A Very Full Day

September 16, 2023

Feeling Very Sleepy

What a day. Our flight to Barcelona was as good as it gets in economy. I had sprung for preferred seats and that makes a difference, particularly for Keith. We both watched a movie and then tried to get a little sleep. We arrived in Barcelona about an hour and a quarter later than scheduled.

The line at passport control was long but we felt very relaxed as we knew we had to wait for the bike boxes to show up anyway. Thanks to the AirTags we knew they were on the ground too. Even though we were a while getting to baggage claim, when we got there our flight’s luggage hadn’t even started appearing on the baggage carousel so there was another bit of a wait there.

Once out of the airport we thought we were golden as we were escorted to the front of the long taxi queue as soon as they saw the bike boxes. Then a lot of rapid Spanish from a great taxi handler (really, what a stressful job), but it took quite some time before we were on our way to the hotel. The fellow calling the cabs was just so apologetic about the wait, good humoured in the middle of what looked chaos to me and we shared some chuckles.

Our hotel was a bit of a surprise. Great location, close to Las Ramblas, but somehow we missed the memo that the room was seriously tiny! And then there was this.

One of those ridiculously tiny elevators. Capacity one person, zero bike boxes. The elevator was a hint about the size of the room.

The only other way up was the spiral steps of death. Two flights.

So we assembled the bikes in the foyer. It had to be done right away because in keeping with the petite scale of things the only place to store the bikes was in our tiny room. One fits on the wee balcony and the other is sharing valuable floor space with us. We are here for three nights and we are going to have to keep a tidy ship for sure.

There was of course, no place to store the boxes here, and they are about five hundred meters away in another building. Moving them was quite funny, but at least I didn’t have to carry one.

Keith and a fellow from the hotel managed quite nicely.

Then finally, a nap. We have since had a wonderful afternoon and evening exploring Barcelona but I am now too tired to write anymore. It is lights out for the CN and I. I will post the pictures in the morning.

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Steve Miller/GrampiesSo glad you and all accoutrements arrived safely and made it into the tiny room. Have a great sleep and three wonderful days in Barcelona. Looking forward to following your trip.
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7 months ago

Patrick O'HaraSo delighted to stumble across another one of your adventures. Susanna and I are looking forward to following along. Tail Winds.
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7 months ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesSteve here, with a second to write while at breakfast in Beauvais. So listen, where are you going and for how long?
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7 months ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Steve Miller/GrampiesThe room sure is tiny, but as we discovered last night, blissfully quiet. As always, we are winging it, but the loose plan is to swing along the coast, up into France and back to Spain, with perhaps a bit of Mallorca thrown in. We have six weeks.
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7 months ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Steve Miller/GrampiesWe slept in hehehe.
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7 months ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Patrick O'HaraWe are so happy to be back on the bikes and grateful we can still do this. Thinking of you back in the classroom. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it and the kids (and seven year olds loved me right back) but I certainly don’t miss it. So sending best wishes your way for a great year.
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7 months ago

Patrick O'HaraTo Kathleen ClassenHi Kathleen. Thanks for the well-wishes. As a fellow teacher, you know how crazy the job can be. My grade 6/7 group this year is wonderful. Last year's group, however, was a different story. Have a great tour!
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7 months ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesTo Kathleen ClassenWith you patrolling back and forth on that coast there is a chance we can meet up. Let's watch each other's blogs, although we can actually tell you now where we'll be each night into November.
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7 months ago

Jane KyleGlad that you have arrived and are getting settled. Hope the jet lag isn't too painful. Enjoy exploring the sights and scenes of Barcelona!
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7 months ago

Janice BranhamYou made it! And with good humor through all the bumps. Now the fun starts. Looking forward to watching your journey.
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7 months ago

Kathleen ClassenWe are really enjoying Barcelona. We plan to tackle a bit by bike this morning.
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7 months ago