Saturday night November 1
We had our last sunset and said a sad goodbye to our faithful stewards Ode and Waylen.
Sunday November 2nd
We departed the ship at 9:30 am which left us with a 4 hours to wait till our AirBnB was available. We ended up playing cards on the floor in the apartment hallway. The tenants left by 11 and the cleaner allowed us to store our bags inside. We walked to the Sagrada Familia and started taking some of the hundreds of photos that ended up on my iPhone. We didn't get tckets before hand to be able to go inside (so make sure you do it way in advance - again online). Yes I was disappointed, but our extra time was spent really observing - if you pay attention you will see some very unusual things decorating the church. What a mind Gaudi had......
our first view
Fruit ...
The new Front of the Church
Snail
Horses with wings
My neck hurt by the end of the afternoon from looking up and gawking...
Beth kept telling me to shut my mouth .....
Notice the words on each of the spires ?
When finished there will be 18 - they will represent the 12 apostles, 4 Evangelists, Virgin Mary, and Jesus.
The older entrance - some cleaning is underway
also where the lines to enter are located
A Christmas Tree?
We took a break for lunch and wandered around some more and found a chocolate version of the Sagrada Familia
Couple more close ups of some of the items on the church
Monday November 3rd
Next day we hit two of the other famous Gaudi buildings. An apartment and one individual home. Both were very impressive. Big thanks to Beth who had gotten the tickets beforehand. We cramed a lot of Barcelona in our two days.
Casa Mila (or La Pedrera) was our first stop..
Impressive front door
The most impressive was the attic and rooftop - The attic showed how the building was constructed. A lot of his structural ideas came from observing natures' structures. Amazing.....
The roof arches mirror the hanging chains. I don't have the ability/knowledge to explain how it works but it obviously does.
Casa Batllo (also called House of Bones) was our second Gaudi stop. The rather plain building was bought in 1903 by the Batllo family and in 1904 decided they wanted Gaudi to redesigned the building. It was completed in 1906.
After this tour we ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe (yes I got a t-shirt) and walked to the Art museum and fountains (that Beth had seen on her late night walk- while I was recovering). We passed some of these sites on the way....
Another one of Gaudi's Buildings - Palau Guell (Guell Palace)
Large gates on the front of the building where horse-drawn carriages could go in one and exit out the other. Closed that day..
These are the fountains that Beth wanted me to see -- alas they only flowed at night. After the long day of walking, I was so tired I begged for a taxi back to the AirBnb. That night we strolled our neighborhood squares and found an inviting bar/restaurant. It had pretty good food and a really nice wait staff which we have had at all our places we have eaten. Makes sense why so many people from the US are retiring to Spain and Portugal.
Tuesday November 4th Departure Day
I was off to Portugal for a week and Beth was starting her solo adventure by train and car thru France for the next 2 weeks. Last night we THOUGHT we had successfully ordered a taxi online for our trips to the train station and airport. But no one showed up. Quickly we had to contact our AirBnb Host to order one for us. Beth did miss her train but she quickly caught another one and I had no problems at the airport. Again really nice and helpful people here.
OK why Portugal ?? One of the many people retiring overseas was my neighbor, boyfriend and 66' high school prom date. Our relationship never made it past the HS years but we reconnected every once in a while.
59 years ago .......... me actually wearing heels !!
Cliff Note version - John went to Williams College and joined their newly formed skulling crew team. After graduation he ended up coaching crew and building racing shells. By the mid 70's this turned into the company called Peinert Boatworks. He sold it in 1996, but inbetween other projects he built his own 26 ft sailboat. About 5 years ago he sailed it across the Atlantic and explored the Mediterranean. He seems to have found his 'happy place' for the last few years in Lagos Portugal. I decided to pay him a visit. He met me at the airport in Lisbon and we stayed at a really nice nearby hotel. Next morning we went on an very informative Tuk Tuk tour of Lisbon. The tiles decorating a lot of the buildings were so interesting.
Definitely a lot of history with all their naval explorations.
Our French, fast talking, Tuk Tuk driver took about 20 photos of us at this lookout.
He gave lots of information - I should have taken notes
We had a yummy lunch of a Bifana - a pork type sandwich on a strangely shaped bun with a good tasting sauce.
Nest day we boarded an express train for a 4 hour ride down to Lagos (south west corner of Portugal). We passed thru the cork farming area and John explained how it is harvested and made. 50% of the world's cork is produced in Portugal. Youtube has a pretty good explanation of how it is harvested and what it is used for. Portugal Cork Production
That afternoon I was introduced to John's 26 ft very efficent sailboat. I would definitely need to cut back on what I usually THINK I need for a trip. It is amazing how much can be done with such a small area.
We walked into town for a yummy dinner above the fish market and then of course a gelato to finish off the night. Local performer met us as we crossed the draw bridge to the marina.
Next day one of John's friends took us on a tour of the beautiful Portugal coastline. I had a real hard time picking the photos to post here. The weather, tide, and morning sun all helped to make the photos come out great.
lots of caves
and lots of hidden beaches 
John and Nick, our tour captain
Next day and also my last day in Lagos, we went for a walk on the beach and stopped at one of the beach bars for a quick lunch and drink. Then caught the return train to Lisbon so I could catch the next morning's flight home.
beautiful sunset on the way back to Lisbon
Lisbon Train station
Last Hotel Supper
Plane ride home was uneventful - no bags lost and Tom White (Mimi's husband) was so nice to pick me up at the Jacksonville airport at 9:30 pm. Home by midnight and asleep in minutes. This was a great vacation due to the fact I had amazing and positive travel partners. Beth on the Oosterdam and John on his Piscador. Big giant THANKS to both of them.
