On to Spain!

 

Nice door in Barcelona, Spain

Mirrors Hotel in Barcelona.  Loved the elevator!

Street graffiti along my morning run in Barcelona

Maria at the Columbus statue in Barcelona, Spain with a photo bomber

Maria all alone at the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona.  This is the famous Gaudi designed church, still under construction!

Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família with typical tourist crowds in Barcelona, Spain

What a great thought, on a window in Barcelona

Cruise ships call into port at Barcelona too

Uncrowded street scene in the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona, Spain

The beach at Salou, Spain

What a great place to visit the beach, just an hour south of Barcelona

S/Y Savannah Sky – June 22, 2023 – Log #4

Savannah Sky Position: 51 degrees 45’ N, 003 degrees 51’ E

Port Zélande, Ouddorp, Netherlands (Holland)

 

On to Spain!

 

The Portuguese don’t really care for Spain, since they still carry a grudge from past wars with their powerful neighbor.  We were ready to see the changes from our last visit to Spain 10 years ago when we sailed there.

 

 Salou, Spain is a beach town that was fantastic.  There was a very long beach right on the Mediterranean Sea and oh so many reasonably priced restaurants, cafes and ice cream places.  Yes, we seem to still be eating our way through Euroland.

 

 Arriving in Barcelona was a shock with thousands of people crowding the wide avenues and side streets during day and night.

 

 But all is not well in Spain, as we experienced in Barcelona, our next stop on the Steve Is Still Alive Tour.

 Air conditioning in Spain essentially cannot be used.  The lower limit is 80 degrees, nothing colder!  And Heat cannot be set warmer than 66 degrees so shivering is common.

 

eat

This is due to a new Spanish Law because the energy grid cannot support people AND electric car charging.  Hmmm.

 

Oh my.  All across Europe, new laws are going into effect with similar changes.

 

 This will be interesting to watch once the heat of summer arrives, along with throngs of unhappy tourists.

 

 Then there was my morning run, at 5 am, when I thought people might still be sleeping.  Wrong!

 

 I stepped out the door of our hotel to the stench of human and dog urine, cigarette smoke, sewer stench, rotting trash and late night party people gathered everywhere as the sun came up.

 

 This was not my favorite way to enjoy a morning run. So much traffic and people sleeping everywhere were other obstacles to avoid along the way as well. Geeze.

 

 At least the restaurants are good and tasty, along with the best people watching ever!

 

Steve and Maria