European Whirlwind

Disclaimer: This overview is going to be long and boring to an outsider...this for purely for my personal record :)

Dan and I flew out of Salt Lake and took a nonstop flight to Paris. I traveled in pure comfort in Business Class while Dan sat back in economy with the peasants. He actually ended up sitting next to a group of BYU Executive MBA students who were on their way to Europe. I felt a little guilty as I enjoyed a hot fudge sundae, popped a half an Ambien and reclined back in my seat and slept soundly.

We made it to Paris and from the massive ceiling to floor windows of Charles de Gaulle Airport, 

we watched it pour rain during our short layover. 

However, when we made it to our hotel in Barcelona, the weather was perfect.

A short nap and shower and we were on our way to stroll the famed Las Ramblas.

 Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain. With it being a weekend, we got a good feel for the masses of diverse people we encountered.

He was just one of the many characters we saw along Las Ramblas.  

We made eye contact at one point and I was completely creeped out!

 We also spent a significant amount of time in the Gothic Quarter of the city. I love all of the public squares that Europe boasts. They are natural gathering places in any city and this was just one of countless ones we traversed through.

The Gothic Quarter is also home to Barcelona's Cathedral. 

There was quite a bit of refurbishing happening, but it was beautiful nonetheless. 

At one end of Las Ramblas is the Columbus Monument. You can actually go underground at the base of the monument and ride an elevator up to a viewing deck. 

After a day and a half in Barcelona, we headed to the port and boarded Liberty of the Seas for our first cruise. Dan and I have always been leery of cruises. We like being independent when we travel and worried that we might feel stuck with the masses. However, we booked the trip and decided to give cruising a chance. I have to say that it really exceeded our expectations.

A view from our cabin balcony

More of the Mediterranean to come...