On the Move Again ...

GRATITUDES: And so we couldn't believe our good fortune to get such a good deal on a room in a fabulous hotel for our stop over in Barcelona last night ... we paid just $98€.  We had paid over twice that for our wee little place in Amsterdam! Remember ... the 52 skinny steps up ... so tiny ... not even a chair. This one was described as "Plush, stylish rooms in a modernist high-rise hotel with dining, a health club & an upscale spa." Yep. That it was.

GROANS:  And not unlike the elevators which you pre-program at the alter before you even get in ... the drapes in our room were controlled electrically by one of the buttons in the panel of switchs beside the bed.   Which we did not discover until this morning! Argh. So we slept with the bright lights of Barcelona casting enough glow into our room that it never did get very dark! 😏

GAHS: For people who have been travelling for almost 6 weeks ... you'd think we'd be a bit more savvy.  Which brings me back to this hotel choice.  It truly is very luxurious.  But when we booked the room we opted NOT to have our breakfast included because it was another $24.90€ PER person.  With the exchange ... it's about $38 CAD. This seemed a bit steep ...

GRIMACES: We thought for sure we could eat cheaper than that ... somewhere.  And we were correct!  We could have one coffee, one orange juice and one croissant for $9.90€ in our hotel. Well ... THAT seemed even less desirable ... so ... we blew the wad and had the whole buffet!!!  And it was delicious.  We helped justify the expense by reminding ourselves that the hotel provided a complimentary shuttle to the airport. 

GRIMACES: Airports. Period. They  can be such interesting places but ... the flurry, the hurry, the scurry and then the wait ... it just feels so stressful compared to train travel.  We have really loved the trains ... seems so effortless and easy. 🚄🚉🚅

In the UK and Europe it seems they won't announce the gate until 20 minutes before you fly.  So you must watch the board... and watch the board ... and then as soon as they post the number they instruct "go to your gate".  And sometimes the gate is a long ways away!! 

And then they check your ticket and determine which line is right for you to queue.   Today ... one line for me and a different for my husband(?) Even though we are seated beside each other. 🤔

GAHS: And then we stand in the line up.  Only to have Google alert me that the plane is delayed by 15 minutes ... which ends up being 30 minutes.  But we are still standing. No announcement at the gate that we are departing late.  🙄

GIFTS: But ... it's a nice bright airport! And we have a very lovely flight with TAP Air Portugal from Barcelona to Lisbon. The announcements are only in Portguese and English.  No Spanish nor Catalan nor French. And I am reminded of how much less stress I experience when I can easily understand the announcement system.

GRATITUDES: And they served complimentary sandwiches and drinks (including wine!) ... which was absolutely appreciated.  And we made up most of the delay in the air... so ... no worries about our connection to Porto! ✈

And then ... on our short flight from Lisbon to Porto ... they served us chocolate caramel nut frozen ice cream bars!! I don't even much enjoy ice cream ... but ... that snack sure beats the pretzels we usually get on a short flight! 🍦

And ... our Airbnb host picked us up at the airport so no issues with finding transport or location!  BUT we had another WILD ride ... including going the wrong way up a one way single lane path!! 😱

On the plus side ... our host had a wealth of suggestions and recommendations for us. He really went out of his way to ensure we got a good sense of the possibilities for us to enjoy here! We are very grateful.

And now ... we are settled into our 8th floor room. The view from our balcony is beautiful and we are looking forward to getting more acquainted with this lovely little city in the morning!  😊

Sending warm hugs .... k&jRead more