Cruisin into Spain

May 10, 2008 The cruise was fine with some minor problems. The berth we had developed some noises at the junctions of some plating. The view we had over the Grand Promenade was nice, and we could watch all the parades and the specials from the window seat. Correcting the noise problem took a lot longer than it should have. A whole nother story. All the time we had at sea was good with a few rough spots. The dining staff was very good and dinner mates were friendly. After such a time on the ship to set foot on land (Barcelona, Spain ) was a bit unexpected. The landing went smoothly, disembarking was almost painless, and the only hang up was luggage retrieval. One bag was on a different conveyor belt (not the color we had) but after it was located it was on to customs. Carrying and rolling the luggage Cris and I walked straight out the doorway and into the mass of buses and taxis awaiting us. Unlike the USA, when a ship arrives in Spain their is no customs check. No passport stamp, no questions, no looks from officials, not even a welcome sign. Kind of disappointing, after all the stuff we go through around the areas we know. Welcome to Barcelona. First cabby approached me and wanted 75 Euros for the trip to the hotel. Got a regulated cab that cost 21Euros for the same trip. Buyer beware. Got to the hotel in a short time. By the by, a Euro is costs about $1.55-1.65 depending on how it's exchanged. That's all for now. Love to All. Cris & Bob