Very Much Fall

   What a change in the weather! Woke up to 12C and it hasn't budged much all day. We got in a couple of hours of tennis between sprinkles of rain; luckily the courts didn't get wet enough to be slippery and dangerous. Tonight the temperature is predicted to drop to 3C with a chance of frost in some areas. I am going to ignore this and leave my delicate plants out as it just seems too early to start bringing them in.

   Got the front grass cut and then a visit to the hairdresser. What a relief to have a tidy head again. Lunch at Red Lobster with Judy - grilled tacos with tilapia, a nice change from my usual soup and sandwich. Don't think I will need any dinner though! 

At the Zoo

   Monday was Grandparent's Day at the zoo so James and I made a morning of it. Lots of seniors and grandparents with kids in tow. The Pandas were hiding but we did manage a couple of photos. The Cape Penguins were no-shows but we did get a good look at the Polar Bears. My favourite sightings were a small Arctic Fox very obligingly snoozing near the fence and two White Owls. James was reluctant to leave but we made it home for lunch without him falling asleep in the car, so he had a good nap in the afternoon.

   Today much more pleasant so had an hour of tennis this morning. It had rained overnight which brought the temperature down and provided more comfortable sleeping conditions. More rain this afternoon, just as I was about to cut the grass - will postpone until tomorrow.

Still Summer

   Tennis this morning ....and sooo hot! The temperature reached 34C today , and that's without the humidity factored in. I only played one short set as I was manning the board. No one played too much even early before the heat started to rise. Tomorrow will be more of the same but it is due to cool off a bit after that. The house has stayed relatively cool (downstairs anyway) but I don't think I will be opening any windows tonight.

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.