monday at montjuic

we started the day with a walk up to catalunya square to catch our hop on hop bus...we have taken these busses all over europe...some cities are better than others...barcelona ranks in the "okay" category.  the red line took us up to the national palace of montjuic...this is the view from the front door...

 the gardens are in winter mode...no fountains...but green and beautiful...

 we then made our way to the park of montjuic and hopped on the funicular...

 at the top we visited the a castell (fortess)...great views...

 the tunnel into the fortress...

 view of the port below...

 we stopped for lunch...gin loves a good sandwich...we found these earlier in the morning in a tiny shop just off las ramblas...was hard to wait until lunch time to eat them...

 another view of the ship yards...

 another foot shot...couldn't resist... mosaic-like inlays...

 back on the funicular...my feet found their way into the shot...

 we rode the red line to the port and hopped off to walk a little...

 we picked up the red line and it took us back to the top of las ramblas.  we shopped at el corte ingles,a massive department store (the harrod's of barcelona)...found some special treats for jayme and dustin (niece & nephew). 

earlier in the day we did a little searching for barcelona's best paella...we have eaten this famous spanish dish twice and have not been impressed...the all knowing internet suggested a seedy little spot just outside of our neighborhood...so after shopping we hit the tiny streets in search of redemptive paella...my "seedy little spot" radar was a little off and we found ourselves off the beaten path...as we were walking down a dark street lined with people (men in groups and women standing alone) lurking in doorways, ginny said, "i feel that if we stop walking, somebody might make us an offer, so let's keep walking".  we rounded the corner and after a quick stop for directions we found ourselves at....

 behold redemptive paella...

 we did our best but it was far too much...i wished for a tribe of pihlaja-johnsons...there was definitely enough for the masses...

 a walk home in the rain...tummies full...

kir&gin 

ps...ginny misses the dogs.

out and about...day two

i had hopes of getting up early to "run" (aka turtle jog) this morning...but is was after 9 when i hit the street and i could hear the people as soon as i opened the doorway of the hotel...las ramblas was already bustling...vendors setting up for the day and what seemed like droves of people pulling suitcases toward the harbor...i realized after a few blocks that they were on their way to catch a cruise ship at the port at the end of las ramblas...the sun is out (nah nah weather.com-you were wrong)...

returned to the hotel and picked up my gin...we started the day in the gothic quarter (original part of the city-old town) in the area by the cathedral...

 the allies are rife with the street performers...beggars...and this guy...apparently talent is not required...if you have a few bunnies...a variety of weird naked dolls...and can kinda play the harmonica...you are good to go...

the bubble dude also caught our attention...

after winding through the side streets we reached the front of the cathedral...

 live music on the steps of the cathedral...

 a group of locals dance spontaneously to the music provided by the ensemble above...

 we enjoyed watching these folks...

 off to the port to catch a bus...along the way we stop at the columbus monument...the lions surround the tower...

 roar...

 all aboard...the hop on hop off bus

 first stop...sagrada familia...okay gaudi fans-here you go...

our feet in the narthex...

 jaw dropping...

 amazing light...

 four seasons of construction here...this place has been in process for over 100 years...

 our next stop was park grüell...another gaudi stop...

a little coy don't you think?

we rode the hop on hop off...scoping out other stops for tomorrow...will ride the red line and hit a museum or two...

we returned to our neighborhood for dinner before settling in for the night...a little blogging and grading for the teacher...

kir&gin

our great catalonian adventure...

we arrived in the capital of catalonia (barcelona) early saturday morning.  the flight was uneventful...almost pleasant (minus the crappy food).

we arrived at our hotel at 8:30 am expecting to stow our luggage and then hit the streets for a few hours...to our great surprise there was a room ready for us. we were able to settle in an take a nap before venturing out.

we scored big.  our hotel is less than 30 seconds from las ramblas in the heart of the gothic quarter. the room is one of the best we have had in europe...a great (full sized) shower and room to walk around.

we decided to get our bearings and hit the neighborhood...

las ramblas is full of stands...there are flower vendors...mini pet stores...ice cream and other amazing treats...

only a few minutes and we are at catalunya square...

 i have never seen so many pigeons...not ever...

 our gin loves the street performers and "live" statutes....i think this one is my favorite of all time...

we found ourselves at st. josep's market (la boqueria)...what an amazing space....teeming with colors, sounds, aromas, vendors and their customers...so much to experience.  it reminded me (kirsten) of my first trip to a turkish market in izmir this summer...oh the sights...i was also reminded of shopping with my big bad brother byron at the market in urgup...i am looking forward to going back later in the week...

we returned to the hotel for a little more rest, after stopping to eat our first helping of paella of course.  in the evening we returned to las ramblas for a nighttime stroll...looking forward to the days to come...

kir&gin

here's to more time for kung foo fighting

three months has gone by quickly once again.  today we went to mayo to get the results of gin's ct scan and blood work.  the lungs are stable (no growth), blood count is flat (good) but the tumor on the move at our last check up is still growing.  that is the not so good news. the better news is that is it growing slowly.  in an effort to trip the cancer up, the good dr. p has prescribed a different hormone (in the same family as the dose gin has been taking for 10 months).  we will go back to mayo in 2-3 months to see if the new drug helps and to get another look at the growth.  the great news is NO CHEMO at this point.

i did ask about the "marker" for growth. what is the magic number for tumor size before needing chemo?  dr. p is more concerned about the speed of growth...less about the size...

on the home front, life is good. we visited family in baltimore last weekend (gin's brother larry's family)...a great time.  we are gearing up for our next adventure. over thanksgiving (11/18-11/28) we will be traveling to barcelona and then to lisbon.  gin has been to spain but portugal is new territory. stay tuned for for the sights. we will try to blog each day of the trip...

the pics are from a visit to fossil park in rockford iowa a few weeks ago...she looks good doesn't she?

kir & gin