Departure

   Much to tell and where to start? Well, first off, the departure flight was delayed for 3 hours for a mechanical problem, and we sat on the tarmac at Toronto while a repair part was sought. At one point the captain promised us sandwiches but they never materialized. So we had a very long wait for dinner, by my calculations, a quarter past midnight.

   Needless to say, we missed our connecting flight in Frankfurt; but here's why it's a good idea to travel with a group - a rep from AHI was waiting for us with a new flight arranged and our new boarding passes for Barcelona. Even our luggage managed to make it onto the new flight! So we arrived there just a few hours after and made it to the welcome reception and dinner. This was our first experience of the great food and wine we were to experience on this trip - interesting tapas, lovely fresh fish and salads and yummy desserts.

    Our first day was a tour of the city including the Palace of Ferdinand and Isabella (where Christopher Columbus brought them the news of the New World) and the Cathedral. Their court was in Barcelona in the 15th century as the Muslims were occupying the rest of Spain.

Entrance on main square



16th Century Cathedral

 







a tranquil inner courtyard

Ferdinand and Isabella's Palace. They greeted Christopher Columbus on the these steps when he returned from the New World.