Sunday, August 10, 2008
When we get home
So our plan to blog throughout our entire trip didn't really pan out (unless you can count my constant Facebook status updates as "microblogging"), but we've been taking notes daily, as well as tons of photos and video. We've been assured that we'll need at least a few days for our bodies to recover from the time difference alone, so instead of laying on the couch catching up on "Project Runway" episodes, updating the blog will be my focus during that time. We were just too busy having fun to sit and spend time formatting photos and trying to arrange our thoughts. We'll post everything upon our return!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Spanish Lesson #1
In which we share some of the lingual knowledge culled from our oh-so-not-useful traveler's phrase book...
Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Bloggening
Okay, we're finally settled enough to start blogging! Yay! We're working on uploading all our photos and video from the first 8 days of our trip which included our Italian cruise, so that stuff will come later. We figure we really should start writing now, though, before it gets away from us, so we'll cover our Barcelona experiences and update with the Italy stuff as it's ready. Let's go!
Back on Dry Land
We disembarked the Voyager of the Seas early Friday morning and headed with my family over to the Barcelona airport Renaissance Hotel. We stayed (went swimming and slept/recovered, not much else as the hotel was oddly located in an industrial park on the outskirts of town) until Saturday when my family left and Bradley and I headed into the city to begin our whirlwind 17 day Spanish honeymoon (Hawaii was a warm-up!). After what we both felt was waaaay too slow of a cab ride, we finally arrived in the Port Olimpic section of town and were greeted by our lovely host, Juliette. As she'd already rented our room to some other visitors, she's been kind enough to set us up in her bedroom for the first two nights until they leave on Tuesday. We can't wait 'til they're gone so we can unpack our stuff and really settle in.
BARCELONA - DAY 1
We were finally able to get back online to check email after refusing to pay the internet connection rates on the cruise ship. It's nice to disconnect for a week, but we both were starting to get a little twitchy, y'know? Upon checking messages, we found one from some Barcalonin friends we'd made when we were all stuck at JFK on our way to Europe. In their email, they mentioned that they live in a town about an hour and a half north of the city where, on our first night in town, there was the culmination of a week-long festival and fireworks competition. I freaked out when I read that as I am a total fireworks freak. As we're on a mission lately to be more spontaneous, we checked the Metro schedule online and decided to go for it.
2 hours later we were on our way to Blanes for the last day of Festa Major. The ride took us past more beaches than we could count, and our excitement rose as we neared our destination. Upon arrival, I asked the ticket agent how to get to the city center for the fireworks. "Fire? You want to see the fire, you will not see it. Fire at 10:00, last train back to Barcelona at 9:00." Um, what? I was praying that I'd simply misunderstood him, but another attendant confirmed it and our spirits sank. Had I misread the Metro schedule? It appeared so. We decided to at least jump on the bus and head to the festival to check it out as we had come too far to simply turn around and go home.
We headed to the beach and commenced to kicking ourselves when we found ourselves walking right past the launch point - a big-ass rock jutting out into the sea from the beach. Looked like it was gonna be a doozy, too. After inquiring about a room at a few hotels and hostels only to be quoted a jacked up festival rate or told that there was no room at the inn, we stewed a little bit more in the hot sun before tucking our tails between our legs and boarding the train back to Barcelona. That ride was nowhere near the sunsoaked lovey-dovey sightseeing tour that the trip in was - no loaf of fresh bread and salami between kisses drenched with fireworks anticipation. This was more like ...hell. But at least we got to sit down. And thank God, because the melee that ensued on the waaay overpacked train would've been the end of my claustrophobic ass - we would've had to walk home. Battling Spanish women (how I wish we understood what they were saying) and screaming (and I do mean SCREAMING) babies ...oh, see for yourself:
When we finally got home nearly 2 hours later, we decided to just settle in with our first meal in town. On the heels of a day spent being disappointed in the hot sun, we did what any other weary travelers in Spain would do...
Sigh. At least it was bueno!
Back on Dry Land
We disembarked the Voyager of the Seas early Friday morning and headed with my family over to the Barcelona airport Renaissance Hotel. We stayed (went swimming and slept/recovered, not much else as the hotel was oddly located in an industrial park on the outskirts of town) until Saturday when my family left and Bradley and I headed into the city to begin our whirlwind 17 day Spanish honeymoon (Hawaii was a warm-up!). After what we both felt was waaaay too slow of a cab ride, we finally arrived in the Port Olimpic section of town and were greeted by our lovely host, Juliette. As she'd already rented our room to some other visitors, she's been kind enough to set us up in her bedroom for the first two nights until they leave on Tuesday. We can't wait 'til they're gone so we can unpack our stuff and really settle in.
BARCELONA - DAY 1
We were finally able to get back online to check email after refusing to pay the internet connection rates on the cruise ship. It's nice to disconnect for a week, but we both were starting to get a little twitchy, y'know? Upon checking messages, we found one from some Barcalonin friends we'd made when we were all stuck at JFK on our way to Europe. In their email, they mentioned that they live in a town about an hour and a half north of the city where, on our first night in town, there was the culmination of a week-long festival and fireworks competition. I freaked out when I read that as I am a total fireworks freak. As we're on a mission lately to be more spontaneous, we checked the Metro schedule online and decided to go for it.
2 hours later we were on our way to Blanes for the last day of Festa Major. The ride took us past more beaches than we could count, and our excitement rose as we neared our destination. Upon arrival, I asked the ticket agent how to get to the city center for the fireworks. "Fire? You want to see the fire, you will not see it. Fire at 10:00, last train back to Barcelona at 9:00." Um, what? I was praying that I'd simply misunderstood him, but another attendant confirmed it and our spirits sank. Had I misread the Metro schedule? It appeared so. We decided to at least jump on the bus and head to the festival to check it out as we had come too far to simply turn around and go home.
We headed to the beach and commenced to kicking ourselves when we found ourselves walking right past the launch point - a big-ass rock jutting out into the sea from the beach. Looked like it was gonna be a doozy, too. After inquiring about a room at a few hotels and hostels only to be quoted a jacked up festival rate or told that there was no room at the inn, we stewed a little bit more in the hot sun before tucking our tails between our legs and boarding the train back to Barcelona. That ride was nowhere near the sunsoaked lovey-dovey sightseeing tour that the trip in was - no loaf of fresh bread and salami between kisses drenched with fireworks anticipation. This was more like ...hell. But at least we got to sit down. And thank God, because the melee that ensued on the waaay overpacked train would've been the end of my claustrophobic ass - we would've had to walk home. Battling Spanish women (how I wish we understood what they were saying) and screaming (and I do mean SCREAMING) babies ...oh, see for yourself:
When we finally got home nearly 2 hours later, we decided to just settle in with our first meal in town. On the heels of a day spent being disappointed in the hot sun, we did what any other weary travelers in Spain would do...
Sigh. At least it was bueno!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Back on dry land!
Yay! We're back on dry land after our glorious Italian cruise! We've got tons of photos and video to share and lots to tell you about, but right now we need a nap. Tonight we're at the Barcelona airport Renaissance hotel, and tomorrow we move into our new digs in Port Olimpic. That's when we'll be able to relax and get all caught up. But for now, we thought we'd share one of our favorite images from our Italian adventure to whet your appetite.We're callin' it a night. We'll catch up with you tomorrow!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Game Shows & Doggy Daycare
Had my Deal or No Deal callback today and really, it couldn't have gone any better. So we'll wait 'n' see. They mentioned that a woman who recently taped an episode waited a record 3 years to be on the show, but I've decided that I'll tape mine this season, no question. Now I just let it go and expect the best!
I also wanted to mention that if you live in Los Angeles and ever find yourself in need of some doggy daycare, we can't recommend our friend Beth highly enough. Tonight I dropped Tipitina off at "Camp Barkstein" -- which is a whopping block and a half from our apartment -- and I feel so good about leaving her in Beth's loving hands. You can reach Beth at 323.655.0405. Please tell her we sent you. She's an incredible person and we're so fortunate to have found her, we just had to pass along the recommendation.
And with that, I leave you to finish packing all this random crap that's sitting on the table next to me. Yay! I'm down to the random crap part! After that it's wash a few dishes, unplug the computers and get a good night's sleep 'cause tomorrow... We're going to Europe!!!
I also wanted to mention that if you live in Los Angeles and ever find yourself in need of some doggy daycare, we can't recommend our friend Beth highly enough. Tonight I dropped Tipitina off at "Camp Barkstein" -- which is a whopping block and a half from our apartment -- and I feel so good about leaving her in Beth's loving hands. You can reach Beth at 323.655.0405. Please tell her we sent you. She's an incredible person and we're so fortunate to have found her, we just had to pass along the recommendation.
And with that, I leave you to finish packing all this random crap that's sitting on the table next to me. Yay! I'm down to the random crap part! After that it's wash a few dishes, unplug the computers and get a good night's sleep 'cause tomorrow... We're going to Europe!!!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Getting psyched!
Well, it's Monday the 14th, and we're busy packing and running around town dealing with last-minute errands before we leave on Thursday. And not only are we gearing up for the big trip, but we have the added excitement of our preparations for my "Deal or No Deal" callback this coming Wednesday. Here's hoping that all works out so we can actually afford this trip! Given my game show track record -- this will be number FIVE after The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, Pictionary and Pyramid -- I'm betting on a big payday.
As for our big European adventure, we've gotten lots of great recommendations from friends and family, so the planning has been really fun. Our focus has been on our 16 nights in Barcelona as the Italy cruise stops are pretty much taken care of, either with a pre-purchased shore excursion or simply by virtue of the fact that we've only got about 8 hours for each stop.
I think our favorite advice was to check out Couchsurfing.com. It's a worldwide community of travelers who are willing to host other travelers, whether just by showing you around town or by actually hosting you on their couches. For free! God bless the internet.
Okay, so I've really gotta run out to my last minute dentist appointment - no WAY was I going to end up at a dentist's office in a foreign country - and to run a bunch of errands. I'm just so excited and I needed to get it out! - Gina
As for our big European adventure, we've gotten lots of great recommendations from friends and family, so the planning has been really fun. Our focus has been on our 16 nights in Barcelona as the Italy cruise stops are pretty much taken care of, either with a pre-purchased shore excursion or simply by virtue of the fact that we've only got about 8 hours for each stop.
I think our favorite advice was to check out Couchsurfing.com. It's a worldwide community of travelers who are willing to host other travelers, whether just by showing you around town or by actually hosting you on their couches. For free! God bless the internet.
Okay, so I've really gotta run out to my last minute dentist appointment - no WAY was I going to end up at a dentist's office in a foreign country - and to run a bunch of errands. I'm just so excited and I needed to get it out! - Gina
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