Trip across North America and back
We lazed around a bit in the morning and then took a cab to a different Federal restaurant for brunch. We then took a long cab ride to the final Gaudí place we wanted to visit, the Crypt at Colònia del Güell. Mr. Güell wanted a place where his factory could be located and the Continue Reading
We slept in (I set the alarm for 7 PM rather than AM) and very quickly ran out to get a pair of breakfast sandwiches. Taco Bell was the only choice, since McDonalds is only a Cafe in the morning. Anyway we wolfed the sandwiches, ordered a taxi and were up at Parc Güell just Continue Reading
Today we lounged around in the apartment and went down around 11 for breakfast at the bakery downstairs. We then did a wander around the town and eventually took a cab up to Montjuic to visit the Joan Miró gallery. Very interesting. He seemed to go from a post impressionist through a bunch of styles Continue Reading
Lots of walks and cabs today. The major works of Antoni Gaudí were the two places we went. We started out with a cab to Cathedral de la Sagrada Familia, but first decided to walk over to the Casa Batlló, a house that he had built for a rich friend. It is fascinating in many Continue Reading
We again went to dinner in Barri Gotic and in the battle of 21st century technology vs 11th century narrow roads and tall buildings, we came out a little better. The taxi dropped us off at the end of one of those narrow streets, but this time the restaurant was only a short walk down Continue Reading
We drove down to Portsmouth to catch to 1 PM bus to Logan Airport. We then took a 4 PM plane to Newark and then walked a few miles in the terminal to catch our plane to Barcelona. Huge thermal with randomly numbered gates. Good thing there was lots of time between planes! We arrived Continue Reading
We are on a break between tours and I thought I would attempt to get this out. Our bus tour guide was the first tour guide from the West. He is a lifelong Berliner, born 1954 and raised in West Berlin. He had many interesting stories about life in West Berlin. He told one story Continue Reading
We left the boat in Wittenberg after breakfast and began a tour of Potsdam and ended at the Berlin Hilton. After driving for over an hour through scenic little villages and small towns (all in former East Germany, as all of the trips for) we arrived in Potsdam (not the one I was born in, Continue Reading
We had an overnight stop in Torgau and then continued on in the morning to Lutherstadt-Wittenberg (aka Wittenberg). We had a briefing on “disembarkation” and then went into town after lunch. The first stop was the most famous, the Castle Church, where Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses trying to start a dialog with Rome Continue Reading
The boat, Viking Astrild, left Dresden early and arrived in Meissen around 8:30. We left for a tour of the Meissen Porcelain facility. The process is completely by hand. They have over 600 employees now, having had more in the past, including during the Communist era.