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.
About Bo Mackison
