Barcelona

Monday, 20 May 2019. Our last port of call for this Mediterranean Medley cruise is Barcelona. Marella Dream docks away from our usual spot opposite the statue of Columbus and we will need to take a shuttle bus to that area before we can have a wander.

We've done Las Ramblas, we've done the outside of La Familia Sagrada, we've done the Gaudi park and houses and we've done the aquarium. We've even done the bike ride (just the once!) so this time we are going to walk round the harbour over the swing bridge and just take things easy.

There's enough going on to keep us amused and there's a variety of ships and boats for us to look at. This is a training ship. It looked as though they were taking on a new crew as we walked past it.

An outdoor restaurant and bar at the side of the training ship. It soothes the nerves of the instructors after a voyage...

The obligatory arty-farty photo of the cruise. A bit of a stench was building up. Ah... it's the refuse truck come to empty the bins!

There were a few large yachts amongst the private craft in the harbour area. No doubt some were biding time before heading off to Monte-Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix the following weekend. I would have been too, but I'd told the gardener to take the yacht home...

We went all the way round the harbour to find the far end full of fake goods sales people. Notices on poles warned that you could be fined for buying from them. There's no way for the police to stop this trade other than that. They have lookouts and there are so many of them that you'd need hundreds of men to be able to contain them and then what would you do with them? They just gather their goods up in the blankets on which they are displayed and dodge round corners until any police have gone past.

We stopped for a slush drink each from a cafe. Miss Franny had strawberry and I had lemon. It was very warm and pleasant sitting outside drinking it. Whilst we were there a bright green parakeet flew just over our heads and sat in a tree behind us for a few minutes before making us duck again as it came back and disappeared off in the distance.

We came back to our starting point and I made myself sit near the swing bridge and draw the sailing ship seen at the top of this page. A French family came to sit next to us on the bench. They had cooked meats and breadsticks which they shared round with each other and a growing collection of seagulls which made me a bit wary. I kept my cap pulled down...

Then it was back to the bus for the return trip to the ship. There were a lot of Italians at the bus stop and it was a bit before I realised that the buses served more than one ship. Ours would be the third of four stops along the dock. As we passed over the bridge onto the dock the Volcan de Tinamar, a Ro-Ro ferry was just leaving port. From what I can gather she usually sails for Armas between the islands of the Canaries. She was built in 2011.

We spent the afternoon packing - otherwise known as "throwing stuff in the suitcases". It would be a late night as we spent our last evening with Tomas and Maris, Bob and Anne and Eric and Jean. A glance out of the window showed that there was a fittingly superb sunset for our last night onboard Marella Dream.

For my last song of the cruise I played Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. "Will you?" I asked cheekily with a grin at Maris. She nodded. "All tomorrow..." she confirmed. And seeing as we had to leave the ship first thing in the morning, she knew she was on safe ground...

Anne's photo of us all from the previous night. We'll be back on Marella Dream and with Tomas and Maris later on in the year.

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