Another Day, Another Port Missed!

 I guess with that title, I need to start with today's news before I return to Barcelona.  We were supposed to arrive back in Alicante at 8:00 am this morning.  As we were waking at about 7:30, we could feel the ship shake as if it was maneuvering and we knew something was up.  I looked out the window and saw a view like this:

Turned on the TV navigation channel and saw that we were sailing away from Alicante.  It wasn't long before the Captain made the announcement that, in consultation with the port pilot, it was too dangerous to attempt to dock there.  From our visit last week we remembered that it was a bit of a tricky port to get into and the winds today were at 35 knots.  So, the pilot got off the ship and we began to head for the next port, Malaga.  Really not a big deal for us.  After checking the weather forecast for Alicante last night we had decided that we might not even get off the ship since it called for rain all day.  After our visit last week with good weather and a great climb up to the castle we didn't have a real strong need to.  Later in the day, the Captain announced that a cargo ship in port in Alicante had torn away from its mooring due to the winds!

Now, back to Barcelona yesterday.  The morning started out overcast and cool - no surprise there.  So, we took our time, allowed the disembarking guests to clear out, and headed for the city.  If you've ever cruised into Barcelona, you know that the cruise terminal is a bit of a distance from the main, that is, the touristy part of town.  But, it is walk-able and that's what we did.

After reaching town, we stopped for coffee near La Rambla, the main tourist street of Barcelona.

We started walking up La Rambla figuring we'd head for the famous market, but the street was quite crowded and the market even more so.  We made the decision to veer off to side streets and just wander.  It wasn't long before it was, of course, time for lunch.  We then headed for Placa Reial, a square with many restaurants where we have eaten before.  Here is where it became evident just how much our diet has evolved.  In the past we would have loaded up on ham and who knows what else.  Instead, we ate at an organic, healthy restaurant and it was good!

It turned into a very nice day in Barcelona. 

After dinner last night, we found a real surprise in our cabin:

As you can see, it was a beautiful plate of cheeses and meats. There was no note indicating who it was from and our butler said it came from "management".  It's nice to have status and to be liked!  We ate the cheeses for lunch today and gave the meats to the butlers for them to enjoy.

While we have had some good weather so far on this cruise, we have also had some lousy weather - more so than usual for us.  The weather has remained crappy all day as we are making our way to Malaga.  The current forecast calls for partly sunny skies in the afternoon - fingers crossed!

Today we spent some time at sea reading, leading to this Rule of Civility: Rule #18. Read no letters, books, or papers in company but when there is a necessity for the doing of it you must ask leave: come not near the books or writings of another so as to read them unless desired or give your opinion of them unasked also look not nigh when another is writing a letter.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry