Raina's Blogging again - Navigator, Harmony Anthem

[AussieVisi2r]

21st October – To Barcelona

 

Then for Spanish Chocolate. A heart attack in a cup. A cup of rich liquid dark chocolate, covered in super thick fluffy cream. You did a hole and pour in some sugar – I know right! Then eat it with a spoon and by dipping Churros in!

 

 

 

The Architecture department, where building are approved, has a freeze done by Picasso.

 

 

 

To Roman ruins discovered when building a car park under the local markets.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

21st October – To Barcelona

 

More amazing buildings then the locals markets. The fruit was amazing. about 15 different kinds of tomatoes and the same of mushrooms. Things I have never seen.

 

 

 

 

We went to the cafe where Picasso used to do drawings to pay his bill.

 

 

Roman tombs found when building a park. Wonder what else is under this amazing city?

 

 

And you would look up and see a window…then notice the ceiling.

 

 

As can be imagined....I slept like a champion.

WOW. What a welcome to Barcelona!

[Meadet]

Wow Raina, what a trip, loving your review 👍

[ubish00]

Loving your review and wonderful pictures. Thank you so much. Enjoy yourself.

[Coralc]

They have better looking artichokes in Barcelona than we've had in California lately! :D

[bigtaz105]

Just read all your posts. Thank you for taking me on your incredible journey. I am learning so much. Can't wait for more posts! :)

[AussieVisi2r]

Sorry I am so far behind. I will catch up......but life is so frantic.

I left my room at 8.30 this morning and have come back now - at 4pm just as I need to do this to catch up a bit. There is SO MUCH to do!!!!!!

Not sure if anyone is still following. you probably thought I had fallen overboard!

 

But anyway ... here I am to add some more.

 

Raina

[AussieVisi2r]

Barcelona – 22nd October.

 

And as I woke up in my room in the heart of tourist Barcelona district I am so happy with my decision to get off the Navigator early – as I am here now. Able to enjoy Barcelona and not beginning an 8 hour journey to my next hotel!!!!

 

It is raining…but oh well – off to explore.

I went down stairs and looked at the included breakfast. It looked very good....but I kept remembering the food at the markets up the road. so off I went.

 

Travelling down in the lift I chatted with a lady - as you do when you are a cruiser. She had a US accent so "Are you going on Harmony?" i asked. Yes she was. We chatted a bit - she was with a large group.

 

Off I went to the markets and had a fun time again. I ended up with 6 juicy, fat figs, a cup of venison jerky and a fruit juice. 4.50 Euro. Excellent.

 

 

Then I called back into the hotel as it was on the way to the Hop on Hop off bus - except of course it was not. It was in the other direction. But luck I did as I bumped into the group mentioned above. They were going tot eh bus as well so off we went.

And what an amazing day. Some cities have average HOHO buses. Some have excellent ones. The Barcelona one was great. It covered a huge area of the city.

 

There are two brands. the red one City Tours and Bus Touristico. We went with the City Tours as I/we have used them in so many places.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful city.

[AussieVisi2r]

Barcelona – 22nd October.

 

Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familiar. I'm not sure what I was expecting. I must have mixed stories up but in my head it was billed as 'one of the best buildings in the world' etc. We didn't go inside and I'm sure that was spectacular (but I din't have time for so long on one attraction when I only had one full day), and the sun was not out so the building as not glowing orange as it does in many photos.....but, I will admit to being a bit underwhelmed. Don't flame me!

 

 

So... it is a huge catholic church designed designed by Catalan Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. Construction started in 1882...and still isn't finished. It combines Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau styles. It was a quarter finished when he died in 1926.

 

 

It is an amazing building and very complexed. In fact I think the work gaudy comes from here. Opps. Sacrilege I know. But it just didn't get me.

 

 

 

The craftsman ship, the intricate details and skill in building it is amazing. That was the wonder to me.

 

 

Still building.

 

 

I am so glad I have seen it...but I now know it does not rate agains building like the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Sorry Gaudi lovers.

 

And I will admit here to a terrible indiscretion on my part. We were travelling along listening the commentary, looking at amazing building. We were near another Gaudi building - the wavy one. That I could understand as being lovely. The commentary said something about how Gaudi died when he was hit by a tram. And oh no - I got an attack of the giggles. Very wrong of me, and I was not thinking it was funny. More the irony of this amazing man, with such a brilliant brain, who could conceive of and plan such intricate things, but couldn't look both ways before crossing the road.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Barcelona – 22nd October.

 

We then continued along to see more wonderful sites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Barcelona – 22nd October.

 

We went up the mountain to the MNAC - an art institute in a magnificent old palace with amazing city views.

 

 

 

 

 

The place has amazing fountains and statues running down the hill to the city. There were giant escalators running up and down the whole way. Very civilised.

 

 

And to the site of many of the Olympic venues.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Barcelona – 22nd October.

 

Back down the hill we went past Arenas Barcelona or Arenes in Catalan - built between 1889 and 1900 as the Plaça de Toros de les Arenes, the bullring of Barcelona. It was designed in a Moorish style with a monumental horseshoe shaped entrance decorated with colourful tiles.

 

It seats 16,000 people and as well a torturing bulls, and also has had a number of concerts; including the Beatles, The Stones and others.

 

 

The Catalonians were less blood thirsty and Bullfighting was never big here, with the last one in 1977. In 2012, a bullfighting ban went into effect in Catalonia. YAY.

Sadly the Spanish Supreme Court just over turned the Catalonian law - saying it deprived Spaniards of their heritage. So although it is not illegal, there will be no bullfights as in 1999 the arena was turned into a shopping complex, conserving the historic red brick structure.

 

So it is pretty, and there will be no bullfights there.

 

It was then off to the home of Barça, Camp Nou! FC Barcelona - or Barcelona Football Club. The motto "Més que un club" (More than a club). Barcelona has won five UEFA Champions League titles and a record three FIFA Club World Cup, as well as heaps of other titles. They have never been relegated from the top division

 

 

The stadium, has been Barça home since 1957 and hold 100,000 people. A Mecca for football fans around the world - so I had to see it. It has a chapel - blessed by Pope John Paul II. It has it's own museum and even had accommodation for the younger up and coming players.

 

 

We did see one of the Championship trophies. Impressive. You could pay to hold it.

 

 

And of course a huge - three story shop.

 

 

Then off to see some lovely modern buildings.

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Barcelona – 22nd October.

 

This building is lit up with millions of led lights at night.

 

 

 

And some not so new.

 

 

And of course a pretty marina.

 

 

Past the other side of the Bullring.

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Barcelona – 22nd October.

 

We then went back to the hotel to grab a few things - and for the others to collect their luggage...that had just arrived. That is why you don't fly it the day of the trip. It arrived at around 7pm. Lucky.

We didn't sit down or anything. Just changed some gear and headed off again to dinner. We went to a little Tapas place. And I even drank a red Sangria. My first red wine. I was very proud of myself - but as my daughter said..."You know it is half orange juice and sugar!" Well that's why I like it - like a cocktail!

We then headed off to Font màgica de Montjuïc - The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc. This was built in 1929 for the Great Universal Exhibition and was fantastic. a real hidden gem of Barcelona. Probably my number one must see.

Not all that hidden as there were many thousands there watching......but none of us had ever heard of it.

 

It is the fountains we saw earlier in the day and is a display of lights, colour and water movements. Pretty spectacular.

 

We watched from the bottom and the top. Thanks goodness for those escalators.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked past the final night of Octoberfest. There were literally thousands lining up for an hour at a time for their beers.

We got back to the hotel at 11.30pm after catching the subway - 2.20 each way.

 

So I had been out touristing for 14 hours and was exhausted. Tired and sore but very happy.

[AussieVisi2r]

Harmony of the Seas, 23rd October.

 

I left the hotel at 11am. And was walking on the ship at 11.45. And of course my jaw was flapping and I was ooh-ing and ah-ing.

 

 

The world’s Newest, Biggest, Widest ship! And it is amazing. I can see what all the fuss is about. And yes it is HUGE, Ginormous! And I haven’t seen a crowded place yet. 6200 passengers but so spread out. The thing that is amazing me is the width. So very wide.

 

Central Park – with thousands of live plants. It is a long arcade running down the centre of the ship. Bird and insects move in. So many degrees cooler than other places.

 

 

 

And The Boardwalk – another long arcade running down the centre of the ship. Carousel and many food places. Rocking chairs and the Aqua Theatre at the end.

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Harmony of the Seas, 23rd October.

 

My room is a balcony over the Boardwalk on Deck 11. I can see the boardwalk, I can see the Aqua Theatre and I can see the ocean. Win,win.

 

 

 

 

My Muster station was in the Aqua Theatre, so we sat in comfortable chairs in the shade. How civilised.

 

 

 

It was then time to check out the Lounge. I wasn’t planning on going in – It was going to be crazy.There are over 2,000 Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacles on board so things are different. There is no Concierge Lounge on the super ships. Just a Suites (and Pinnacle) Lounge and The Diamond Lounge – for Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle. But it would not be big enough – so they have taken over the whole “Entertainment Place” and made three Diamond Lounge. D Lounge, Jazz Club, The Attic. I happened to go down there at about 4.40 and they were queueing. Hundreds of people. The doors were shut so no one could go in at lunch time and stake out chairs.I went into the Jazz Club and it was fine. They had food out and walked around with trays of red, pink and white wine, bubbles, beers and a few others. You went to the bar if you wanted other drinks. And it worked really well. Well done to them. I met lovely people in there.

I ten went out and watched people on one of the water slides for a time.

Then up to the top – deck 16! to meet the gang from yesterday and to watch sail away. The ship is so huge. The Captain backed out and spun around, and off we went. Through a very narrow shipping lane with lots of traffic. Two big ships were coming in and passed very close. Lots of horn blasting and waving to say hello. At one time, as we were turning about 70 degrees I looked forward and though “Gee, we are going close to that big white building”, then realised it was in fact the other end of the ship!

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Harmony of the Seas, 23rd October.

 

We then stayed up on the top drinking, laughing and yelling until dinner time – -but no dinner for me. I had a booking for the Aqua Show. You book shows on the big ships. Not a reserved seat…just a place. You walk up and they scan your card and let you in. And best of all I did it correctly. Made the booking, got the time correct and all.

 

So there I was off to see “The Thin Line”.

OH MY GOD!

The Aqua show! I am blown away. The theatre is at the very back of the ship – and is about twice the size of a big backyard pool. Deeper! It has a floor that goes up and down in sections and a troop of the most amazing, talented people.

I thought I was going to a diving show. Wrong! I went to one of THE most amazing shows I have ever seen. Up there with Moulin Rouge and Cirque du Soleil.

It was an hour of super high energy and thrills. A mix of Hip Hop dancing, acrobatics, trampolining, tight rope, synchronised swimming, trapeze, parkour, Red Bull cliff divers, oh and diving. And so much more. It was amazing. There were 17 performers and must have been even more techs as the show was so complicated. So much equipment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Harmony of the Seas, 23rd October.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So good. What a start to this part of the trip.

[AussieVisi2r]

Palma de Mallorca, Spain - 24th October.

 

 

So big! It is like a shopping centre. 8300 humans on board. I lived in a town in central NWS with less then 4000 people!

 

Palma is resort city on the island of Mallorca, in the Mediterranean. Now days tourism is the thing with around 20 million visitors a year!!!

Palma was founded by the Romans is around 120 BC. Then it was colonised by the Moors in around 900 BC and, in the 13th century, by James 1 of Aragon.

A massive gothic cathedral, Santa María Cathedral dominates the city. It was built on top of a mosque – a common practice.

 

 

 

Next to it is a Moorish-style Arab fortress that became a royal residence.

 

 

There is also the circular Bellver Castle up on a hill. The first circular castle in Europe.

 

 

I went into town and walked around Old Town then did loop on the hop on bus.

The old city around the cathedral was lovely with the classic twisting alleys.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Palma de Mallorca, Spain - 24th October.

 

 

Sections of the old town wall and rampart were spread around.

 

 

 

 

 

Ancient grain mills.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Palma de Mallorca, Spain - 24th October.

 

 

And heaps more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Was a lovely day. A bit warm for my liking….but that is’t hard.

 

Then back to the ship.

[AussieVisi2r]

Palma de Mallorca, Spain - 24th October.

 

I went to the ice show tonight. Called 1887 – A Journey in Time. it started in Paris with the River Seine frozen, the went back in time – Romeo and Juliet, Gladiators etc. They did a light effect to show the ice braking up in the river. Amazing.

 

 

 

 

Sword fights, rap dancing, kipping (bouncing off their backs). Spinning, throwing, leaping

The cast was full of National champions for all around the world. The choreography and costumes were fantastic. There was a ‘Bubble Artist’ who was amazing. They they continued to skate around on the soapy ice.

 

 

 

 

 

Fantastic.

[AussieVisi2r]

25th October – Sea day.

 

Started with breakfast with the gang. Good fun. Went to my first breakfast at Johnny Rockets. It was great. Basically the same menu as the dining room but on such a smaller scale so great food.

 

Then the Meet and Greet. It was held in the Ice Rink with a floor over the top. Some very funny parts from the cruise directors staff during the meet and greet. They made the raffle into a comedy routine with the activities manager running around like a clown.

 

 

The Captain came in - Captain Gus —- on his Segway! That he uses to zip around the ship. He is the new captain and made lots of jokes about everyone wanting Captain Johnny back.

 

 

Caught up with some friends form other cruises.

 

Today I saw some of the infamous birds that live in Central Park. A mob of Sparrows. Very cute. There are about 24 of them. And there are no plans to "do something with them" when we arrive in USA. They are stowaways. It really enhances the feeling of being in a cafe anywhere else in the world.

 

 

Then went on a ‘cabin crawl’ and saw many of the different rooms in the ship. Walked over 2 ks doing it. The rooms on this ship are great. I'n not posting photos of all the rooms as from the cheapest inside to the best balcony - they are virtually the same. Some are just a bit longer, and some have the bed near the window.

 

11323 B1 Boardwalk Balcony My lovely room

 

 

So many features.

The door locks are just done through tapping – you don’t put your card in …just tap.

The power outlets have USB plugs and the TV in the room is gigantic. At least 100cm. So much better to see your on board account.

There are two wardrobes, one on each side of the bed – perfect for two people. There are even full length mirrors.

The room is a bit tight around the end of the bed…but apart from that they are great.

The bench for your ice bucket is not next to the power points. So you get two good sized bench tops.

There is a power point next to the bed. HOORAY!!!!

The bathrooms are great. Big showers with curved glass screens. The shower heads are hand held and adjustable, with great water pressure. The hand basin also has great water pressure – gone are the days of catching handfuls of water to wash your toothpaste spit away! And the Crown and Anchor potions and lotions are lovely – in really pretty bottles!

 

Crown Loft

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

25th October – Sea day.

 

Accessible JS

 

 

 

Family Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony. Probably the best room I saw - value for money.

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

25th October – Sea day.

 

Then went to see the stage production of Grease the Musical. Absolutely brilliant. The quality of shows here is amazing. As good as anything I have paid to see. The production of the show was so good. The sets and the props were fantastic.

 

 

 

 

Costumes etc. And some of the singer were so good. And the choreography of the dances and the prob changes was brilliant. In “Beauty School dropout” the Guardian Angle came floating down from the sky. Of course Rizo stole the show with “Worst things I could do”. The whole thing was amazing and almost the whole audience gave them a standing ovation.

 

 

Then I went and watcher the “Bionic Bar” – a robot barman. You swipe your card and order your drink. Then the robot makes the drink. It selects a cup, adds ice if required, then goes up to all the bottles of spirits. it then does a very cool shaking routine and pours the drink into the cup. When you tap your card again it pushes the drink out to your. I didn’t see it mess up….but sometimes it flips things all over the place.

 

 

 

I went down to the Diamond Lounge and met up with friends for a past cruise. The lounges are mad with no seats available.

Then met the gang for drinks. We are drinking up on the deck and using our free drinks on our cards. We all had lots and were very funny! Just ask us. And very loud.

We marched down to the dinning room, via a bar for more drinks, in a long line of very noisy people. Some luck people got to travel in the lift with us. The waiters are fantastic.

Great day.

This ship is amazing.