January 6, 2024       link to photos after 12/31/23 post

Thursday 12/28/23        Chicago -> Barcelona

We left Chicago on a 4 PM Aer Lingus flight; we transferred in Dublin to a flight to Barcelona.  We got to our apartment in Barcelona around noon 12/29/23.  We are renting our apartment from Enrique, who was at the apartment when we arrived.  We exchanged homes with Enrique and his wife in 2018.  We are renting the apartment from 12/29/23 to 02/29/24.  We didn’t do much that first day.  We bought a few items at a local bodega that is just around the corner from our place.

Saturday 12/30/23         Barcelona Las Ramblas walkabout

After we had breakfast and coffee we went out for a walk down Las Ramblas, to confirm that we remembered the way to get to the Cathedral.  We are planning to go to the 6 PM Mass.  On the way to the Cathedral we went past one of our favorite tapas restaurants.  It is on the same plaza as the Cathedral. We then came back and rested a bit before we went to Church.  After Mass we went the tapas restaurant Bilbao Berria for dinner.  We had a short wait, probably less than 10 min.  We ordered a couple of Estrella beers, and then we took turns selecting dishes from the counter.  Typically I knocked over my beer glass, breaking it and spilling the beer.  I got another beer, and went back for another 3 or 4 tapas plates.  After we ate we split a dessert plate with a piece of chocolate cake.  Then it was back to the apartment to see what was on TV, and then to bed.  Rae & Jude are arriving tomorrow.  Sue has made a reservation for our New Year’s Eve dinner at a restaurant we frequented on our last visit.

Sunday 12/31/23            Rae & Jude arrive

Rae and Jude both arrived around 9 AM at the Barcelona airport; Jude flew out of O’Hare and Rae flew out of Milwaukee.  They took the Aerobus to Plaça de Catalunya which is about a 10 min walk from our apartment.  We met them at the bus.  They both laid down to try and rest a bit.  Jude wanted to get some photos of the El Gato de Botero, the cat statue for Tamie.  After we accomplished that we walked down to the waterfront to see the huge sculpture by Frank Gehry, it is titled Peix (Fish or Golden Fish).  As you can see it is big.  We then walked back home by way of the Cathedral.  It was about a 4+ mile walk by the time we got home.  Rae and Jude tried to rest a bit before we went out for our New Year’s Eve dinner.  Sue had made reservation for 7:30 PM, because they would need to catch up on their sleep.  We got home probably before 10 PM, and they went to bed.  I don’t remember if Sue and I stayed up to midnight, but I don’t think so.  All three are napping right now or I would ask Sue, because she would know.

Arrive in Barcelona