The W

Our room and view. We are on the tip of a peninsula that sticks into the sea

looking straight down for our window Alas none of the pools were open

Our room was not big even though we were upgraded. The shower however was half this size

From a distance Its supposed  to look like sails

They were quite fond of swinging chairs

atrium

night view

Aside f rom the room upgrade, they gave us a split of cava plus coupons to be used in the bar

Steve in early morning light

night

crucial message, our windows will be cleaned in March

us

lobby

on the left are filled brioches, my favorite

lots of jamon including the expensive iberico kind on the left

cava, café con leche, churros con chocolate  On my way to getting fat

I am holding my mini smoothie

outside of breakfast

me

a rug I would love to have

outside as the sun set

Last Tuesday was our least enjoyable day. So hectic and so much uncertainty though all worked out as well as could be hoped in the end. Our package was to include transportation between the cities but 2 months before we left, we were told Costco ran out of their allotment of train tickets. We were on our own to get from Sevilla to Barcelona. They did give us a big refund that was more than double what our plane tickets were. Who would have thought that planes were cheaper than trains?

We began our journey at 5 am. Fortunately they had a mini buffet for early risers. I knew there was an express bus to the airport and found a stop a mile away. Was there someplace closer? The bus website was the worst ever with no maps, just names of stops which meant nothing. In contrast, Barcelona has the best website for all its modes of transportation ever. Type in where you want to go and they tell you what,bus, metro or train to take . 

The express bus turned out to have a stop very close though it seemed to be a secret when it was going to come. We were making good progress towards the airport when the driver decided to take a break. Off he went. When will he return, who knows? The plane ride went smoothly

. So many options to get to our Barcelona hotel. Rain was forecasted and I thought unless we took a cab, we had to walk for at least a mile with all our luggage. We had to take a bus to the other terminal, walk forever to the train station. Figure out which of the many machines to use for our tickets. Transfer to the train station downtown. Walk a few blocks to find the magic bus that will drop us at our doorstep. Total cost for both of us to get from the airport to our hotel? 1.80 euro.

The last few times I went to Europe, especially without Steve, we stayed in very cheap places, not 5 star hotels. And I have been known to sleep on the ground on my bike rides. So the luxury of the W was a rarity for me. We walked the half mile or so along the water to the commercial district of Barceleta to eat in a Rick Steves recommended place. Despite the forecasted rain not appearing and how our dicey travel arrangements went, we were tired and cranky. Steve thought all the stresses of travel weren't worth it. Fine, I will go by myself or with others. We needed a break from each other. I ran along the water,  a flat path for miles. I felt so much better. And as the sun set, he went out to take photos. Our anniversary was the next day and went so much better.