Mediterranean & Adriatic Sojourn on Viking Star

April 4, 2023 by

Barcelona to Athens April 3-24, 2023

In Barcelona

From the Viking website, this is the included tour:

Discover Barcelona’s most iconic landmarks on a relaxing drive and a leisurely walk around this impressive city. You will pass the Columbus Monument and Port Vell, the seaside cultural and shopping complex. Admire the Arc de Triomf, a stately remnant from the 1888 World’s Fair. Take in the breathtaking Parc de la Ciutadella, once home to the garrison that protected the city. Next, you will alight from your motor coach and walk into the historic center, stopping to view the stunning neo-Gothic Barcelona Cathedral. The facade of this 14th-century marvel is adorned with many sculptures, including a wide range of animals and mythical gargoyles on its roof. After enjoying free time and an opportunity to take a short walk through the Gothic Quarter, you will return to the ship.

Our included tour was scheduled from 0830 to 1230. We revisited much of the route we took on the Pre-Extension Included Tour, drove past a few of the Gaudi houses, then stopped at Sagrada Familia for a tour of the exterior only. One could look at this church a hundred times and still see something new, so we welcomed the opportunity to visit again.

After looking at Sagrada, we were ushered across the street into a “gift shop that has free restrooms.” The gift shop stocked the typical tourist souvenirs though we did find a few trinkets for our younger grandkids and a nice assortment of postcards.

The allotted time for Sagrada plus gift shop stop was about an hour with a disproportionate amount of time given to the gift shop/restroom stop. We notified the tour guide we would be momentarily leaving the group and he told us the departure time and location. With that info, we headed to a small cafe and enjoyed a cappuccino. I should not be surprised at the length of time it takes for 50 or so adults to use the facilities, nor the frequency that is deemed necessary for doing so; give me another 10-15 years and likely I’ll be looking for the loo, too!

If you’re curious we stopped at Trabucaire for our treat. Just a few doors from the already noted, and nameless, gift store. Sit down, terrace service. 6€ for two cappuccinos and biscuits.

Once we were on our own, we wandered the crooked, narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter and stopped whenever a shop caught our fancy. We checked out stores that carried walls of espadrilles, a one-aisle grocery/liquor store, and a stationary shop. Plus the obligatory stop at a bakery for nibbles. We remembered to look up when we passed under the arches — always saw a few carvings, to our delight.

We eventually ended up at the Barcelona Cathedral. Wow! Interesting in that there was reconstruction taking place high in the spires and steeples, and a huge advertisement billboard for a cell company was plastered on the work area. One way to pay for maintenance! The exterior of the church was spectacular; the square in front of the church was a convenient place to sit and have a bite to eat. We did enter the cathedral, but we took no photos inside the cathedral as we arrived during a liturgy — a super High Mass, the blessing of Chrism (the holy oil that will be used in the sacraments for the coming liturgical year).

The Mass was concelebrated by the Cardinal of Barcelona and attended by all of the Diocesan priests. Quite astonishing to attend this Mass amidst such grandeur. Mass in Italian was also an interesting experience. We knew what was going on, but we still felt a little confused without the familiar English.

Our last stop in the Gothic Quarter was the Picasso Museum. Ooh, la la! What a city! Miro, Gaudi, and Picasso. Part of the fun was getting incredibly turned around in the narrow passageways that crisscross the old quarters. (Also nerve-wracking. Be sure you have maps if you’re here; we lost GPS often amidst the tall stone buildings.) We took the long way from the Barcelona Cathedral to the Museum and were doubly glad we had purchased online tickets. The ticket line wound into the street, but we walked right in at our appointed time.

Our tickets for 2 seniors without audioguide were 15€. If we had added the audio it would have been 25€ for both of us. Tickets are timed; you enter during your 15-minute window. (It always pays to compare. Viator offered a skip-the-line ticket with audio for 44€ for two; more costly and no advantage.)

The Picasso Museum is housed in a set of architectural wonders. From the museum’s website:
The Picasso Museum occupies five large townhouses or palaces on the street Carrer de Montcada. The original palaces date from the 13th-15th centuries, undergoing major refurbishments over time, the most important in the 18th century. The palaces are a good example of Catalan civic gothic style. They have a common structure surrounding a courtyard with access to the main floor via an outdoor open stairway.

The first floor of the museum, accessible without a ticket, offers a few benches for resting, an extensive gift shop featuring high-quality art and other art-related goodies, large accessible restrooms, and pay lockers. No backpacks, even tiny ones, are allowed in the museum so allow time for the bag check if you have a timed ticket. I do recommend this art museum, especially if you have an interest in art or architecture.

My favorites? His series of pigeon paintings. He painted them in a couple of days, looking out from his window in Barcelona, whiling away time as he awaited inspiration to complete a larger piece. My 2-year-old granddaughter would love these as they are similar to chickens and she loves chickens. The palaces are a perfect setting for an art museum. Just look at the exquisite detailing in the room featuring his ceramic work!

By the time we toured the museum and spent a few € in the gift store, we’d walked 5 miles and were a bit weary. Plus hungry, as we’d grabbed a pastry instead of lunch. (May or may not have been a mistake!) We lucked out and caught a taxi near the entrance. The driver spoke minimal English but easily understood we wanted to return to the “cruise port.” 8€. I had my photo of the port’s location just in case…

We were back on board close to 1700 and the Viking Star pulled up anchor and sailed a bit after 1800. Just before we left, we watched the Viking Jupiter pull out of the harbor ahead of us.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: , , , , ,

Barcelona: Viking Cruise Pre-Extension, Day 2

April 2, 2023 by

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.)

\

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.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: , , ,