Our day started very early!!!We had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to be at the airport for our flight to Chicago!!We had a 3 hour layover in Chicago!!!So we ate lunch at Chili's as we figured it was our last chance for Chips and Salsa!!!!Since we could not put Miss C and baby L in our suitcases,Miss C made us something to bring along that would not get damaged or wet along the way, no not flat Stanley, we brought along a wooden Somewhat flat horse she named..what else, Big red!!!
Preparing to board our flight to Madrid
I loved our plane with all the Crowns on it!!!!
Even your seat back protector had a crown on it!!!He is excited to get going!!
All flights to and from Europe include all the free Liquor you want!!!Wine was included with your dinner!!!Oh yeah, hopefully it helps us sleep!!!!10 hours on a Plane is NOT FUN!!!!
I woke up and peeked out our window and saw this!!!!
And then this!!!Spectacular!!!!
Welcome to Madrid!!!It amazed me how laxidasical they were to tourists coming into their Country, the young Man barely broke stride in his conversation with his co-worker, and just stamped our passports, no questions, no nothing. Another 3 hour layover in Madrid!!!!Boy are we tired!!I have to get some coffee!!!I went and got coffee, handed the lady my money(all Euro's --I did my money exchange weeks ahead of time)I was so confused when she handed me my change all back in coins!!!They not only have 1 euro coins, they have 2 euro coins!!!!If you are going to Europe, learn this!!!
We finally arrived in Barcelona!!!Our Hotel was in the part of town that was home to the Olympic Village back in 1992. I love the Olympics so that was special to me, now alot of the buildings are upscale Apartments and office buildings. I also liked that the hotel was a 3 minute walk to the Beach, however, we did NOT come to Europe to hang out at the beach!!!The Olympic Marina was also a very close walk.
Our Bathroom!!Most hotels in Europe all had a regular toilets and a Bidet. No we did not use it!!!
I loved all the green marble
Our room was square, but the way they divided it up was quite unique!!!The bed was at an angle with a wall behind it that was at an angle.
I loved this art on the wall, it is of a San Francisco trolley car!!!
Since we heard to keep jet lag to a minimum, you must get out in the Sunshine!!!Ok, we are to tired to walk anywhere so we will do one of those double decker bus tours, in Europe they are called Hop on Hop off Bus tours!!!It was lightly raining and freezing in our book, but we sat up on top!!!Where is the Sunshine????
After a 3 hour bus tour we decided to get off, we made some notes and said tomorrow we will step out for further sightseeing!!!We were so tired we just had lunch/dinner out on the patio of our hotel. The Sun was out now, so we sat out there and ate and drank our pitcher of Sangria and enjoyed the sunlight for a couple of hours!!!
Chuck trying to read the menu!!!He speaks NO Spanish, here in Barcelona they speak alot of Catalonia, I never knew that, if you are not familiar with it, you assume they are speaking Spanish. I took 2 years of Spanish so my very limited amount could at least get us by a little bit!!!
Do you want to know the secret as to Why the Sangria's are SOOO GOOD in Spain????After we finished it off, there was at least a Cup of Sugar in the bottom!!!The fruit was soooo good and I ate all of it!!!That pitcher was all mine!!!!It also helps to learn Metric if you are going to Europe!!!This is a 1 liter of Sangria, the waitress said "oh it is small you can each drink 1 liter easily!!!Oh we did, and then we went back to our room at 6 p.m., fell fast asleep til 6 a.m. the next day!!!
I had to take a pic of the thermostat, the way you turn it on is to see the little guy go inside his house!!The instructions even tell you this if you click it to make the picture larger you can see this, I thought that was the funniest thing ever!!!!he jumps in his house and the air comes on!!!!
So our first day is done, tired but we survived!!!
4 comments:
Hi Jamie. I'd be in a world of hurt if I had to pretend I was reading a foreign menu. The temperature control was cute!
So glad you've shared today day one.
May you get rested up. That jet lag is something.
When we were in Paris about 8 years ago, I got sick and slept day one in our motel room. I was worn out from a son's wedding in Belarus. I was determined to see Paris and not stay in my room the whole time I was there. Terrible headcold. Thankful I wasn't sick during wedding!
Didn't sleep well while flying...just couldn't relax enough to sleep. Was running on adrenaline and no need for alcohol!
Will stay tuned and see all that you are up to on your trip.
blessings,
d
It sounds so exciting. I can't wait to see more. How did you manage to stay awake all day. Your room looks beautiful and I agree, the green marble is gorgeous. I had green marble floors in my last house, I loved them. Hugs, Marty
Mmm, that sangria looks yummy. Sugar!??....yes please.:) And the thermostat is hilarious!
Janna just got home from Madrid. She said that Barcelona was so wonderful. She also said that the Sangria is incredible! :)
Glad your home! :)
~Liz
P.S. Yup! I'm all signed up for Women of Faith in Sept. Let me know if you want to sit with us... I will have to reserve you a seat with our group. Talk to you soon!
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