Paris 2010-3

11 Octobre (Lundi) - HEAT!!!  Sometime during the night, the heat was turned on.  Of course, we still have no control over how warm, or when, but at least, it's better than nothing.

We walked down to the Monoprix to get some stuff.   The first thing we saw was a couple of guys delivering furniture to an apartment on an upper floor.  This is one of the methods they use to do that.  One wonders how people got their furniture up those tiny little stairways before they had these things.  I suppose they used a block-and-tackle method.

On the way to Monoprix, I took a photo of the trees because, as you can see, nearly all the leaves are off, and it appears they've been trimmed back. On the way back, I saw a Porsche SUV.  Really, a PORSCHE SUV.  And I thought only Americans were stupid. 

I was down to my last pair of clean socks, so I gathered up the dirty ones and tossed them into the washer.  I started to close the 'door', when the damned thing swung around with the open door on the bottom.  I've tried several times, but there is no way to get it open.  Jean-Michel is coming to have a look around 16h00.

The repairman has been called and will arrive between 10h00 and 13h00 on Friday.  The very good news is that we will have to pay the repairman, but Luc will reimburse us.  I didn't feel quite so bad after Jean-Michel told me that the last time they had a problem with the washer, it was because the people didn't put the clothes into the washer compartment, they just tossed them into the machine and turned it on.

We walked down to  FNAC on the corner of Avenue des Ternes and Avenue MacMahon.  Robb bought two CDs.  Michel Sardou and Yannick Noah.

There is to be a major strike tomorrow, so today was wasted and tomorrow doesn't look any better.

Well, we've finally done it.  We've found the worst restaurant in Paris;  L'Orée des Champs, at 35, Avenue des Ternes in the 17é.  Not only was there really nothing from which to chose on the menu, but what we finally settled for was less than good. I ordered the Soupe aux Legumes (vegetable soup).  The packaged soup we've been buying at Monoprix is far better.  Robb ordered some kind of open-faced sandwich, which he only ate because he was really hungry.

12 Octobre (Mardi) - Day One of the strike.  I'm hoping there is only one day, but they're talking on the news that it could go on longer.  The buses are running, but rather sporadically.  I saw the 31 Bus sitting at the bus stop.  It was there for quite a while...with passengers sitting quietly, waiting to get to their destinations.  I've seen the bus drivers do that before.  It's their way of participating in the strike.  They don't actually stop driving, they just slow everything down a bit.

We didn't want to take a chance, so we didn't do much today except walk around a little.  First we walked up to Place Étoile because Robb had seen a  building he thought looked like the Samaritaine, a department store that no longer exists.  It didn't look at all the same.  It does house the Publicisdrugstore, which is the closest thing to an American drug store you'll find here.  Though, unlike American stores, this one is very compartmentalised.  We left by the back entrance and wandered around those streets.

Then we walked over to the Champs-Élysées (the sunny side, for me). Stopped at Celio and Robb bought another shirt.

Then over and down Avenue Hoche where I saw a couple of interesting buildings.  One had an interesting  façade.  The other appeared to be a pre-fab building.  Google street view has it when they had just put up the girder-like foundation.  Stopped at Franprix.  Robb bought wine and haricot verts.

Down Avenue Hoche to rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, where we thought about going into the tea house of  Mariage Frères, but Robb didn't feel like he should drink tea.  We also didn't stop at the Maison du Chocolat, just across the street, where the macarons seemed a little costly.  But we may go back and get a couple anyway.

Dinner at  Lacombe, next door to the restaurant from hell.  The thing is, from the direction we entered hell, we couldn't see Lacombe.  It wasn't until we left that we saw it.  We both had the Noix de Saint-Jacques (scallops) with puréed potatoes.  It was excellent.  For dessert, Robb had an Éclair Café, I had the Tartes aux Pommes avec Glace (Apple Tart with Ice Cream).

13 Octobre (Mecredi) - Day two of the strike.

Caught the 92 Bus and rode to the Bosquet-Rapp stop which is only a  block or two from the Musée du Quai Branly, to which we've never been before.  It's a large and interesting collection, but everything is so poorly lit, that after a while, I got a headache from trying to see things.  The best thing about the Branly is the view from the top floor.  Of course, it is practically next door to La Tour Eiffel.

After the Branly, we decided to go to Galleries Lafayette, so we boarded the 80 Bus, rode to Gare Saint-Lazarre, got the 20 Bus to Opéra.  From l'Opéra, we walked to the department store which is just behind it.  When we passed the Opéra, I took a photo of the performers entrance.  We walked around checking out all the way-over-priced stuff but bought nothing.  On the way out, the label on Robb's sweater (that he's had for at least three years) set off the detection machine.  As we were leaving, we heard it going off almost constantly.  There was obviously something wrong with it, but the security guys had to search the person who set it off each time.

When we got back to  Gare Saint-Lazarre, we couldn't find the stop for the 43 Bus going in the right direction, so we caught it and rode to the end of the line.  It took forever because traffic was so heavy and they were working on the streets.  But we made it, stopping into Mariage Fréres to check out their tea selection, but really to get warm before walking home.

Well, we've had our second worst meal in Paris.  We went to  La Fabbrica, which apparently used to be a boulangerie.  It's too bad they aren't any longer, because the Italian restaurant that is there now really sucks.  I had Linguini Alle Volgone (linguini in clam sauce).  Robb had Scallopini di Vitello (breaded veal).  Robb said his was 'okay', but mine was bad.  Most of the clam shells were broken and with every mouthful of linguini, I got pieces of the shells.  Not to mention that the linguini was way undercooked.

I have to say, if this was our first trip to Paris, it most likely would have been the last.

14 Octobre (Juedi) - Colder but sunny.  Day three of the strike.  So far, it hasn't really affected us.  The buses and the métro (for the most part) are running pretty much on schedule.  At least, the ones we use.  The thing that pisses me off most about these stupid strikes, is that they never accomplish anything, they just disrupt everybody's lives.  And this one even more so, because the government is not going to back down.  I seriously suspect that the strikes are more about getting a free day off, than actually trying to make a point.

Caught the 92 Bus to Étoile, where we waited for the 73 Bus.  On the way to the  bus stop, I saw another of those pre-fab buildings.  The 73 Bus let us off about a half-block from the Musée d'Orsay.  The first thing I saw was the statue of Thomas Jefferson on the rive gauche side of the Passerelle Léopold Sédar-Senghor.  We crossed the street to have a look at a dockside restaurant (Le Quai).  To get to the restaurant, you can use the stairs that go down to the Batobus station. The Batobus is a river taxi that only has eight stops. I think it's just a wee bit too chilly to be eating on the river, if it's even open this time of year.

We crossed back over and entered the   Musée d'Orsay.  We had to go through a security check before we could buy our tickets, but it was only minimal.  They are renovatinng the fifth floor where all the Impressionist paintings used to be, so they are now on the first floor.  It could be just me, but they seemed to have a lot more Renoirs this time.  Most of their Monet paintings are at the Grand Palais.  And speaking of that, while we were having a snack in the beautiful restaurant on the second floor, I noticed the woman at the next table had a Monet book.  I asked if she had been to the Grand Palais. She replied that she was going next week.  Then she informed us of something I really should have known; we can buy tickets to the Monet exhibition at the FNAC, and there just happens to be one a couple blocks from the apartment.  We will be there tomorrow after the laundry repairman leaves.

Upon leaving the  Orsay, I noticed the Legion of Honor museum just next door but it was late, so we didn't even try to go in. Another time perhaps.

Since we went to the Italian place across the street and I saw tartiflette on the menu, I've been desiring it.  Tonight we went back, and much to my chagrin, I discovered it's a tartiflette pizza.  It was really good, but when your mind is set on one thing and you get something else, it's disappointing as hell.  Ah well, c'est la vie.

You can see all the Paris pictures here:  Paris 2010

À la prochaine, mes amis.

Paris 2010-2

8 Octobre (Vendredi) - Another beautiful sunny and warm day after a terrible night.


Robb apparently has a condition called diverticulitis, which flares up occasionally and when it does, he has to be careful what he eats.  Obviously, dinner last night was not a good idea and we will be back to eating soup for a few days or a week.

He says he feels okay now and we're going to try to ride over to BNP Paribas, Robb's bank, on Boulevard des Italiens.  To do that, we caught the 43 Bus to Gare Saint-Lazarre where we got the 20 Bus to the Opéra.  Boulevard des Italiens is only a few blocks from there.  We were early enough that we stopped at Librairie del Duca and I bought a couple of CD packages. Four CDs for €12.  I got Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt.  Robb bought Stan Getz.  While at the librairie (oh, in France, a librairie is a book store), I noticed the store that used to be FNAC is now a Monoprix.  Right after I noticed that, I noticed that this has now become this.  You can't see it in the picture, but the whole place is gutted.  It must have been quite a fire.

Robb completed his business at the bank and we were off to Italie2 so we could go to Tati to get the pictures we need for our Navigo passes.  We walked down to rue du 4 Septembre and hopped on the 20 Bus to Gare de Lyon.  We were going to take the 57 Bus to Place d'Italie, but it was taking forever to arrive and more and more people were qeueing up, so we walked over to Gare de Lyon and caught a taxi.  On our way to the taxi stand, we saw a gréve (strike) taking place in front of the train station.  It was somewhat small as gréves go, only a handful of people were taking part.

Here's some advice about taxis during rush hour: DON'T.  The taxis don't charge by the eighth of a mile like they used to, they charge by time, so while you're sitting at a traffic light in very heavy traffic, the meter is ticking happily.  What should have been about a €4 or €5 ride, cost us €11.

We got our pictures at Tati and wandered around the mall for a while.  We came across Jules, another of our favorite stores.  Robb bought a couple pairs of jeans and a shirt.  I bought rien (nothing).  I think we'll be buying another suitcase.

It was after 19h00, so we decided to take the métro back to Charles de Gaulle-Étoile.  I thought we could take the Champs-Elysées exit and use the escalator, but somehow we took the wrong exit and there was no escalator.  At least, it was downhill to the apartment. 

9 Octobre (Samedi) - Today, while standing on our balcon (which you can see is only big enough to stand), I saw the primary reason that parking on the corners should be illegal and result in a very heavy fine.  Two pompier trucks came down the street.  One appeared to be a regular fire truck, but the other was an emergency vehicle.  They couldn't get past the corner because a guy was parked there.  They had to wait until he came back and moved his car.  Now suppose there had been a real emergency with someone's life at stake?  It's great that the French feel the world is theirs to do with as they please, but even the dullest fool can see that blocking the street is just wrong.

At the bank yesterday, I saw another Parisian first.  The receptionist was chewing gum.

Today, we spent the day doing mostly nothing but walking around.  We started with a walk down Avenue des Ternes, stopping at every bank we passed, in which Robb would try to change his large notes for smaller ones.  He was turned down at every bank, including a branch of BNP, his bank. 

During our walk, we came across an interesting church, Saint Ferdinand.  We went inside to have a look.  It was very nice. On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at Monoprix to get some wine and more soup.

I decided to go to G-20 to get batteries for my camera because they were just trop cher (too expensive) at Monoprix.  The wine was way over-priced at Monoprix also.  Speaking of batteries, has anyone used those rechargeable batteries?  Are they worth the cost? 

After getting the batteries and leaving G-20, we walked up to Place Charles de Gaulle-Étoile.  We hung out for awhile, then I got brave.  I decided we could walk all the way around the Place.  Now, to those of you for whom walking is easy, let me tell you, that's quite a long walk for me.  It took some time, but we made it all the way around to the Champs-Elysées.  Just in time for a parade that an elderly Frenchman informed us, takes place every evening.  I'm sorry I didn't have my camera with me, but it was an impromptu trip.

10 Octobre (Dimanche) - Sunny, bright but much cooler.  The good news is that the afternoon sun warms the apartment for a few hours.  The bad news is that shortly after the sun disappears, it gets cold rapidly.  

We almost made it here.  We started by walking to the 31 Bus stop  Saw this version of Paris Post-Its.  Caught the bus to Étoile.  Before, we got off the bus, I saw the MacMahon Cinema was doing a tribute to Tony Curtis.  Walked over and waited for the 73 Bus which would drop us at the Champs-Elysées Clemenceau stop, which is a few feet from the Grand Palais.  We waited few minutes, then I checked the Time of Arrival screen. Pas de Service (no bus today).  I cussed a lot as we walked to the métro station.

Note to the Mayor of Paris:  If you hope to eliminate automobile traffic in your city, you need to have a RELIABLE alternative! 

We rode to the Champs-Elysées Clemenceau station, took the escalator, and upon exiting, discovered our previous mistake. To see the Monet show, you don't enter through the main entrance in the front, you go to the back.

There were a couple of security people directing traffic.  If you were one of the smart ones, and had bought your ticket online, you go right in.  If you're not-so-smart (us) you go this way, where you stand in line for hours for the privilege of buying your ticket.  We waited, in the cold of the shade, until we realized that the place would close before we even got to the ticket window.  Gadzooks, foiled again!

Well, at least we got out of the apartment for a few hours. Ours is the second from the top.

You can see all the Paris pictures here: Paris 2010

  

À la prochaine, mes amis.

Paris 2010

3 Octobre (Domingo-Dimanche) - We leave Barcelona for Paris today.  We set the alarm for 08h00 but I was up and ready to go by 07h30.  The owner had called and said she "might" be here before we left at 10h00.  Given her past record, we didn't think it would happen, but lord-have-mercy, she and her husband showed up around 09h00.  To add to the incredible circumstance, she actually gave back the deposit just as she was supposed to do.  Will miracles never cease?

I would like to make one thing clear.  Although we abhorred the apartment with which we were stuck, we loved the city of Barcelona and highly recommend it if you're looking for places to go in Europe.  The food is great (the steaks are far superior to anything you'll get in France), the weather is fantastic, the prices are low, the people (though quite loud) are very friendly and it's easy to get around.  The only down-side would be that you have to be more careful about pickpockets and thieves than elsewhere in Europe, except for Italy.

Even though our plane wasn't due to leave until 14h20, we left for the airport around 10h00.  We had no problem checking in early, though they did rip me big time for my extra bag.  But I was expecting it, so it wasn't a big deal, just inconvenient.  Of course, we had a lot of time to kill, so we stopped at La Caffé di Roma and had a coffe and croissant.  Then we strolled leisurely to the gate to await the plane.

It was supposed to board at 13h45, but by 14h00, there was still no plane at the gate.  Around 14h10, they announced the start of boarding. Imagine our surprise when we had to walk out onto the runway and walk to the plane, a CRJ100, that seats only 50 people.  Even though it was small, it was very nice and we had a very pleasant flight to Orly Ouest, arriving almost forty minutes ahead of schedule.

I was surprised, and quite happy, to find the weather in Paris to be almost as nice as it had been in Barcelona.

We caught a taxi to the apartment, where we were met by Jean-Michel, the representative for the apartment owner, Jean-Luc.  He explained everything very thoroughly and left.  Within a few minutes after his departure, I was online and uploading a ton of pictures and videos.

Around 19h00, we went out to find the local store, a G-20.  We walked around the entire block, but didn't find it.  We were about to walk around the next block when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the G-20 just a few doors up the street on the next block.  We got several things we needed, and a few we just wanted, and began the return to the apartment.

We put in the code, the door opened and we inserted our inner door key, the door opened.  We took the elevator to the fourth floor (fifth in the US) and walked down to the apartment.  Our key wouldn't fit into the lock.  We thought we were at the wrong door and walked to the other end of the hall.  Same problem.  We thought maybe we were on the wrong floor and tried the third and fifth floors.  No go.  We were at a loss as to what to do, because the concierge was off today and we hadn't put Jean-Michel's number into our phones.

We left the building puzzled as to why everything worked until we got to the apartment, when I remembered something about the entrance to our building.  That was the answer.  We were in the wrong building.  There are two nearly identical buildings with the same entrance codes, the difference is, one is Numéro 12 and the other is Numéro 12bis.  But in the dark of night, you can't see the 'bis'.

Having solved that riddle, we had our first meal at Chez Clément, just around the corner where we had our first-ever experience with the French waiters that you hear so much about.  First, he didn't want to let us in because we didn't have a reservation.  Then, after sensing that we were staying, he took over half an hour to bring us a menu.  I think he was little shocked when I ordered in French from the English menu (we both had escargot {snails}, magret du canard {duck} and a Grand Marnier crêpe).  Whatever the reason, his mood changed perceptively, and even more so when we sent back the picher (pitcher) of house wine and ordered a Saint-Émilion.  We didn't really want to, but we had to admit the food was excellent, especially the duck.

4 Octobre (Lundi) - Our first full day in Paris is not going so well.  Robb has a terrible back pain and some kind of stomache problem.  On top of that, the weather has become as bad as I expected, wet and cold, and there will be no heat in the apartment until 15 Octobre....brrrr.  We left the apartment and walked to Avenue Wagram, where if you turn to the right, you see this sight.  We did turn right, because we wanted to go to the pharmacie.  Robb told the pharmacist his problem and she recommended a medicine.

We walked back to the apartment, but instead going inside, we continued down the street to check out the area a little and to go to the Monoprix just around the corner.  We discovered there are a lot of really great looking restaurants around us, including a nice Thai restaurant and an Italian restaurant just across rue de l'Étoile from the apartment.

We spent a little time in the Monoprix, but Robb was not feeling up to an extended tour, so we walked back home.

We tried to do some laundry, but couldn't get the machine to work.  We called Jean-Michel, who showed up around 19h00 and showed us the secret of making it work.  There is no dryer, so I had to drag out the drying rack and set it up in the living room.

Our second dinner in Paris was tomato soup, cheese and wine, because Robb didn't feel up to going out.

5 Octobre (Mardi) - Robb claims to be feeling better, so we are off to the Grand Palais to see a Monet exhibit.  We walked up to Place Charles de Gaulle - Étoile, found the métro station and went down to get our métro-bus-tram passes.

The last time we did that, it was a very simple process. You just walked up to the window, told the clerk what you wanted, paid your money and walked away with your monthly pass.  Of course, that was way too easy for the French and they had to complicate it.

We walked up to the window, told the clerk what we wanted and he pointed to the Navigo machines.  We went to the machines, went through most of the options and did not see what we needed.  We went back to the clerk.  He very reluctantly came out to help us through a process that we never would have figured out on our own, and we finally got our passes.

I thought we could walk down the Champs-Elysées to the Grand Palais, so we started our journey.  As we approached LaDurée, I suggested we stop for a snack.  I had a café creme et an pain au chocolate lait noisette (creamy coffee and a bun with chocolate and hazelnuts).  Robb had an chocolat chaud et an meringue glace (hot chocolate and ice cream with meringue and lots of whipped cream).

When we got to the Grand Palais, there were gendarmes and police all over the place, mostly in front of the Petit Palais.  I suppose as a result of the announced "terrorist threat".  But there was no Monet exhibit, even though it's supposed to be there until January.
  

Then we had another very Parisian experience...we tried to get a taxi.  The key word being 'tried', because we did not get one, but while we were waiting in front of the Hôtel Crillon, a 73 bus arrived.  We weren't really sure our passes would work, because the clerk had said something about needing to do something before we could use them, but we had no trouble at all.  As we passed the Louis Vuitton store on les Champs, I noticed a long line of people waiting in line to get into the store.  That makes twice I've seen that now, and I still can't understand why people will stand in line to get into a store.

We decided to go to Fontaine Sully for dinner, and since I had discovered that there is an escalator at the St. Paul station, as well as one at the Charles de Gaulle-Étoile station, we took the métro.  We were kind of hoping they would recognize us from last January.  Quelle surprise!  We walked in and found it quite crowded.  We said 'bonsoir' to Katy, the waitress.  She asked if we wanted to eat and then her eyes got very big and she did the French version of "Oh my God, it's you!", followed by bisous and started explaining that she had a picture of us that she looked at all the time.  We sat down and she brought the menu and a glass of champagne.  Robb ordered the bavette (a steak in a great cheese sauce), I ordered roti de veau (roasted veal).  While we were waiting for our food, Katy brought out her laptop and showed us the picture she mentioned.  It was taken on New Year eve.'

Dinner was as good as we remembered.  Katy asked if we were returning the following night, but we told her we were staying in the 17é this time and would only show up from time to time.  We really love the Fontaine Sully, so we will return.

6 Octobre (Mercredi) -  It is cold and wet again.  Robb is not feeling well again.  We went to another pharmacie on Avenue MacMahon, Robb explained his symptoms and the pharmacist suggested he see a doctor.  Robb asked if he could recommend someone and the guy told him of an office just around the corner.  There were four doctors listed on the door and all four required an appointment.  We copied the names and numbers of three of them (I can't remember why we eliminated one) and returned to the apartment to call.

Did I mention that this apartment has the three-for-one plan (telephone, internet, TV) and the phone has free calling to most of the free world?  As far as I could figure it out, that is not an option in Spain.

On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at the G-20 and bought more soup and some fruit cups.

One of the doctors was listed as an Étiopathe, which it turns out, is only a step above a witch-doctor.  So that eliminated another one.  But then it was too late to call and Robb decided he could just put up with the pain until it goes away.

7 Octobre (Jeudi) - The sun was shining in our window when we awoke, something I sorely missed in the Barcelona Dungeon.

We walked over to Avenue MacMahon, got some money from the ATM at BNP Paribank and then went to yet anotherpharmacie.  The pharmacist here seemed to know just what Robb's problem is and recommended a medicine.  Then, while I was trying to figure out where to get the bus to get us across town, he went back to the apartment to take the first dose of his medicine.

Standing on the corner of Avenue Wagram and Avenue des Ternes at Place des Ternes, I could see all the busses in that area and where they stopped, as well as where they went afterward.  Within ten minutes, the whole thing was crystal clear.

However, when Robb returned and we saw how full the busses were because it was late afternoon, we decided we should should put it off until at least tomorrow. Instead, we wet back to Celio where Robb bought a nice shirt and I bought a shirt to wear to bed at night because it's so cold.  Then we went to Monoprix to get some milk and other stuff.

During our little journey, I managed to get a close-up of the Toyota version of the Smart Car.  It's very close in looks and very nearly the same size, including being a two-seater.  It does seem to have a bit more space in back of the seats, though.

Around 19h00, there was a knock at the door.  It was the pompiers (firemen).  They asked if we were using the gas (the stove is gas and electric). We said 'no', and they left.  A few minutes later, they returned with the concierge.  Apparently, we had misunderstood before, and they were asking if we had a gas stove.  I invited them to come in and have a look.  There was no problem and they left again, but we heard them in the hallway talking for quite a while.

Robb felt up to it, so we crossed the street to Pizza Trionfo.  It was actually warmer outside than in the apartment.  I had Pâtes Bolognaise (Pasta Bolognaise) and Robb had Pâtes Carbonara.  Near the end of our main course, the guy next to us began talking to us.  His name is Jean-Eric. We couldn't seem to make him understand that this was not our first time in Paris and he kept mentioning places to go.  But he was very pleasant and even bought us a digestif (a drink that is supposed to aid in digestion, but is just an excuse to drink more alcohol).  It was a very nice evening and I'm sure we will return many more times.

You can see all the Paris pictures here: Paris 2010

À la prochaine, mes amis. 

Barcelona-End

 27 Septiembre (Lunes) - We awoke full of hope but it was quickly dashed as we found we still had no internet.  Robb called the owner and she, again, promised we would have it by noon, but again it was a broken promise.  Yes, it can be a blessing to be off the internet for awhile, but aside from keeping this journal updated,  I need to be able to get into my bank account to move money around and make sure my bills are being paid.  I also have to be able to upload pictures to Flickr and videos to You Tube and that sometimes takes quite a while, so if I get behind, it can take hours to catch up.  Also, there is no facility for uploading at the internet place.  We walked down to the internet cafe, but every terminal was taken and there was a waiting list. 

We decided to go for a walk.  We walked down to Borbó and walked to the beach.  Once at the beach, we decided to walk to the Hotel Wilson, passing an interesting sculpture and a lot of naked people, mostly older people but equally men and women. It was very windy and quite cool, even in the sun.

We had a look around the Wilson and then caught the bus back to the Borbó. 

Dinner tonight was at Dunne's Irish Pub, where we could see this view from our table.  Robb had Shepherd's Pie, and I had Irish Stew.  They were both very good, and our waiter, David from England, was exceptionally good.

28 Septiembre (Martes) - Still no internet, so we walked down to the internet place, checked our email and I left a message on OD.  Robb heard from Luc, our Parisian landlord, and things are looking better.  He had earlier informed us that there would be construction going on there during our stay, but it now appears they're putting it off until after we leave.

On the way back to the apartment, Robb stopped and bought a pair of shorts, I bought a litre of milk. 

Around 13h30, we went up and caught the 17 bus uptown to view the Cathedral of Barcelona and then tour the Roman ruins discovered beneath the city.  It was so much more than the tiny thing we saw in Frankfurt.  In spite of its size (4,000 square metres), it was very difficult to find.  If I hadn't been curious about a courtyard, we would probably still be looking for it.  That was further indicated by the near lack of people wandering through.  There is a lot to see and they're still uncovering more each day.  You're not supposed to take photos, but I managed to snap a rendering of the original Barcelona (called Barcino) and a passageway that goes who knows where since the public is not permitted to follow it.  The original city was surrounded by a huge wall with 80 towers that were more for show than protection.  It was so worth the visit.

After our tour, we walked up to get a shot of the Plaza de la Constitution and the administration building just across the square.

On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at the Mercat where we bought some bread and cheese, as well as a couple of other things.

We had planned to walk up to Toc de Mar for dinner, but we passed El Lobito, looked in and decided to eat there.  We asked for the menu, only to discover they don't really have one.  They have two fixed-price meals, and there are no substitutions.  It seemed like they were never going to stop bringing food to the table.  It was one thing after another, until they finally brought the main course, Sea Bass.  Dessert was a great assortment of seasonal fruit.  

29 Septiembre (Miércoles) - We've been seeing these Vaga General S 29 signs all over the place, but until today, had no idea what they meant. The S 29 means Septiembre 29, and the Vaga General means it's a general holiday, which means that everyone is on vacation for that day.  We're not certain if it is just in Barcelona, or if it's the whole country.  But for Barcelona, it meant that almost everything was closed, and the busses were running about once an hour or so.  We spent most of the afteroon sitting on the Borbó watching the people walking about. 

There is a little Italian guy who, I think, is the maintenance man next door.  Every time he sees me, he asks if I'm Italian.  I always say 'no'.  This morning he started trying to guess from which country I came.  After trying several, he finally pointed to the sky, and I said, "yes, from the stars". 

For the past week, and until 4 Octobre, they are celebrating the Festa Major de la Barceloneta.  This morning I heard the marching band and ran outside with my camera.  I managed to get a couple of short videos before they continued on.  

30 Septiembre (Jueves) - We started with a trip to the internet place.  We both checked our email and Robb asked his credit card company to send his card to the apartment in Paris.  Then we caught the 17 bus to the Sant Gervasi stop.  I got a shot of the Rotonda and the hospital next door.  We walked over to where the Tramway Blau is supposed to pick up passengers to get the funicular to Tibidabo, but it wasn't running today.  I overheard a passerby tell some people that to get to Tibidabo today, you have to take the 196 bus.  The funicular is interesting because it is an almost straight-up-the-side-of-the-mountain ride and because the guy who drives it, also sells the tickets.

Once we got to the top, we noticed that it was a lot cooler, and most of the amusements were closed.  But I took a shot of Sant Gervasi, front and back, the Aeroport ride, and the merry-go-round.  There was another interesting building which was called the Rusa.  I also finally got a good shot of the TV Tower and some of the mountain homes.  I also got a video of the view of Barcelona from the mountain top.  It's easy to see we were a lot higher than when we were on Montjuic.  

When we got back to the 17 bus stop, there were a bazillian kids who had just gotten out of school.  Apparently, when school lets out is not the time to be in that neighborhood, because a lot of the parents drive there to pick up their kids and they just park wherever they feel like it and traffic is backed up for blocks, including the busses.  We decided to skip the first bus, and then decided to walk a bit further, before boarding the bus severtal stops later.  

Dinner at La Taverna d'en Pep.  We both had the Filet de boeuf au grill.  It was not the best cut of beef, but it was okay.  The wine, chosen by the waiter/owner, was an excellent red.

1 Octobre (Viernes) - It looked somewhat ominous this morning, but we decided since we only have a couple days left, we would brave the elements.  Happily, it was a really nice day.  

We hopped aboard the 157 bus and rode to Plaça España.  The first thing we noticed was the flags draped across the street, indicating the possibility of some sort of holiday doings, but we saw nothing special until several hours later when we saw the Spanish Air Force planes flying about.

Once we got to Plaça España, we checked out the monument in the square, and the two buildings on either side of the esplanade leading up to the MNAC (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya).  I think you can get an idea of how high it is to the museu, but the good news for people like me, is that there are escalators all the way to the top.  The museu used to be a palace and you can can still see some of the grandeur even though it has been modernized.  After free entrance because we're seniors, we toured several sections, finding works by Rodin ad Picasso (from his cubist period) and after several hours, made our way back down to the bus stop.

See all the Plaça España pictures. 

I wanted to see Torre Agbar at night because I had seen pictures of it and it was all lit up and it changed colors ad it was beautiful.  But it wasn't like that tonight.  So we wasted a lot of time riding over there and then riding back.

We had dinner again at Dunne's.  We both had the filet mignon.  It was great.  Robb drank a Heineken's and I had a glass of red wine.  We later switched to cava. 

2 Octobre (Sabado) - Our last full day in Barcelona.  By noon, I had packed everything except the things I need for today and tomorrow.  Of course, with all the buying, we needed another suitcase.  

We took our last bus ride in Barcelona on the number 45 and saw a section of the city we had not see before.

The owner is supposed to show up tonight for the final negotiations.  We're very curious about how that's going to go, since it was her blocking outgoing calls that stopped us from getting on the internet.  It's possible we'll discuss breach of contract.   P.S. She didn't show.

We had planned to have our last dinner at Como, but it was closed, so we walked up to l'arros.  Robb had the tuna and I had the dorade.  Excellent as usual.  While we were eating, a young couple from Ohio sat next to us.  Robb's bus ticket still had about forty rides and is good until 10 Octobre, so we gave it to them.  Then, we had a very nice chat until it was time for us to go for what we thought was our last meeting with the owners, but as I already stated they didn't show and called to say they "couldn't make it".  

You have no idea how happy we will be to see the end of this apartment. 

You can see all the Barcelona pictures here: Barcelona

Hasta la próxima, amigos.