Venezia Transatlantic: Barcelona Day 1
My plan is to try to do this trip with a credit card and dollars. I’m going to be using a credit card with no foreign transaction fees as my primary source of payment. I have heard if the credit card machine asks you to pay in dollars or euros, you come out better paying in euros.
This is where the two hop on hop off buses stop. The first one is Barcelona City tour. I booked with the other company.
Catalonia square. This is where I should be able to pick up the red line bus tomorrow. If you are hotel shopping in Barcelona, this is a good area to look at. I wouldn’t trade my view of the Sagrada Familia. But this is a central location with a lot of restaurants and shopping that is cheap and easy to get to by public transportation.
Watch for low hanging branches. This isn’t my first rodeo.
This is Casa Terradas. It has a total of six pointed towers. In 1905 Terradas wanted a house designed for each of this three sisters and this castle looking house was the result.
Tomorrow I’m going to get on the other side of that bus because there were some places I couldn’t get a good shot of from the left side.
If you come here and want to go inside Sagrada Familia, book it in advance. The earliest I can get in now is in two days which is too late for me. That will be at the top of my list if I ever return to Barcelona.
I stopped at a restaurant called Chill for dinner. This is very close to my hotel and it was well-reviewed.
Oh they have more pages on that menu but it’s a lot of Mexican food. I’m only interested in Spanish food and beer.
Pardon peppers
Patatas Bravas
Iberico ham
I ran into my first issue not having euros here. I had to have the waitress add a tip to my bill before having her run the card because they don’t have a tip option on credit cards here. I thought I read that 15-20% was customary here but the waitress told me it’s not expected.
I made it back to the hotel and headed to the rooftop bar to enjoy the view and some drinks.
I tried the Estrella Damm at the restaurant. This is Voll-Damm.
I’m going to try all of their beers. This is A.K. Damm.
The last bottled beer they have is Estrella Galicia.
They do have one beer on tap. This is Mahou from Madrid.
I ran into my second no euro issue at the hotel rooftop bar. I did a room charge for my drinks but they only take cash tips. I tipped the bartender in dollars. I noticed other dollars in the tip jar so I wasn’t the only one.
I’m going to call it a night. I got very little sleep on the plane and I have a big day tomorrow.
Deany Cheramie
St. G.
Love your blog. I read every one. I’m a platinum Carnival VFIP like you. Your posts give me the courage to try more than the cruises out on New Orleans and Galveston (my usual ports). My wife and I are going on the transAtlantic on the Carnival Pride in October 2023. Thanks for giving us the courage!
Scott Weinfeld
I love your blogs, doing the Venezia out of my home port in February, 9 days Bahamas and 12 day back to back journey to the southern Caribbean. Will become Platinum in February. Going on the Magic in a month from Norfolk (was supposed to be New York, but Carnival deployed it last November). Also sailed mardi gras, Celebration, Victory (now Radiance) and the former Ecstasy, Holiday and Jubilee.
The best part going away from New York, no need to fly, live a 1/2 hour from the port and the best time to cruise is in the Winter.