two coffees, and two after-dinner liqueurs. The liqueur was a yellow fruity ‘Herbs of the gods” per the server and was on the house.

April in the Mediterranean — First Step, Chicago O’Hare

VIKING STAR Mediterranean & Adriatic Sojourn Ocean Cruise
Barcelona to Athens April 3-24, 2023

PRE-EXTENSION IN BARCELONA APRIL 1-2
POST EXTENSION IN ATHENS APRIL 24-28

“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.” ~ Pico Iyer

Chicago To Barcelona

We had United/Lufthansa flights, Chicago O’Hare to Frankfurt Germany to Barcelona. We had a tight 1:35-minute connection in Frankfurt and a delay in Chicago cut that to 55 minutes. Still, we had enough time to make our connection. Be advised: there is a long flight of stairs going up from the airplane to the terminal, then there is a 15-minute walk to security. Once through security, there is another 15-minute walk to the regional jets. We arrived at 5:30AM so the airport was not crowded — I’m sure that made a difference. We had only had carry-on luggage — hard for the stairs, but otherwise worked fine—thus there was no need to worry about transferred luggage. Lufthansa was checking the weight of economy baggage and refusing those bags weighing more than 17 pounds. If you were in business class, no worries. Plenty of room for carry-on in Business.

UNITED TERMINAL, OHARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Hotel Nobu Barcelona
Easy to find Viking representatives at the luggage carousels. Just follow the luggage/exit signs. Small vans were there to take us to the hotel. Our FRA-BCN flight was delayed 30 minutes due to airspace restrictions because of the French air controller strikes. We arrived in BCN at 10:00 and were in our hotel room by 11:15. Nobu has Viking down to a science. There were 331 passengers from both the Star and Jupiter for the extensions. Four reps handled questions, made reservations, and offered restaurant recommendations for the Star, another set of reps served the Jupiter passengers. There was an optional Viking walking tour of Barcelona late afternoon of the day before embarkation. $59 per person. We didn’t go since we’d made Park Guell and Sagrada Familia reservations three months ago. (If you want to see the highlights, get advanced tickets. Folks were disappointed to find out main attractions were sold out. Research before you hop on your flight unless you’re satisfied with Viking planning and providing your Barcelona experience. The hotel is lovely and very modern, the staff is helpful. Included breakfast is what you’d expect. Basic buffet with paid options such as omelets and special order eggs. We ate there the first morning, otherwise went in search of local places. Found a great Catalan dining spot three blocks from the hotel. Brassos Bier.

The train station is right across the street from Nobu — underground connections for regional trains/trams and the metro. (Barcelona Sants) We bought a 48-hour Hola travel card for about 16 euros each and took the metro to and from Sagrada Familia, and busses to museums. Recommend using public transportation if you are a seasoned or adventurous traveler and you are mobile. Stairs departing and arriving, not all stations provide services for reduced mobility folks. It worked for us but we had some moments of confusion. An accommodating attendant smoothed the way, but it took some perseverance to find an English-speaking attendant when we ran into issues with the machine refusing our ticket! The train station across the street from the hotel also has many stores — think clothing, luggage, food market, and more. Also, a well-stocked Pharmacy (Farmacia) if you need any last-minute medical stuff. Remember, the pharmacies in Spain are more like urgent care in the States.

An Afternoon in Trinidad, Cuba

Street of Trinidad ©2019 Bo Mackison

Walking along old cobblestone streets and alleyways in Trinidad, past the tile-roofed and pastel-colored buildings. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Museo de Historia Municipal.

Trinidad’s main museum, this once grand mansion is only steps from Plaza Mayor. It belonged to the Borrell family from 1827 to 1830 and then was owned by to a German sugar baron named Kanter. Though in poor condition, it gives a glimpse of the once highly decorated style.

Fountain ©2019 Bo Mackison
Corner Protector ©2019 Bo Mackison

Large posts are set at the corners of many of the buildings as protection from passing vehicles. A bit of graffiti on the post; hand created tablecloths blowing in the background.

Street in Trinidad ©2019 Bo Mackison
Once Governor’s Home, On the Square ©2019 Bo Mackison
Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima Trinidad amidst Palm Trees ©2019 Bo Mackison

Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima Trinidad ©2019 Bo Mackison

This church on the northeastern side of Plaza Mayor is a popular stop, but it was closed when we visited on a Sunday afternoon. Rebuilt in 1892 on the site of a church destroyed in a storm, it houses artifacts dating to the 18th century,

Museo de Arquitectura ©2019 Bo Mackison

This architecture museum showcases the upper-class domestic architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries. Housed in buildings erected in 1738 and 1785, the two homes were connected in 1819. Once the residence of the wealthy Iznaga family, it has displays of some family heirlooms.

Palm ©2019 Bo Mackison
Ironwork in the Plaza ©2019 Bo Mackison
Streets of Trinidad III ©2019 Bo Mackison
Artist of Trinidad ©2019 Bo Mackison

This woodcarver is featured in the 19th-century Palacio Ortiz house on the southeastern side of Plaza Mayor. He carves full-sized portraits from vintage doors he scavenges on the island. Incredible work.

On the Way to Trinidad – Cienfuegos and The Valley of Sugar Mills

Cienfuegos is considered one of Cuba’s more well-preserved cities. Cienfuegos (meaning “100 Fires”) was settled in 1819 by the French. A grid of straight streets, squares and fountains, and symmetrical colonnades carry hints of Bordeaux and New Orleans.

The original church building was opened in 1833, with additions and improvements completed in the 1850-1860s. The church was declared a cathedral in 1903. UNESCO Heritage Site, 2005.

View of side street in Cienfuegos, Cuba
Transportation in Cienfuegos © 2019 Bo Mackison

More than 300 buildings from the latter half of the 19th century remain in the downtown area and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the living conditions are in various states of disrepair and services are basic.

After we left Cienfuegos, we passed through the Valley of the Sugar Mills, once home to more than 50 mills during its colonial heyday, and made our first stop at the estate and grounds of former sugar magnate Manacas Iznaga.

The Cuban sugar empire lasted from the late 18th to the late 19th century. At its peak, 50 sugar mills were concurrently in operation, producing 140,000 sugar cane arrobas per 32 acres. Valley of the Sugar Mills has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today, there are few signs of the once bustling production. The former plantation and factory remain, and they have been converted into guest facilities — a restaurant and bar, a small gift shop, and a street bazaar.

Tower

One of the most striking features of this property is the tall tower that bears the former sugar baron’s name. According to Cuban legend, Iznaga built the tower so he could overlook his lands and keep watch of the many slaves who worked his fields.

The people depend on the sales of their handiwork. A large tablecloth, hand-created, costs about $30-50 — a bargain. But to add perspective, the average Cuban in a government sponsored job — perhaps high school teacher or psychologist or common laborer — makes about $25 a month.

Now that the Cuban citizens are allowed to make money in the tourist sector, their chances to make enough money for above-substenance living have improved.