NOOB LEGEND (wait for it) -ary Trans Atlantic Review

[JohnTRN]

I enjoyed your pictures and review of the Legend. Now on those really windy days, I was wondering why they still had the dance shows on if the ship was rocking. I would think it would be dangerous for the dancers. Did the rocking affect your sleep and was it scary with high seas?

 

This trip, with nothing else to compare to, was not bad at all. The stabilizers did a pretty good job of keeping things on an even keel. (pun intended) Never had any concern.

 

Apparently, the shows can be modified according to conditions, i.e., they might cut out really high leaps, or aerial acts. We could see the curtains swaying a bit, but the dancers did not seem affected at all. As you walked down the corridors, every once in a while you would see people walking like they were a wee bit tipsy, but again, it wasn't bad.

 

I don't recall any concern with sleeping; probably felt like being rocked to sleep. My wife gets motion sickness in the car; she took meclizine daily, with some extra that day, and never had any problem.

 

It was just part of the adventure! :D

 

John

[Crusin Karen]

I just found this and have read it in it's entirety and thoroughly enjoyed it! Your pictures are amazing and breathtaking and for those of us who will never travel to those distant places, it is a pleasure to be taken along. Thank you for the time you have put into this and I hope you have many adventures in the future!

[Gingee]

Thanks for letting go on your cruise:)

[crusinpsychRN]

Your pictures really make me want to do this trip! Thank you for all your hard work on this review.

[lovingretirement]

Thanks so much for a great review. Your pictures are FANTASTIC! We were on the Legend September 1-13. Like you, we would do it all over again.

[JohnTRN]

Thanks so much for a great review. Your pictures are FANTASTIC! We were on the Legend September 1-13. Like you, we would do it all over again.

 

You're welcome and thanks for the compliment. I really like digital cameras for letting you shoot everythig!

 

Enjoyed the Legend. The Valor will have 'big shoes' to step into! :rolleyes:

 

I just found this and have read it in it's entirety and thoroughly enjoyed it! Your pictures are amazing and breathtaking and for those of us who will never travel to those distant places, it is a pleasure to be taken along. Thank you for the time you have put into this and I hope you have many adventures in the future!

 

That's a bit of reading and picture looking! Thanks for the compliment.

 

Glad to have you all along!

 

John

[JohnTRN]

Your pictures really make me want to do this trip! Thank you for all your hard work on this review.

 

Do it, if you get the chance! It was a great trip.

 

Thanks for letting go on your cruise:)

 

Glad to have had you along! Glad you enjoyed the trip.

 

I've enjoyed writing the review. The whole idea was initially overwhelming - 20 days of travel to write down and 1700 pictures to sort through. Breaking it down into chunks of a day at a time let me get started. After that, I just started enjoying it; that and positive comments were great incentive.

 

John

[Gingee]

How high were the highest winds as you were crossing the Atlantic? I have been leary going across that big space of an ocean but I guess you can get winds anywhere.

[JohnTRN]

How high were the highest winds as you were crossing the Atlantic? I have been leary going across that big space of an ocean but I guess you can get winds anywhere.

 

One night, it reached 54 Knots, about 62 MPH. The ship was mildly rolling. I know the Atlantic can get rough, but this trip was so worth it! Well, maybe not worth ANY weather . . . :p

 

John

[saltybones]

The 'Guardia Civil' made sure we left and didn't come back

 

 

Team Waiter, I Kadek; Chief Head Waiter, Rodrigues; Assistant Team Waiter, I Komang. We thought they were the best!

 

Oh, remember that Crème Brule that was only offered once on the menu? Remember how good it was? No, because some of you weren’t there and some of you who were didn’t try it! Remember I said you could make special requests? Tonight is my Crème Brule night! Yummmm! After dinner we wandered around the ship making our good-byes and then sat on the Lido Deck with a bunch of CC Friends to visit awhile. Nice folks.

 

 

Our last Towel Thing

 

Just as we were turning in for bed, we got a call from the two cousins. One of them came by the room with a ‘SOAS’ and we gave her our bottle of champagne. Along with the brass Legend Christmas Tree Ornament, this will be our ship souvenier.

 

OK. Now I can go make cappuccino and enjoy a pastry!

 

 

Loving your review! We were on this ship in March of this year and also had Rodrigues and his crew, they were a HOOT!

 

Here is my Sis gettin "Low" with Rodrigues, he was the Bomb!

[JohnTRN]

Loving your review! We were on this ship in March of this year and also had Rodrigues and his crew, they were a HOOT!

 

Here is my Sis gettin "Low" with Rodrigues, he was the Bomb!

 

Yayyy! We were very happy to have stopped to talk to the couple that was disembarking. Our only regret was that we hadn't asked for him sooner. Of course, a couple of times we had CC groups and had to take the first table that could accommodate our group. Nice guys!

 

John

[JohnTRN]

23 April 2013 – Barcelona, Spain

 

 

OK. Only 289 pictures to sort down to some 80-plus pictures, so bear with me.

 

 

We had a nice breakfast in the common area. Coffee, juice, a variety of cold meats, pastries, cereal. No complaints here! Anna was extremely helpful in navigating the on-line reservation system for Sagrada Família. She told us it would be best to get tickets for a particular time slot, so we would not have to wait in line to get tickets. More good information from Anna! That place was packed. It was a short walk from Anna's to the cathedral and a beautiful day in Spain to be visiting.

 

Sagrada Família, if you have not seen documentaries, or read, about it, is absolutely amazing. Gorgeous and a work in progress. It's not your grandma's Gothic cathedral and seems to be one of those things people either love, or find to be too Gaudi (get it, gaudy!). We loved it! designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí(1852–1926), it has an interesting history. The foresight this man had will leave you shaking your head in disbelief. Construction began in 1882, with Gaudi taking over in 1883. Building has depended on private contributions and has been interrupted by multiple wars. All of the curves in the building are 'catenary', or “the shape an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends”. Please see the link if you are interested in more information, I'm just going to post pictures now. A LOT of pictures!

 

 



 



 



 



 

Edited October 21, 2013 by JohnTRN

[JohnTRN]

The people inside the fence already have their tickets. Most of the people outside the fence are in line to get a ticket. We already had ours, so just walked in during our time slot. Once inside, you stay as long as you like. There are optional tours that take you up stairs in the building, which we did not have time to do.

 

 



 



 



 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q06CoPfpuik/UmVPU-8ReYI/AAAAAAAABZU/ojevs7XFrwE/w480-h640-no/SAM_1727r.jpg

 

[JohnTRN]

 



 



 



 



 

[JohnTRN]

This was a lower sanctuary, or crypt, under the main cathedral. You can see down into it through windows, set at angles, in the walls of the center area housing the organ and behind the main nave.

 



 



 



 



 



 

It took me a while to get a shot of this door without people in the way

Edited October 21, 2013 by JohnTRN

[JohnTRN]

Another set of the front, main chapel doors

 

The gift shop



 



 

The detail is just mind blowing!



 

Final completion is estimated around 2026 or 2038. So, if you think the pictures are amazing, they aren't a patch on seeing the Sagrada Família in person; pictures barely do it justice! Outside of the Sagrada, we ran into our first rose sellers. This is a good place to talk about La Diada de Sant Jord, or St. George's Day, which is Valentines Day on steroids in Spain. This day is celebrated in many countries; in Catalonia, roses and books are exchanged among individuals, often bearing ribbons with the colors of Aragon's flag. We saw rose and book sellers in every trafficked area of town. In the afternoon, La Rambla and Passeig de Gracia were wall to wall people!

 



 

[JohnTRN]

We got on the Ho-Ho (Hop On, Hop Off) Bus near the Sagrada and began touring Barcelona. First stop, Park Guell, to the north. There are ticket kiosks near just about every stop for the Ho-Ho and there are a variety of choices for ticketing. We got a one day pass. When you board the bus, you are handed a guide book to the stops and a pair of disposable ear phones. Each seat has a panel with multiple jacks, labeled in the languages the tour is offered in. You can get on the bus and spend the day riding around town and seeing everything, or you can Hop On and Hop Off.

 

Neat set of steps at the dead end of a street

 

I'm not so sure I'd want to drive anything around Barcelona!

 

Park Guell is a green space, originally intended to be a 30-acre, 60 residence, gated community for the noveaux rich. (Here's an interesting link about Park Guell )You see the touch of Gaudi everywhere you walk in the park.

 

What's this man doing? Looks suspicious to me . . .

 

Park Guell



 

That's what was in that bundle! But wait! There's more!



 

Park Guell Main Entrance

Edited October 21, 2013 by JohnTRN

[JohnTRN]

I'm not sure how many miles of path are found in the park, but they go up, down and around

 



 



 

I forget how many strings, or the name of this man's guitar. Talked to him for a few minutes.



 

They're everywhere, they're everywhere! And they seem to be on the lookout!

[JohnTRN]

And, they're OFF!

 



 

OK. So I'm fascinated with the street vendors. The story here, is this, these guys are vending without a license. Oh, and not paying taxes on their earnings. The police can pick them up for violations. They keep a sharp lookout for walking or driving police and pack up when spotted, wander out of sight, then set up in a different location.

 

The street performers come in all kinds of persuasions. Here's a headless artiste!



 

Our ship was down in port yesterday. Hmmm, may still be there, getting ready to head to Venice, Italy. Oh, to have been on that Back-to-back!



 

Park Guell Gift Shop and Visitor Center



 

Leopard Man Singer was the highlight of the street performers.

Lots of videos of him to be found!

[JohnTRN]

Jody wanted to see was the 'Dragon' in Park Guell. We almost gave up on finding it. Turns out, he's right up the steps at the main entrance; we had entered, turned right immediately, and missed it.

 

Bubbles!

 

My, what big gates you have!



 



 

This is under a large plaza, seating area to be found above, which was originally going to be a community gathering spot.



 

Those divots in the ceiling look like this



 

[JohnTRN]

These ladies appear to be excited to get a little scarf shopping in during their walk in the park

 

Top quality, sterling silver and actual stone, made in Spain



 

The Park Guell Dragon!



 



 



 

After wandering Park Guell for a few hours we headed back down the hill to the Ho-Ho Stop and saw a huge line of people waiting to get on. That's not happening in one stop! Being both hungry, hot, tired and thirsty, we decide to look for something to eat. We found pizza and Sangria in a nearby cafe, the Dak Mar Bar & Cafe, which HAD to be followed by cappuccino and pastries!

 

[JohnTRN]

Back to the bus and tour Barcelona until we get to La Rambla and St. Jordi!

 

This little girl was sitting with her parents, in the seats in front of us. We flirted a little bit



 

We went past the soccer stadium on the way back to La Rabmla



 

Downtown Barcelona, sculptures and more rose sellers



 

Book sellers



 

More book sellers



 

[JohnTRN]

La Rambla, near Plaça de Catalunya

 

Plaça de Catalunya



 

Looking 'down', or south, along La Rambla



 



 

The crowds are amazing! In places it gets to be shoulder to shoulder people. After wandering down La Rambla a bit, we cut over back into the Gothic area. Much quieter here, with people going about their evening lives.

 

Sex Shops and Happy Pills!



 

Happy Pills are actually Jelly Beans

[JohnTRN]

We crossed through Plaça de Catalunya and wandered over toward Passeig de Gracia. Up near Gracia and Diagonal, we found a bench and just sat to watch people go by for a while. Lot's of men taking roses home to their sweethearts.

 

Market in the Gothic area

 

This is how me move in, in the Gothic area!



 

Quiet, residential streets and plazas



 



 



 

A 'Passage' between two streets, through the buildings

[JohnTRN]

Palau de la Música Catalana - the Palace of Catalan Music

 



 

Book sellers along Paseig de Gracia



 



 



 

The enclosed balcony is attached to our room, with a narrow little walkway/balcony this side of it

 

This about brings an end to our 15 day trip on the Legend and our visit to Barcelona.

 

The next day ended up being, 'interesting'. We had not kept up with a lot of news on this trip and had no idea how the Great Budget Sequestration of 2013 was affecting the world at large.

 

We had packed the night before so we could get an early start in the morning. Anna had arranged for a driver (owner of a private car, kind of like a taxi service) that she uses, to take us to the airport. We didn't get going early enough and had a rushed breakfast and the driver was there. We grabbed our bags, thanked Anna and hit the street.

 

The Barcelona Airport is a little confusing in its set up, until you figure it out. It's more like a market, with 'stalls' around the 'right', 'rear' and 'left' edges, with rows and rows of more stalls running from front to back of the building. We thought American would have a significant presence here and were having a hard time finding their counter. I finally found a signboard up front that gave me the number of their space. With one bag to check, we got in the line for ticketed passengers and it was moving at a snails pace! We were getting to the point of being very concerned about missing our flight. Finally word starts trickling back through people leaving the counter. Budget sequestration has affected flights and ours has been cancelled. People are getting shunted to other flights and set up in hotels for flights the next day. Amazingly, nobody at the American desk ever makes any kind of announcement to all the people in line.

 

Here's the rub. It's April 24. We're both going to be back to work the next day, April 25. Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't say it. We maxed out our fun time and will be paying for it!

 

We've seen a lot of angry people leaving the line. Some head to yet another American booth, to work on arrangement. We finally get to the counter where the harried American staff are. Knowing it's easier to catch flys with sugar, than with vinegar, we bid the agent, 'Good Morning' in our limited Spanish and sympathize about the crazy morning. We are fortunate enough to be placed on a flight leaving about 4.00P (instead of our 10.00A flight). This will get us into Miami with about 45 minutes to spare. 45 minutes to go through customs, immigration and get to the gate! We also get coupons worth about 20 Euros each, for lunch. I think we bought about 21 Euros worth of food.

 

The short story: After a long day in the terminal, we boarded, made Miami, were expedited through customs/immigration with the assistance of American and made our flight with 20 minutes or so to spare. We got into St. Louis around 11.00P to get luggage, our car from parking and make the two hour trip home. I'm getting up again around 4.00A to go to my 24 Hour shift and Jody after 6.00A for her day. Lucky me, I get to nap at work!

 

This is the end of my tale. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it, learned something new and enjoyed the pictures!

 

Cheers!

 

John

Edited October 21, 2013 by JohnTRN