The Inaugural Vista's Official Trippingpara Mayhem in the Mediterranean Review

[trippingpara]

And some more of Park Güell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the above picture, there really isn't much to the park, but it is definitely worth a visit when you're in Barcelona!

 

 

 

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[trippingpara]

Our visit to Park Güell marked the end of our half day tour. The tour also included drop off at our hotel. While the driver went around the city dropping everyone off, we got another little mini tour of Barcelona. Since we were staying in an apartment on Las Ramblas, we were one of the last ones to get dropped off. Due to the driving restrictions on Las Ramblas (restricted to taxis, buses, police, ambulances and other licensed vehicles), we got dropped off at Plaça de Catalunya which sits at the top of Las Ramblas. Luckily, our apartment was only a couple blocks away.

 

We hopped out of the van and grabbed our luggage and started walking down Las Ramblas. I could already tell that I was going to love this street! It was vibrant and lively. Lots of shops and sidewalk restaurants and some great people watching! We easily found our apartment and checked in. The apartment was nicely appointed but the best part of it was the private rooftop terrace. It was small with an entrance from both the living room as well as the bedroom. We really liked it. It also included a washer/dryer which was very convenient!

 

 

 

The view from our terrace

 

 

 

Looking down on Las Ramblas

 

 

 

Another great thing about our apartment was the location. Not only was it on Las Ramblas (its the Las Vegas Strip or Times Square of Barcelona) but it was directly across from the Mercado de La Boqueria, the famous food market. All of the colors and smells. My brain was on overload. The photography half of my brain was buzzing on 10 while the foodie half of my brain was screaming to start taste testing the samples!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whoops! I just now noticed the no photography sign hanging there!

 

 

 

Some things looked delicious, other things like these...not so much!!

 

 

 

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[Shih-tzu]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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So, were they taking pictures of you at the same time, or maybe reading CC? Love your pictures.... and the one of the market with the no picture sign (your camera was acting up again just like in the Sistine Chapel....?)

 

Do you know WHAT those pink things are with the eyes (sort of look like a mini dinosaur of some type)?? Nothing I'd be buying for sure but really curious....

Edited August 14, 2016 by Shih-tzu
Added sentence

[bluwes]

So, were they taking pictures of you at the same time, or maybe reading CC? Love your pictures.... and the one of the market with the no picture sign (your camera was acting up again just like in the Sistine Chapel....?)

 

Do you know WHAT those pink things are with the eyes (sort of look like a mini dinosaur of some type)?? Nothing I'd be buying for sure but really curious....

 

They are sheep's heads

[Patty421]

We had a few friends on this cruise. Looking forward to reading this.

[trippingpara]

They are sheep's heads

 

Yep, they're sheep heads. I'll pass, thank you very much!

[trippingpara]

We had a few friends on this cruise. Looking forward to reading this.

 

Thank you for following along. I hope you enjoy it!

[trippingpara]

Here are some more shots of the market...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Shih-tzu]

Beautiful photos of market. Some stalls done up so colourful....minus the sheeps heads....Ewwwwwwwww that would make my tummy do backflips, eh?

[trippingpara]

Beautiful photos of market. Some stalls done up so colourful....minus the sheeps heads....Ewwwwwwwww that would make my tummy do backflips, eh?

 

There were a few, ah, less than appetizing things there.

 

 

 

Like fish heads and guts...

 

But they were a small percentage of things, especially compared to all of the mouthwatering things that were there!

 

 

 

Like fresh spices...

 

 

 

Or fresh fruit cups!

 

 

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[trippingpara]

After exploring the Boqueria Market, we decided to head out and explore Las Ramblas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got about half way down Las Ramblas when our stomachs started rambling too. Hey, our stomaches rumbled on Las Rambles! Okay, that sounded a lot funnier in my head then it did typed out. Any ways, we stopped at a nice sidewalk cafe that specialized in the famous Spanish appetizers known as tapas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were a bit thirsty too so when we ordered a beer, the waiter asked if we wanted a large glass or not. We laughed at him. He laughed back. We got scared.

 

 

 

Now THAT'S a beer!!

 

 

 

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[trippingpara]

Now some of you may be wondering "where the heck are the naked nuns at?" My first thought is that the people wondering that need serious help. And I don't mean the "here's a couple hundred bucks - that should get you through your troubles" kind of help. No, I'm talking about the "lay down there and tell me about why you don't think your mummy loved you enough" kind of help. Oh wait...I was the one that first mentioned the naked nuns didn't I? Oh dear. Are we actually having this conversation or am I sleep writing again?

 

Ah yes! Now I remember...the running of the naked nuns down Las Ramblas! You see, for the silly Americans out there that think football is purely about giant men that blot out the sun when they hover over you yet can move like a friggin' jack rabbit when chasing down another equally giant man that is clutching an oblong-shaped ball made out of some poor defenseless pig's skin.

 

But then again, that pig probably ended up as bacon on my breakfast plate, so I guess that's a good use of their skin then! Any ways, you see the real reason we are having this discussion (if you want to call it that) is because the Europeans are particularly dedicated to their version of futbol. Which they will venomously argue is the only version of football. Especially since the only guys in American football that actually place their foot on the ball are the smallest and wimpiest guys on the team that no one is allowed to touch. Which then leads us to why I'm talking about some naked nuns running down Las Ramblas.

 

As Lady Trip and I were enjoying our overly large cervezas, Barcelona FC just won their 24th La Liga title. That was when we got a crash course on the importance of futbol in Europeans' lives, especially those in Barcelona. As we sat sipping our gargantuan steins of beer, a violently loud outburst of cheers and cries erupted from the crowded street nearby. Our heads swiveled around to find the cause of such a ruckus. To my horror (and not to Lady Trip's) was a group of very young (and surprisingly manly) men dressed as nuns running down Las Ramblas yelling and cheering as they raised their habits to reveal that they were either Scottish and were very confused when they got dressed this morning or they were proudly proving that they were in fact men dressed as nuns. Somehow running around in a nun's habit flashing poor unsuspecting American tourists that were getting drunk off of giant steins of beer is considered a proper way to celebrate a soccer title.

 

We clearly have the wrong celebration manual here in America. We flip cars and light crap on fire when we celebrate. Although I really did wish I had some acid to throw into my eyes at that moment, the naked nun run seemed to be a whole lot more fun way to celebrate then to destroy your city.

 

I do apologize for all of the women out there that I was clearly too dumbfounded and busy trying to pour beer in my eyes to take any photos of the marauding nuns. Lady Trip is still mad at me for that.

 

 

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Edited August 16, 2016 by trippingpara

[trippingpara]

Needless to say, we did get a pretty good laugh from the running of the naked nuns in Barcelona. If they make that an annual tradition, it could become as popular as the running of the bulls in Pamplona (with a slightly more female trend to its viewers I'm sure). Any ways, after all the hub-bub died down, and we finally found the bottom of our steins, we staggered back down Las Ramblas to explore some more.

 

After a few blocks we came to the foot of Las Ramblas at the beautiful Port of Barcelona.

 

 

 

Duana de Barcelona (local government offices)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Bimmer09]

Thanks for such a rich and detailed review!

 

Loved the photos, particularly of Malta. That harbor! Beautiful.

 

I appreciate all the work you put into this excellent cruise journal. Kudos!

 

Norris

[trippingpara]

Thanks for such a rich and detailed review!

 

Loved the photos, particularly of Malta. That harbor! Beautiful.

 

I appreciate all the work you put into this excellent cruise journal. Kudos!

 

Norris

 

Thank you for such nice kind words! Malta was so beautiful. I absolutely fell in love with that island! I'm glad that you enjoyed my review, I appreciate that very much.

[trippingpara]

We strolled around the port for a bit before heading back up Las Ramblas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey, this place has my name written all over it! No seriously it does, look at it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[trippingpara]

We then stopped back to our apartment and took a quick shower. It was a hot and sunny day in Barcelona so we were all sticky and sweet. Errr, sticky and sweaty. I think that was a Freudian slip there! Any ways, after we got ourselves all cleaned up, we prepared for our evening adventure...

 

We were going to explore the subway system and head over to see the Magic Fountain. Now this was an idea that I got from Deladane's fabulous review of her 12 night Med cruise on the Sunshine. If you ever get the chance, read it here: Deladane's Detailed Photo Review of Carnival Sunshine 12 Night Med Cruise. I highly recommend it, great photos and great details! Any ways I digress.

 

As we left our apartment, we were a little startled to see a giant police force had set up residency just up the street from our apartment.

 

 

 

 

 

This photo doesn't quite do it justice by showing just how much police were there and the amount of weaponry that they had. Being a Marine, I'm a gun guy. So I know my weaponry pretty well and these guys could easily go toe to toe with a Marine platoon any day of the week. They were armed to the teeth with some pretty impressive tools. I have to admit, its a little bit alarming to see a civilian police force armed as heavy as a primary military combat unit.

 

I turned to Lady Trip..."Are we expecting a terrorist attack today?"

 

 

Of course, in true Lady Trip style, without missing a beat..."I don't know. Hold on, let me check my calendar. Nope not today. Looks like there's something scheduled two weeks from today but that is marked as tentative so I wouldn't schedule around it. Terrorists are notoriously sketchy for not holding onto tentative dates."

 

 

"I hate when you're an overly intelligent donkey," I retorted.

 

 

She just smiled, "yep, I'm a smartass!"

 

 

We made our way through the police line (which also included a whole procession of ambulances. These dudes and dudettes were expecting some serious trouble!) About a block away, we realized why the police had set up a line. On the top of Las Ramblas, next to Plaça de Catalunya was a very large crowd of soccer revelers celebrating Barcelona's win. I guess these were the more hardcore versions of the running nuns that we saw earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I guess standing on top of light poles is a universal way to celebrate your team's sport. The problem is, I fall off of curbs so you can image what would happen to me if I tried to climb up on top of something tall that you're not supposed to climb up on!

 

 

 

 

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[trippingpara]

Here are some shots of Plaça de Catalunya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double points! Got a shot of my foreign police car AND a monument!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[deladane]

 

We were going to explore the subway system and head over to see the Magic Fountain. Now this was an idea that I got from Deladane's fabulous review of her 12 night Med cruise on the Sunshine. If you ever get the chance, read it here: Deladane's Detailed Photo Review of Carnival Sunshine 12 Night Med Cruise. I highly recommend it, great photos and great details! Any ways I digress.

[/i]

 

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Aww, thanks for the shout out! I can't wait to read all about your Magic Fountain experience!! :D

[mikayla73]

More great pics and commentary...thanks!

[trippingpara]

More great pics and commentary...thanks!

 

Thank you so much for such kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying the review!

[trippingpara]

Leaving the chaos of Plaça de Catalunya and Las Ramblas behind us, we made our way via subway over to Plaza de España, a beautiful city square (really a roundabout) that sits next to the former Arenes de Barcelona bullfighting ring (now a shopping mall).

 

 

Here are some photos of that area.

 

 

 

Plaza de España

 

 

 

 

Arenes de Barcelona

 

 

 

Torres Venecianes

 

 

 

 

Before the fountains were turned on

 

 

 

From the top of the fountains looking down

 

 

 

Magic hour

 

 

 

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[trippingpara]

As the sun set and darkness crept in, the fountains slowly came to life one by one. Once they were fully running, the lights came on and the music started. These photos don't come even remotely close to capturing the beauty of these fountains. It was so much fun dancing to the music alongside colorful fountains of water magically moving in sync with the music. Now the fountains weren't linked completely to the music like the fountain in front of the Bellagio in Las Vegas but it still looked like the water was dancing with the music. There was a large crowd filled with locals and was clearly fun for young and old alike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire water reaching for the moon

 

 

 

Lady Trip busting out some 'vogue' moves!

 

 

 

Fountains lining the streets

 

 

 

If you were wondering, the Magic Fountain is over 3 blocks long and is made up of dozens of different fountains of varying sizes along with cascading waterfalls. It truly is a sight to behold.

 

 

 

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[trippingpara]

As the night wore on, all of our activities from the day started to catch up to us. It was time to start making our way back to Las Ramblas. Not really wanting to leave this beauty behind us, we did the death march back towards the subway station (which was right at the base of Torres Venecianes towers).

 

 

On our way back, we ran into this dance troupe performing. Since Lady Trip loves to dance, we stopped and checked them out. These guys were actually amazing! They could seriously move. I'm not exactly a dance guy (I'm white and Irish - which means I can't dance for crap unless I'm drunk. Then I dance even crappier but I think I'm going to win the latest season of So Who Thinks They Can Dance!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arenes de Barcelona at night

 

 

 

 

Yep, the party was still going full tilt down on Las Ramblas. These soccer fans are down right serious about their celebration!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Late at night and Las Ramblas is still packed and lively. Man I love this city!!!

 

 

 

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[trippingpara]

 

The beautiful Barcelona sunrise woke us up this morning. What a great way to wake up. We had another excursion booked with our friends CarnieAddict and Rosesgt. Our tour for today was an all day excursion to Montserrat followed with a Cava wine tour and tasting. Can't think of a better way to spend a day then to tour a great city with some great people!

 

We had to meet our tour group a couple blocks up on Plaça de Catalunya. As usual, we arrived early but our guide slowed up shortly afterwards. Our van drove around picking everyone up from their hotels and headed out of the city towards Montserrat. We made a quick stop at Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat. It's a natural area set aside as a park to enjoy the vistas of the towering peaks of Montserrat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were only there for a few minutes before we loaded back up and continued our winding journey up the jagged mountain. The drive up the mountainside was awe-inspiring. I'm a sucker for views from heights. If there is a tower to be climbed...you can bet I'm in line to climb it. I actually got very few pictures while we ascended the mountain as I was just too awestruck to bother taking any! Yes, I shall be flogged mercilessly for my transgressions!

 

Any ways, the drive up was uneventful until we got near the top. As we approached the monastery near the top, several different routes up the mountain converged creating a bit of a traffic jam. We eventually were able to pull into the monastery grounds and park the van. Everyone hopped out of the van like little kids. Okay, so I hopped out of the van like a little kid! I'm just saying that everyone else did too to make myself feel better!

 

I've heard that Montserrat is jaw-droppingly beautiful (and yes, I just made up that word "jawdroppingly"). And the stories I've heard are quite true! Here are a few shots of the vistas from on top Montserrat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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