Barcelona

This is the city I have been most excited to see! I love Bergen, but we had been there before. And I am so grateful that I, the last one to catch Covid of the 4 of us, was feeling well.

We had a 3-day extension in Barcelona and we could have had many days more to see all of the wonderful attractions.

I took these pics off of the deck of our ship. What a beautiful city!

Columbus Monument

Arc de Triomf (from the 1888 World's Fair)

Whimsy is evident throughout the city

There was unique and beautiful architecture throughout the city.

Casa Batllo by Gaudi

The most famous architect in Barcelona is Antoni Gaudi. His works were influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature and religion. He integrated ceramics (sometimes using broken and discarded), stained glass, wrought iron forging and carpentry The result of his works is whimsical and so creative - I love it! He was nicknamed, "God's Architect."You can see several of his buildings and works throughout the city.

Festive street in the Gothic Quarter

Bridge in Gothic Quarter that looks very much like Bridge of Sighs in Venice

Parc de la Ciutadella

In front of the Museu Nacional d art de Catalunya

Overlooking Barcelona from the museum

We were told the churches are so in need of money that they sell space on their cathedrals for advertising(?).

Catalunya is one of the languages spoken in this area and this is their flag.

Our son, Rick, and others had told us not to miss this place, Palau de la Musica. It is a gorgeous concert hall, built by Gaudi's teacher, for a place for a local choir to perform. It is absolutely spectacular and maybe my favorite sight in Barcelona. It is nestled between tall buildings and as it was being built, they struggled to find a way to let in light, which they solved in a gorgeous way!

This is the only auditorium in Europe that is lit during the daylight hours with natural light. The walls on each side are primarily stained-glass panes set in magnificent arches, and overhead is an enormous skylight and an inverted gold dome surrounded by blue, suggesting the sun and the sky.

We were treated to hearing this organ play.

The building in many places is cleverly held up with steel ballasters surrounded by amber glass, to reflect light and transfer sound. As you can see, this is a strikingly beautiful place with which the four of us were so very impressed.

Across the street was a great tapas bar where we had delicious tapas for dinner . . .

And next to there was this ice cream shop.

Our first day in Barcelona together was memorable and the next day held more wonderful sights to see!

Bruges

Scenic Flanders and coastal village of Knokke-Heist

Roger and I had stayed in and toured Bruges when we drove through Belgium and Holland years ago, after picking up and touring with Mindy when she lived in London for four months while she was in the BYU abroad program. So we signed up to drive through Flanders and walk through the streets of Knokke-Heist, a seaside vacationland of the wealthy Belgians.

Lovely countryside in Flanders

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Famous Church of our Lady in Bruges is in the distance

In the summertime, wealthy Belgians rent these beach shelters when they visit the beach, as it is almost always windy.

When we think of Belgium, we think of chocolate. This bakery and chocolate shop was along our walk and we took pics of some of the delicious treats that were inside.

Normandy and the D-Day Landing

Bridge we crossed on the way to Omaha Beach

The landings on the Omaha, Utah, Juno and Gold Beaches by the Allied forces changed the course of WW2, leading to the defeat of Hitler and his forces. Roger is such a great patriot and we have always wanted to see for ourselves the landing sites, the memorials and crosses. I have read so many books about this horrific war. 9,400 American servicemen and women are buried here.

Amphibious Duplex Drive "D" Sherman tanks delivered the soldiers to shore.

Overlooking Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach

Memorial at the American Cemetery

Roger took some beautiful shots of the cemetery, even though it was raining.

Near the town of Saint-Laurent-by-the-sea

Monument on Omaha Beach

They took our tour to a French cafe (that our guide kept telling us was the best food of the cafes where they took tour groups) and her hype was accurate. We had a delicious roast chicken dinner with apple tarts for dessert, and, of course, the famous French baguettes. The food was outstanding. Wish we had taken a pic of it.

We walked around Vierville and this candy shop was selling fresh nougat, a favorite candy we discovered on another trip. Note the surly French proprietor.

Portsmouth, England

Portsdown Hill

Village of Southwick

From Southwick, General Dwight D. Eisenhower led the planning for Operation Overlord, which resulted in the successful D-Day attack on Normandy's beaches. Portsmouth is about 100 nautical miles from Normandy.

Note the thatched roof

Southsea apartments

Portsmouth - Gunwharf Quay

Southsea Resort and beach

These Brits must have been desperate for some beach time. It was chilly and the beach was pure rocks.

I loved this sculpture of the little boy poking the crab.

We climbed up to this fort/castle, built in 1544.

This British phone booth is operational.

(Our ship was scheduled to stop at the port of Falmouth, England, important harbor, tourist resort and gateway to scenic Cornwall, where Poldark was filmed. The rough weather (Bummer!) didn't allow us to dock, so we had another day at sea.

Vigo, Spain

Wild horses sculpture by local artist, Manuel Oliveira

Vigo is known as the "Gateway to the Atlantic," and has an ancient history. Their "claim to fame," which some are actually ashamed of, is Vigo is the birthplace of WW11 leader, Francisco Franco.

Monte del Castro viewpoint

Parque del Castrelos - a lovely garden

Jardines Pazo Quinones de Leon

Water catcher tower

Seashore at Vigo

Malaga

Malaga is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso.

City Hall

Cabralfaro Castle

The ruins of a Roman theater

Iglesia de Santiago Apostol - church where Pablo Picasso was baptized

Roger having a rest with Pablo

One of Picasso's famous portraits - Dona amb Barret

Picasso's birthplace

Inside the church

Charming narrow street in Malaga

Tempting-looking bakery

In Spain, they encourage picturesque grafitti

Alcazaba Fortress

Popular beach in Malaga

Cartagena

Nick-named "Europe's fertile orchard," Cartagena is a fertile corner of Spain.

Downtown City Center

La Manga del Mar Manor

A picturesque cove on the Mediterranean taken from the lighthouse at Cape Palos

City Center

This is a 6,000-seat Roman theater, built in the 1st Century BC. Houses built through the centuries had to be removed when this ruin was discovered underneath them.