Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Day 1 – Sat 24 Mar 07
We boarded our KLM B777 flight 838 to Amsterdam departing 2245hr on Friday night. We occupied 2 seats in the front middle section of the plane, with no neighbours on our left (aisle) or right (wall - possibly a pantry on the other side).
The food served on board was pretty good, the best I have tasted so far on a plane. The yoghurt with oat was tasty. The service was much better than NW flights, comparable with SQ though I sense some discrimination from some of the cabin crew. We slept most of the way other then meal times. Fortunately I was able to sleep despite the back pain. I had to sit up at a certain position most of the time.
We arrived at Schipol International Airport at 0545 hr for an hour transition before heading for Barcelona Airport. Amsterdam is indeed a land of milk and cheese given the amount of cheese they sell at the airport.
At Schipol Airport custom, we had to remove our liquids in our handcarry and place them in a clear zip blog bag provided by the custom staff. Fortunately we were able to fit in all the gels and creams into the bag or they would have to be discarded.
We then boarded a smaller KLM flight bound for Barcelona and arrived at our final destination at around 0915 hr. Barcelona, in the Catalunya region, is Spain’s 2nd largest metropolis next to Madrid.
After collecting our luggage from the baggage claim, we went to the Tourist Information Counter, bought a 4-day tourist pass for €33 each. The pass is valid for train and bus rides, as well as discounts for entrance tickets to places of interest.
We took the train from the airport to Estacío de Sants, and checked into Expo Hotel which is a 5-10 mins walk from the train station. Fortunately the hotel could check us in early. We refreshed ourselves, had a sandwich and started our holiday in Spain!
Here’s our itinerary for the day:
Hospital Saint Pau - a hospital built in 1900s
La Sagrata Familia - an awe-inspiring unfinished cathedral by Anthoni Gaudí. (Discounted fee: €7 each)
La Pedrera Espai Gaudí - another Gaudí masterpiece, built between 1905 and 1910 as a combined apartment and office block. Better know as 'the quarry' because of its uneven grey stone facade that ripples around a street corner - it creates a wave effect that's further emphasized by elaborate wrought-iron balconies.
La Rambla - a tree-lined pedestrian boulevard packed with flower stalls, newstands, cafes, buskers, bird market, etc.
Had our dinner at a cafe at La Rambla and our first taste of tapas (small portion of food). Then it was to the hotel for a good night rest. What a LONG day!