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📍 Avustralya Okumaya devam et Queensland, Australia
  • SpydahSpain, Rhine & Danube
    Gün 23

    The German word for kitsch is kitsch

    3 Ekim 2019, Almanya ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    After sailing through the night we arrived at the large town of Würzburg at around 9am. We'd been given a number of choices of activity for the morning, among them a trip to what our information sheet told us was the most famous and perhaps one of the most picturesque villages in all of Germany, Rothenberg ob der Tauber. That was the option we chose. It took us about an hour to get there, which was great as it gave us a good opportunity to see more of the German countryside, which was very scenic. Much of the land was planted out as vineyards, particularly on the steep hillsides, while the flatter areas were growing crops such as sugar beet and winter wheat. This time we had a German guide, an art historian, who spoke excellent English and who was very knowledgeable. As we all know though, Germans don't do humour very well and she shouldn't have tried. Our Scottish guide from the previous day had been way better.

    This day was a national holiday celebrating Germany's reunification, so about half the shops in the town were closed, not that that bothered us at all. Despite the closures and the cold dry weather in what should be the tourist off-season the place was quite busy. One wouldn't want to be there at the height of the season.

    The mediaeval town dates back to 1274, and it is beautifully preserved. The buildings are interesting to see, though Brian found it quite challenging to take good photos which didn't have tourists or parked cars in the way. We were given a couple of hours to browse through the town, and this was more than adequate. There were plenty of little cafes and bars to choose from, but as we get generously fed and watered on board our ship we had adopted the Nil by Mouth approach while out and about.

    What we couldn't get over was how unbelievably kitsch so much of the merchandise in the shop windows was. It gave a somewhat touristy tacky feel to the place even though it is a very nice town in all other respects.

    There is a chain of Christmas shops called Käthe Wolfahrt, which occupy prominent positions, at least in every German town we have visited so far. They do overpriced kitsch like nobody else, though they had several competitors in terms of sucking in tourists' euros.

    After spending every bit as much time as we'd wanted in Rothenberg we jumped on the buses and headed back.

    The real surprise came after lunch when Brian and a couple of fellow passengers decided to borrow bikes and go off to explore Würzburg. Mary declined to join us, having decided some time ago that she and a bicycle are not a good combination.

     Brian quickly realised that Würzburg was where we should have spent the whole day. It is a really appealing town with a lot of interesting architectural styles, beautifully restored buildings and wonderful parkland surrounding it all on three sides. It was the first time Brian had ridden a bike since our last overseas holiday two years ago, and he was quite wobbly. This being a public holiday the footpaths were filled with pedestrians none of whom realised how lucky they were not to have been mowed down by an out of control bicycle. Unfortunately we were pressed for time as the ship was due to set sail at 4pm, so it was a bit of a rushed trip . The town offers so many terrific sights and photo opportunities, and Brian would have liked to have lingered a whole lot longer. Nevertheless Mary was quite relieved to see him get back on board still in one piece.    Okumaya devam et

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  • SpydahSpain, Rhine & Danube
    Gün 22

    Precision driving

    2 Ekim 2019, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    We travelled through the night, and from what we could gather, there was a great deal happening while we were sleeping off the effects of our over-indulging. All told our trip takes us through 66 locks, each one requiring some very tight manoevering of our 130 metre long ship.

    After breakfast Brian ventured up to the top deck and was chatting with our very friendly captain while he was manoevering us into one of the locks. His aim was to place the ship within a couple of centimetres of the side of the lock, and he demonstrated some real precision tweaking of the controls in order to do it. As he pointed out, a one centimetre movement at the bow can result in ten times that movement at the stern. Once we were correctly positioned within the lock a couple of the crewmen were running around frantically operating winches and securing the ship tightly within the lock. Of course it had to be done in a way which still allowed the ship to rise as water entered the lock. This detailed procedure had to be repeated for every one of those 66 locks. As a further complication there are a few licks, referred to as banana locks, which are slightly curved. Evidently they are even more challenging, and probably explain the occasional thumps that we felt as our ship travelled through the night.

    Then there were the low bridges. We got to experience one of them. As we approached it the wheelhouse was lowered hydraulically until its roof was the same level as the upper deck. The captain meanwhile opened a hatch in the ceiling so that he could steer. At the same time we were told very strictly that we had to remain seated while we passed under the bridge, but were reassured by the captain that, provided we followed his instructions, we would be OK. As we got within a few metres of the bridge we became less confident of this and felt as though we were playing chicken with a runaway train. It was a great relief when we did pass under the bridge with no more than 30 cm between the tops of our heads and the underside of the stone bridge.

    We spent the morning alternating between admiring the scenery, taking photos and freezing on the top deck then going down to the lounge and thawing out. By lunchtime we had reached Miltenberg a quaint old town with a history going back to Roman times. Our guide there, dressed in traditional lederhosen, introduced himself to us as Jim - hardly a traditional German name. The fact that he spoke with a broad Glaswegian accent added further to the incongruity. It turns out that he met and married a local German girl and was a long term resident of the town. He was very knowledgeable, and that, combined with a typical Scottish sense of humour made our walking tour of the town both pleasant and informative. We found Milternberg to be a well preserved and interesting place. Like so many of the towns visited so far it was moderately busy, but we can imagine that in the height of the tourist season it would be a place best avoided.

    Following our excellent dinner on the ship we drifted up to the lounge where the onboard entertainers, a husband and wife team, were just beginning a Tribute to the Beatles performance. Having had a glass or two of the freely flowing wine we happily sang along, as did many others. Then Mary really entered into the spirits of things and had a really enjoyable time reliving her days as a mad Beatles fan and dancing to the music.    Okumaya devam et

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  • SpydahSpain, Rhine & Danube
    1
    111
    Gün 21

    Having ones cake and eating it too

    1 Ekim 2019, Almanya ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We'd been told by the excellent Cheri, our Tour Director, that we'd be getting into the main part of the Rhine gorge overnight and that we'd be in an area of castles from about 4.30am. No castle is worth getting up that early for, but in a heroic act we set the alarm for 6.30am. Looking out the cabin window everything was still pitch black, so whatever we missed, we would have missed anyway.
    We headed up to the top deck at about 7.30 and joined a few hardy souls who were already there and madly taking photos. No question, there was plenty to see, with many photogenic little riverside towns, impressive church towers and, yes, quite a number of castles. Our GPS-driven audio guide would tell us what was coming up, which was very helpful. Brian managed to get quite a few (hopefully) good photos. We shall see.

    The only slight downside was the weather. There was a cold wind blowing, and even though we were well rugged up it was a bit of an act of endurance. After a couple of hours, having viewed the famous Lorelei, we retreated to the lounge to watch the changing view from there. Every so often, when there was an interesting sounding alert on his audio guide, Brian would head upstairs to get some more pictures..

    We were headed for the town of Rudesheim, where we'd been given the choice of two alternative shore activities. We could visit the museum of mechanical musical instruments or we could take a ride in a semi-enclosed gondola to the summit of the hill overlooking Rudesheim.

    As the weather was so unpredictable we had opted for the former, even though Brian was cynically expecting it to be little more than a rather kitsch tourist trap. How wrong he was! It was absolutely amazing and we'd love to have spent a lot longer than the allocated 40 minutes there.

    The museum has been in the hands of the one family for three generations and they have a true passion for collecting and restoring these ingenious machines. Most of them date back to the early years of last century and many are in good working order. Some of the more elaborate ones are up to 2.5 metres tall by about 2m wide and incorporate various instruments - piano, multiple violins, pipe organ, drums and so on. They contain the most ingenious mechanisms which are governed by perforated paper rolls similar to pianola rolls. The working models were able to play instantly recognisable versions of very well-known musical pieces.

    We'd been told that we would have enough time if we so wished to buy our own tickets and take the gondola ride. At that stage the weather had cleared a bit so we strolled the 50 metres or so and bought our tickets. It really is a highly scenic and enjoyable ride to the top. We travelled the whole way above vineyards, the Rhine Valley being famous for its wines. The views on the way up and from the summit are really great. One looks over the very picturesque town and beyond it to the river. There is also a giant memorial at the top, built in 1877 to commemorate Germany's victory in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.

    Rudesheim is a beautiful town. While it is undoubtedly busy during the tourist season, we were fortunate enough to be there when it was very quiet. While doubtful at first we were pleased to have enjoyed both of the available tour options and so, to have had our cake and eaten it too.

    Having dined in a palace with a real live princess the previous night it would have been too much of a shock for us to go straight back to dining with the hoi polloi in the main restaurant the following night. Fortunately we had a way out of that difficult situation. The ship also has a gourmet restaurant, named Chef's Table , seating up to 24 guests. Anyone can book it at no extra cost, the only stipulation being that one can book it no more than twice on a voyage. We'd already booked it a couple of days previously for 1st October, so that worked out rather well. Our table of nine had some real characters and was rather riotous, particularly after a few glasses of the free-flowing wine had been consumed. As one might expect, the six-course meal was superb.

    As we were leaving the restaurant a quiz night was just starting in the main lounge, so we decided to join them. We won, the prize being a box of chocolates which none of us really needed. On the strength of our quiz success and of having got on so well together we made a block booking for the Chef's Table for 6 October. A great day all round.    Okumaya devam et

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  • SpydahSpain, Rhine & Danube
    1
    11111
    Gün 20

    No eau in Cologne

    30 Eylül 2019, Almanya ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    While we were all tucked up in bed the ship was sailing from Utrecht to Cologne, arriving about the time that we were waking up. The really good news was that for the first time since we'd left Spain the weather was dry.

    The ship berthed practically in the centre of the city, so our guide collected us directly from the ship for the leisurely walk through historical Cologne. Its most famous landmark of course is the cathedral, and we headed off in that direction.

    To put it bluntly, we were somwhat disappointed by Cologne. It had had to be totally rebuilt after the war, but it wasn't done very well, particularly when compared to other cities which were rebuilt in ways which were far more sympathetic to their history. Certainly there are some attractive old buildings but they are generally surrounded by other buildings which are more modern and totally unattractive. Even the cathedral itself is hemmed in by an ugly museum of Roman history and various other nondescript structures.

    True, it is a world heritage listed building with a history going back to the 13th century. It's also huge, being the tallest twin spire cathedral and the third tallest cathedral of any type in the world. However the building looked rather grey and dirty over most of its stone walls, giving the impression that it needed a good pressure clean. In reality it isn't that simple, and there is quite a bit of major restoration work being done continuously to the exterior.

    We then went inside, and that was impressive. That's where we could gain an appreciation of the size of the building and admire its many stained glass windows. From there we wandered through the old town square and on to a brewery where we were treated to an "authentic " German experience. There were some light snacks laid out and, as part of the deal, those of us who wanted them were served two glasses of beer. Unlike the famous steins of Munich and elsewhere these glasses were only 200ml. Not much chance of anyone getting drunk. While we were onshore, our ship was sailing from Cologne to Bonn, so we were shepherded onto buses for the 30 minute drive to the ship.

    Throughout the trip so far we have been highly impressed by the smooth organisation and by the precision with which everything takes place. Our buses arrived in Bonn exactly as the ship was berthing.

    As mentioned, we felt that Cologne wasn't an especially attractive place, particularly when compared with other cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Toledo and Madrid which we have visited recently.

    However, the day was to look up considerably. Back on the ship and after lunch the wind dropped and the sun began to shine. Furthermore we were just entering the most interesting stretch of the Rhine, so it was a great opportunity to get out on to the deck and start taking photos of the passing scenery of castles, churches and very attractive small towns.

    Dinner this night wasn't on board ship but instead was at a real live castle and hosted by a real live princess. Not that we were too overawed by the latter, since Europe is filled with faded royalty. Nonetheless, the grandly titled Princess Luise Dorothea von Hohenzollern-Namedy turned out to be a very charming lady and she welcomed us all in a long and gracious speech. We then had a free run of the grounds and most of the rooms of Schloss Burg Namedy . To pay for what must be the very expensive upkeep of the castle and grounds it is now run as a reception centre. We had exclusive use of it for a very pleasant dinner in the large reception hall.

    The Princess and her late husband's family are great sponsors of classical music and opera, and the evening concluded with a short recital on the grand piano given by an up and coming expatriate Australian pianist Robbin Reza.

    After that, it was all aboard the buses for the 15 minute drive back to our ship.    Okumaya devam et

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  • SpydahSpain, Rhine & Danube
    1
    11
    Gün 19

    Amsterdam to Utrecht and beyond

    29 Eylül 2019, Hollanda ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    There's no point in trying to put a positive spin on it. The weather when we woke up was absolutely foul, with heavy rain and strong winds. It was far from ideal for sightseeing, but it was a matter of taking whatever opportunity one can to see whatever sights one can.

    We had the choice of either going on an Amsterdam canal cruise on an enclosed glass-topped boat or of visiting a touristy Dutch village. We chose the former. It was a great way to see this interesting and beautiful city, even though what we mainly got were tantalising glimpses of highly photogenic scenes. After the hour long boat trip we were dropped off in the museum district and told that we had an hour of free time before we'd be picked up and taken back to the Amaverde. We'd like to have visited the Van Gogh museum but our guide told us that tickets are hard to come by at short notice and that they're available always only for specific time slots. Besides, we decided that a one hour time slot really wasn't enough for a visit to that or any other museum. Instead, we headed back to the Rijkmuseum and spent the time in the gift shop and foyer area.

    During the Spanish leg of our trip we got into the habit of having a large buffet breakfast and then skipping lunch. Generally we'd then have a nice big dinner. With so much food and wine on our boat one would require far more self-discipline than we have in order to stick to such a routine. However, we did stick to having salad and fruit for lunch. At least that was the case until we discovered the raspberry ice cream dessert...

    APT are evaluating a new system whereby every cabin gets issued with a mobile phone which is pre-loaded with their software. Aside from the phones having GPS and touring guides they also offer unlimited messaging and phone calls to anywhere in the world. Were it not for the fact that we had already bought a European SIM card for use throughout Europe we would have found this to be an excellent arrangement. In the afternoon there was a briefing and help session given by the company supplying the special phones. We chose to attend, though Brian couldn't help himself. With his Brisbane Seniors Online hat on, he found himself helping several of our fellow passengers. The system is excellent, but given the age demographic, it may prove too challenging for many people.

    The rest of the afternoon was free, after which we attended the Captain's Welcome Cocktail and Gala Dinner. Given that there were 140 passengers on board it was a bit of a ritualised occasion. We joined a couple for dinner who are former dairy farmers from Canterbury, now living in Christchurch. They were good company and we spent a very pleasant evening.    Okumaya devam et

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  • SpydahSpain, Rhine & Danube
    11
    Gün 18

    Welcome aboard

    28 Eylül 2019, Hollanda ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    A pleasant buffet breakfast and Brian was once again doing battle with the incompetents at Virgin Global Wallet. After them insisting that they couldn't do anything to help us until we had sent them proof by means of a screen shot from our phone proving that another part of their own organisation had done what was asked of them by updating Mary's mobile number in their own system, they finally demonstrated that their stupidity knows no bounds. We received an email telling us that the mobile number we had nominated as belonging to Mary and the number shown in the requested screen shot were different. The difference? One of them showed the +61 international dialling code while the other one didn't. So, email number 20 or thereabouts, pointing out their stupidity was duly sent. Surely that lot exists in some sort of Kafkaesque world.

    Anyway, we duly checked out late morning and Ubered to the Amaverde, our mobile home for the next 15 days. Quite a few fellow travellers had arrived already, all of them Aussies or Kiwis, and we too were welcomed aboard. Ample sandwiches, cakes and drinks were available, and we were happy to make ourselves at home out of the wet weather in the large and comfortable lounge. At the 3pm check-in time we were shown to our cabin, where our luggage was waiting for us.

    The cabin and bathroom proved to be surprisingly large with plenty of storage space. Heading back upstairs to the lounge we all received a detailed briefing about what was happening and what in turn was required of us.

    One thing became apparent early on. With unlimited quantities of drinks and excellent food it would be easy to turn into a 120kg alcoholic very quickly. Dinner and drinks were excellent.

    The tour leader had suggested that if anyone wanted to go for a wander, the Red Light district was only a few hundred metres away and was well worth a visit. We had seen it in broad daylight hours a couple of days previously, but thought it would be worth a look after dark. As we were passing the reception desk we overheard a fellow passenger, Caroline, asking for directions, so the three of us decided to join forces to explore the Red Light district.

    It was a pleasant leisurely walk of about a kilometre to get there, and what a surprise when we arrived . It was so different from our previous daytime visit. For a start, the streets of the area were jam-packed with pedestrians., and clearly not all of them were looking for girls. There were so many restaurants of all styles, and all of them seemed to be doing a roaring trade.

    Then, of course, there were the girls. There were dozens of them to be seen, but rather than standing in shop doorways each of the very scantily clad girls was standing inside what was almost like their own individual shop window. The moment a client opened the door and walked inside a blind would immediately be pulled down, and the rest was up to ones imagination.

    Brian was carrying his camera on a strap round his neck, and the instant he looked like picking it up to get a photo there would be loud vigorous banging on the glass window and wild gesturing from whatever girl was the likely photographic subject. Fearing either a riot or a beating Brian had to abandon any notion of photographing the girls.

    It was an interesting visit. Unlike Sydney's Kings Cross it wasn't at all seedy, and there wasn't the yobbo element that one might expect to find in Australia. We got back to the boat at around 11pm having had another full and interesting day.    Okumaya devam et

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  • SpydahSpain, Rhine & Danube
    1
    Gün 16

    Initial challenges, before it comes good

    26 Eylül 2019, Hollanda ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    After we'd had breakfast and got ourselves organised we decided to head downtown to explore Amsterdam . The no. 13 tram stop was just a couple of hundred metres from the hotel, and from there it was an easy 20 minute run to the centre of town.

    The weather was lousy, with rain and Intermittent heavy showers. The wind was blowing strongly enough to turn our brollies inside out, and destroy Brian's, so it wasn't all that pleasant. Nevertheless we could see so many interesting views of canals and historic buildings and Brian was determined to try and get some good shots with the brand new camera.

    This camera has so many features and menu settings that il requires a lot of time, which we didn't have, to become familiar with them all. So there we were, all rugged up against the wind and rain, wrestling with brollies and trying to use an unfamiliar camera while trying to keep it from getting wet. That was certainly a low point and the closest, so far at least, to Brian having a dummy spit. Fortunately Mary was there to help calm him down.

    Things actually started looking up from then on, with the showers becoming less frequent. Also, Brian found that he was able to get a few half decent camera shots.

    For a while we just wandered, enjoying the views, but then headed for the old Jewish district, which is part of the Old Town. As the rain was still hanging round we decided we'd concentrate at least initially on visiting the insides of buildings and avoiding the worst of the weather. The Portuguese Synagogue was quite interesting, evidently one of the biggest synagogues in Europe. Our entry tickets also entitled us to visit the Jewish Museum and that was really great , with the displays and exhibits beautifully set up. We spent quite a bit of time there, by which stage the weather had improved marginally.
    We then headed headed towards the red light district, nowadays more of a tourist attraction than anything else. There was still plenty of interesting and unusual merchandise on offer from many of the shops but nothing that would appeal greatly to a couple who have been married for 52 years. Still we did thoroughly enjoy our introduction to Amsterdam.
    It is a very picturesque city and pedestrian friendly, more or less. That qualification refers to the fact that, while there are plenty of pedestrian crossings and pedestrian traffic lights, they are completely ignored by the huge number of bike riders who clearly take the view that they have priority over everyone else. Quite a few times we found ourselves having to leap out of their way or get run down. .
    One of the very pleasant features of Amsterdam is the friendliness and helpfulness of the locals. You only have to be looking slightly puzzled or be staring at a map and almost immediately someone will be asking if you'd like some help. On crowded trams, younger people would immediately leap to their feet to offer us a seat and were most insistant that we accept their offer.
    By late afternoon we were pretty exhausted, so headed back to the hotel for a refresh before dinner.
    Rather than eat at the hotel we then headed back on the tram towards town and stumbled across a really great, friendly and authentic Italian restaurant. The day had started out a bit shakily but got significantly better as it progressed. Amsterdam is an easy city to like.    Okumaya devam et

  • SpydahSpain, Rhine & Danube
    11
    Gün 16

    Amsterdam, Day 2

    26 Eylül 2019, Hollanda ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    We reckon that have just discovered the most unhelpful and incompetent organisation in Australia
    The first hour after breakfast, when we should have been enjoying the sights of Amsterdam consisted instead of Brian bellowing down the phone to the people at Virgin Global Wallet and Virgin Frequent Flyer. This saga had been going on for three days without resolution. It could be the subject of its own blog, but the upshot was that we needed to transfer the funds from Mary's stolen Global Wallet card to Brian's, which was running low. It should be a routine online transaction, but it required the Virgin people to update Mary's mobile number before that could take place. Numerous lengthy phone calls to Australia followed by repeated assurances from the Virgin people that the problem was fixed instead resulted in zero progress.

    Having made as much progress as we could with the useless clowns at Virgin we set out to explore another area of Amsterdam, this time the Museum district. What better place to start than the world-famous Rijkmuseum? It's housed in one of Amsterdam's most spectacular buildings, and that's saying something. We finished up spending quite a few hours there, all of it on the second floor, which is given over to art and other creations of the 17th century.

    Of course this very much includes Rembrandt, many of whose original paintings are housed there. It was interesting to see his most famous work, the Night Watch. It is held within a large glass enclosure, which keeps visitors a good five metres away from it At any one time there would have been several dozen people standing in front of the enclosure, which we took to be a big crowd. However one of the attendants who started chatting with us told us that it was exceptionally quiet that day . She said that at the height of the tourist season the crowds viewing that famous painting were many times bigger than that. We certainly wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much under such conditions.

    Something which particularly interested Brian was the large machine positioned in front of the painting, but obscuring only one small part of it. Millimetre by millimetre it is scanning the very large canvas, using Xrays, we think to analyse the paints and pigments . This is all in preparation for some restoration work.

    We spent the next few hours up to the 5pm closing time admiring many of the wonderful works on display in the museum . And that was only one of the three floors of this great institution . Afterwards we wandered around the museum precinct, thinking about all the other museums which we'd really like to see. Top of the list would have to be the Van Gogh museum. That will have to wait until our next visit.    Okumaya devam et

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  • SpydahSpain, Rhine & Danube
    Gün 15

    On the move again

    25 Eylül 2019, Hollanda ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    A leisurely pack and checkout, and we were off to the airport. We got there with plenty of time to spare so Brian decided this was a good opportunity to look for a replacement camera. While so many people are happy to use their phones for taking holiday snaps Brian isn't. There is insufficient control over the camera settings and, more importantly, it is very hard to see the screen in bright sunlight.

    Barcelona Terminal 1 is huge and very modern, and once we'd passed through all the immigration and security checks we were confronted with a large array of shops selling all sorts of luxury goods. In that regard it was similar to any number of large international airports. Up till now we hadn't spotted any camera stores, but surely this would be the place to get a camera - or so we thought.

    After walking for what seemed like many kilometres in the departures hall all we were able to spot were two smallish shops, both part of the same group, which had a handful of camera models for sale, but were mostly concentrating on other electronic devices. In fact they had a total of five camera models in stock, all of them from Canon. So, without any chance for product or price research we bought a Canon. When we commented to the salesperson that there was such a poor selection of models his comment was that this was the first camera he'd sold there in over a year. Amazing! Unfortunately, as we were flying within the European Union we couldn't even claim the gst.

    The Vuelling flight was uneventful, though typically for a bare-bones airline they even slugged us for a bit of warmish orange juice. On arrival, after lining up with lots of other people in the wet weather for our hotel's courtesy bus it finally arrived, though it required about an hour's wait. (Every other hotel's buses seem to have been and gone a couple of times during our wait).

    The 17 story hotel turned out to be extremely busy, but our room was generously large and very comfortable. It's one of those ultra-trendy ultra-chic places where everything is brilliant except for the lighting which puts important areas such as the wardrobe in almost complete darkness. We had a late night beautiful overpriced ($27) hamburger each, unpacked then hit the sack. At this stage all we'd seen of Amsterdam was rain and darkness, so we were looking forward to exploring the city the next day.    Okumaya devam et

  • SpydahSpain, Rhine & Danube
    Gün 14

    We do Barcelona Part 2

    24 Eylül 2019, Ispanya ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    By this time we knew what to do, so once again we hopped into the rental car with all its high-tech features and headed to the parking building we'd used the previous day. This time we were catching buses on the so-called red route which was going on an entirely different circuit of Barcelona.

    Again, it was great to view the beautiful architectural styles, admire the parks and squares as well as view some quite spectacular boulevards.

    The bus route then took us outside the built up areas and into the hills overlooking the city. The public gardens there are really impressive as too are the views over the city. It was hot and we stopped for a cold drink at an outdoor bar which seemed to offer the best views of all. It had been part of the Olympics swimming centre, and what is now a public pool is still there.

    A few hundred metres further on and we came across a museum dedicated to the works of the innovative artist Joan Miro. We were all set to buy entry tickets only to be told that they were free because the day was a public holiday. Not sure of the logic there but we were happy to accept their generosity.

    The building itself is in a beautiful modern style and we thoroughly enjoyed the hour or so that we spent there. We then jumped back on one of the buses and completed the circuit back to the Arc de Triomf where we'd first got on.

    Fortunately, due to the public holiday there was no rush hour traffic to contend with on the way home.

    What about Barcelona? We have mixed feelings. Firstly we realise that it was a tactical error to stay in a hotel so far out of town. It would have been far cheaper, more efficient and less stressful to have stayed at a hotel in the city. We hadn't realised what a long hard drive it was between our magnificent hotel and the main attraction, which was Barcelona itself. Barcelona is a fascinating place and we barely got to scratch the surface. We'd love to have visited Park Guell and Sagrida Familia, not to mention some of the city's famous art galleries and museums.

    There are some negatives. The level of petty crime is out of control, and we were among the many victims of it. It certainly put a dampener on our holiday. The other major negative is that the city is totally overrun with tourists, many of whom are young people who are out to party and have a good time. In some respects the place has turned itself into some kind of a giant theme park. That said, we are keen to return to both Madrid and Barcelona for more leisurely visits when we can get to know both places a lot better.    Okumaya devam et

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