I then phone my hostess, C, to let her know my status. We agree that when I am in the taxi I will call her back and let her tell the driver where to take me. A few minutes later we do this, and although the traffic is bad near the airport, we get into town and to the plaza near my new home within 20 minutes or so. The taxi fare is about 24E (there wre extra charges for the airport and for my luggage). With the help of C we get my stuff to her place, and then the hard work begins. Her place is on the what in the US would be the 4th floor, and there is no elevator. So we take the stuff up on floor at a time. I finally get the last and heaviest one in her door and feel that I have had my exercise for the week!
C's apartment is a very large 3 bedroom home in a 100 year old building. It is a wonderful old place with lots of nice architectural touches. C has lived here in Barcelona for over 20 years, and she lives here in this apartment with her 8 yr old daughter, K, and her partner C, who also lives in Dublin. C shows me my room, at the back end of the apartment away from the street. It is a nice large room with a double bed. Yes, I will be quite comfortable here!
After getting situated and talking for awhile, I go with C to get her daughter from the subway station. K rides the train to and from school. C and I take the scenic route to the station, and she shows me the neighborhood. Wow, it is really very pleasant! Lots of pedestrian streets, cafes, small shops, etc. And the weather is cool but OK. I am not freezing! Hurray! She shows me where the local internet café is, where the coffee shop for breakfast is, etc. At about 5:20 we meet K as she comes out of the train. What a cute and precocious child! She has a ready smile, and by the time we get home we are good friends! She will spend the night at her best friend's house and tomorrow go with them to another town for a big birthday party. But before getting ready for her trip she must practice the piano. So she sits at her digital keyboard and plays. For an 8 yr old who doesn't practice a lot, she does very well. I listen to her playing and give her some pointers. She actually likes playing the piano. There are no grumbles or frowns.
At almost 7:00 the three of us walk to the subway and take the train towards town center. The train is absolutely packed with people. All of us are going to the big rally in memory of the victims of yesterday's bombing in Madrid. We want to get off the train at XXX, but the train does not even stop there--apparently it is so crowded on the street that you cannot even get out of the train station. So we get off at Diagonal, the next stop. Even here it is difficult to get out onto the street. There are people for as far as you can see! Somewhere there is a podium and sometimes a man's voice. Mostly there is quiet, candles, and then occasional rhythmic clapping. It is all rather somber, but the feeling of unity is very clear, and so is the message--the Spanish people are united in their anger and resentment of this atrocity and will not tolerate it.
We slowly walk back towards home. It takes a long time with all of the people. The rally is over with at about 8:00, but people do not leave right away. No one is in a rush. We walk past the center of the rally. There are bright lights and TV cameras, and people march slowly past some carrying signs expressing their anger or sorrow. We finally arrive at the home of the friend where K is spending the night. We go in, deliver K, stay for a few minutes, and then head back out. I ask C what she would like to do for dinner (I am getting hungry). As we walk we talk about it. I am here in Barcelona. I want to eat "la comida de Barcelona"--typical local food. So near home we go to Taverna de Bisbe--Tavern of the Bishops. We have tapas (5 different kinds), and I have a glass of cava--the Spanish sparkling wine. It is a very tasty and filling meal. The restaurant is very crowded, but we are lucky and have a small table in a corner.
Finishing our meal I pay the bill (about 26E, or about $32US), and we walk around some more. Here in the Gothic Quarter some of the buildings are very old, and the streets are amazingly interesting. Lots of people are out. The city has life, even late at night. But soon we are back home. I show C some of my photos from my long trip, and then it is time to hit the sack. It is about midnight when my head meets the pillow, and I am asleep within minutes.
I rise and shine just after 7:00, and get downstairs for breakfast. I have plenty of time, so I don't really rush. There is a light crowd for breakfast--it is still rather early. I then go up, get packed-up, and take my stuff downstairs and check-out. Now, how do I get my 4 bags to the train station? I leave my bags at the hotel, walk to the train station, and get a luggage cart. The carts require a 1 lb coin, which is returned to you when you return the cart. I wheel the cart back to the hotel, and with the help of a nice man who is also leaving the hotel, I load my bags onto the cart. I then walk back to the train station. Just as I get to the Heathrow Express platform the conductor tells me to hop on quickly. So I do, leaving the cart for the next person to use for free! But it was worth the 1 lb to save the 15 minutes wait to the next train.
So I am quickly on my way to Heathrow. I call British Air on the cellphone and learn that my flight will leave from Terminal 1, so I get off the train at the first stop (which serves Terminals 1, 2, and 3). I get my bags off the train and onto a luggage cart, and head for the terminal. It is a bit of a walk, and a little confusing, but I find it, locate the British Air check-in counter, and get checked-in for my flight. It is now about 9:00AM, and my flight is scheduled to leave at 10:30, so I have a little time. I walk thru the terminal area, and find the First Class lounge for BA. The lounge is fairly large, and there is a nice selection of coffees, teas, and pastries. They also have many internet terminals, but amazingly they cost money to hook-up your laptop. This was free at Cathay Pacific.
At about 10:00 I leave the lounge and head for gate 25. It is near the end of the terminal. When I get there the gate is still empty and dark. I soon realize that the incoming flight is just arriving, and so we will not board for another 30 minutes or so. Eventually we do board. Then we have to wait while the plane's wings are de-iced (yes it was cold outside, with some light snow last night). We push-back about 30 minutes late, and then get in long line of planes waiting to take off. We don’t actually start to fly until 11:35.
I am in seat 1A. I am not impressed with the first class section. The seats are only slightly bigger than a coach seat. It still has a cramped feel to it. I have been spoiled by my flights on CP. But, during the flight we get a very nice lunch (I have salmon, salad, potatoes, pie, coffee). The flight is smooth, and we land in Barcelona at about 2:20 (we lost an hour of time change).
The Barcelona airport is newish. It was probably built for the Olympics in 1992. The aircraft docked at one end of the airport, but for some reason our baggage goes to the baggage claim area B at the far other end of the airport. So, after going thru Passport Control (I also have to fill out an immigration card), it takes me a good 15 minutes or so to get to baggage claim B. Soon after I arrive the baggage starts coming, and within minutes I have loaded my luggage cart and am walking out to the taxi stand.
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