The Return Home

This trip to Spain has come to an end and we are on a flight from Barcelona to Philadelphia and then on to Chicago. It has been a wonderful trip, warm most of the time, relaxing, entertaining, full of good times and good food and good wine.Look back to the middle of April at my blog entries and you will see how wonderful this vacation has been. One striking part of the trip were the people we have been with and how different we are and how we can all enjoy similar experiences in different ways. Katie, Jason, Aliza, Mary, Jorge, Nick, Helen, Lee, Peg, Sharon, and me.

Our Last Day In Sitges

Dinner at La Salseta

 

 

A Day in Girona

Jorge has been asking us when we were going to Girona for ice cream. today was the day. It did not start well as while we were on the platform at Sants, we saw there was a delay because of a problem on the R11 line at the Girona Station. Our train eventuay arrived abut an hour late and the ride to Girona was about two hours. We were all worn out before we got there.

We could tell Jorge was on a mission when we arrived. He made a bee line to the ice cream store. It was an unassumng storefront with limited selections but oh those selections! Delicious. There were a few flavor selections with a bigger selection of toppings. You could pick your own or go with their recommended combinations.

 

Another Sagrada Familia and Osmosis Day

 

Yep, another visit to the Sagrada Famila for me and a first for Lee and Peg and Helen and Nick. This visit for me was a major disappointment. The center of the basilica was blocked off for an event, chairs were up and a stage was in place in front of the altar. There was also construction in progress inside and it was noisey. Because I was hoping to just sit and observe details and contemplate, I was foiled. And, the visit experience was certainly not as satisfying as it could have been. I could not get us tickets for the towers, so we did not go up. As you can see below, Sharon was moved to prayer!

 

Returning From Paris

Nick and I are on the TGV rolling from Gare de Lyon in Paris to Estacio Sants in Barcelona and enjoying the comfortable almost 300 km/h ride. There are rain clouds on each side of us as we head south, but all we have todo is watch them and enjoy them. Sharon and Lee and Peg passed by here on these same tracks a few hours ago. We have received no updates on their progress as it seems Sharon's phone is turned off and Lee and Peg do not have phone service here.

This morning we saw the trio off between 8:00 and 8:30, then Nick and I cleaned the apartment. Evilio came at around 10:00 and we passed on the keys, leaving the apartment around 10:15. We walked and gawked our way to Batille where we stopped for coffee and juice. I finally learned what to order in Paris when you want the equivilant of a cortado, a noisette. We continued on to Gare de Lyon where we had a nice lunch in the station, picked up a few snackss, then boarded our train for our 14:07 departure.

A lady with a cat in a carrier boarded with us. She was scheuled to sit with me but must have not liked what she saw. She never sat down, but looked around the car for a vacant seat. And a guy came with a ticket for the single seat across from me but a girl was sitting there. Seems she was on the wrong train. We seem to be part of two trains hooked together. One of them only goes to Perpignan, but makes all the other stops with us. I suppose we will seperate there and we, on the front of the caravan, continue on.

 

The Crew Arrives

Up at 5:30 this morning and out the door at 6:05 for the Metro then the RER to Charles de Gaulle. I managed to get there just after Sharon, Lee, and Peg hooked up with Nick. Then we headed to the train to get back to Paris. Even with my Chase card with PIN, I was unable to use the kiosk. Second try today. This worked for me in Barcelona and Sitges, but not here. We had to stand in line to buy tickets from a live agent. Dumb.

 

Sitges To Paris Culture Shock

Wow. The difference between Sitges and Barcelona and Paris is amazing. Sitges is very quiet, Barcelona bustles, but Paris runs!

 

 

Public Transportation In Spain And France

This morning I got on the train in Sitges headed to Barcelona Sants station where I will continue on to Paris. The trains and busses here, public transportation in general, puts the United States to shame. On both busses and trains you will find them to be clean, running often, and reliable. In the past month we have taken the train multiple times to Barcelona and back, to Vilanova and back and each trip has been comfortable and on time. We have taken the bus in Barcelona, and the bus from the airport to Sitges. we have taken the bus to Barcelona for shopping. I feel the prices are reasonalbe as well. Using a T-10 ten ride three zone ticket for the Sitges Barcelona train or the Sitges Barcelona Airport or shopping run cost 26.75€. A T-10 one zone for Barcelona metro and busses is 9.85€.

On another note, this TGV to Paris Gare Lyon is making multiple stops. I wonder if there is a direct train? We will stop at Girona, Figueres, Perpignan, Narbonne,Montpellier, Nimes, and Valence. I learned something this morning about the Lounge for first class passengers. It is in the station behind the medium distance ticket counters. Do not pass through the baggage check xray machines because you have gone too far!

I am in the first car behind the engine, in a single seat, upper deck, first class. Very comfortable, lots of leg room, big tray table, electrical outlet, electric seat recline, foot rest. Whoops, we are pulling out and it seems I am in the last car not the first, unless we turn around. Oh, and I am going backwards. We did leave on time. I am amazed how much luggage some people can carry. Some people just got on with bag, after, bag, after bag. We are past Figueres and moving at 294 kmh with is about 180 mph. Try that in the U.S. of A. One trip to the dining car so far. It is a stand up affair, not fancy, but you can get coffee, and soft drinks. wine, and beer, snack sandwiches and more. cart came through selling wine, coffee, snacks, sandwiches. I went for a cheese sandwich which tur ed out to be egg. tomato, and a thin slice of cheese on toasted white bread. I would not recommend it. I had wine with it and it was passable, but only because of the wine.