Gaudi Park

Providing a bird's eye view of Barcelona, Gaudi's surreal park in the hills of Barcelona proved a worthy, if hot, excursion.

Simon, always happy for a chance to be a monkey, climbed this wall to take photos of Barcelona

So many of Gaudi's designs looked like they had been under water.

Sunset at la mar

the spa

There's nothing quite like relaxing under a rushing stream of water, it beating down on my head, washing away my cares, fears and stresses. And after that, allowing my body to float and dance in the microbubbles, the jets gently pushing my body about in the water.Lastly, to dry off and rejuvenate in the oxygen room, breathing cool oxygenated air as you prepare to face the important decisions of the day, like whether to have kebabs or pizza for lunch.

Orangerie

We invited my nephew Nathan to come along with us on our trip, but his parents thought they would miss him too much.

As such, he was deprived of a visit to the orangerie at our hotel! It's probably for the best he doesn't get ideas about oranges growing on trees, since Fargo is not a good climate for local citrus.


Also, a short walk into town there was a store he might find interesting. (He calls himself Na Na.)

Accomodations at la mar

Simon is smart and ambitious about collecting hotel points while he's on the road for FEMA, and we were beyond spoiled at the various properties where we spent them. By far our favorite was Le Meridien Ra in El Vendrell, Spain, about an hour south of Barcelona.

We had spent 5 days in El Vendrell on our trip to Europe 2 years ago, and couldn't wait to get back to "la mar" as we call it. (Simon is the Spanish speaker for the team, so take up any grammar issues with him. :) )

Five days at la mar cured my weary traveler feet and legs. Between the duplex suite with four bathrooms, a large patio overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, access to the spa with targeted jets, saunas, and wellness circuits, and the constant crashing of the waves, it was hard to know what was working on us.




The staff could not have been more thrilled to share the property with us and made every day wonderful. The night we arrived, after traveling 12 hours in the Mediterranean heat, their annual local food party was taking place. Buffet tables were covered with local cheeses, fruits, honeys, nuts, breads, chocolates, and candies.

Along with our feast, we enjoyed local wine and conversation with 2 other couples staying at the hotel. 3 continents, Australia, Europe (Belgium) and North America, were represented. Simon and the Belgian gentleman agreed: this hotel is their favorite in the world.

Biking along the French Riviera

Simon took a time lapse video of our bike ride from Nice out past the airport. We brought our suits so we could take a dip on a free beach, since our hotel was in an expensive area.

Those hills in the distance surround the main part of the city.