From the Disney brochure –
Facing the sea and sheltered by the Collserola mountain range, Barcelona is often described as the “City of Marvels”.
Diversity is the key to this extrodinary region, and the typical Mediterranean climate is perfect for exploring all the city has to offer.
Downtown Barcelona is divided into two areas – the Old City that faces the sea, and, nearly surrounding the Old City, new neighborhoods. Her you can enjoy Cataloia’s modernist architecture of the late 19th and 20th centuries – a unique melting pot of Art Nouveau, Gothic, Moorish and other styles that include the inspiring creations of Antoni Gaudi and other well known artists of the time.
Because Barcelona is such a Cosmopolitan city, prepare to enjoy the people, a lively group proud of their culture, their music and their beautiful city, and who take great pleasure in hosting visitors. The city is bilingual, with most of its residents speaking Catalan, the local language of Romance origin, as well as Castillian Spanish spoken throughout the rest of the country.
Barcelona is virtually an open- air museum, filled with culture, entertainment and a rich history
Today after having a light lunch aboard the ship, finding our stateroom, and attending the Mandatory safety drill, we ventured back out into Old Town. Leslie, Sarah, Laurie Smyda and myself took a local bus, (about 3 euros each) for the 10 min or so drive to La Rambla, a melange of culture, street vendors and spontaneous performances along five seperate streets, strung togrther to form a tree-lined boulevard alive with activity. We saw living statues, musicians and performers entertaing the crowds gathered all around,
We sampled some tapas, a local traditional snack that cover everything from seafood to vegetabls and had calamari from one of the many sidewalk cafes.
We had our first dinner aboard the Magic at Animators Palate and met our wait staff who will be moving to each restaurant with us for the next ten days. The menu was flavored with local offerings and we all enjoyed it very much, even though after the long flight and our day in Barcelona the exhaustion was creeping in!
That’s all for now, tomorrow will be a relaxing sea day, and give us a chance to settle in and refresh for Palermo, our next port.
