Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Europe Summer 2013: Gibraltar, Cartegenia & Barcelona


GIBRALTAR, CARTEGENIA AND BARCELONA


Sangria

GIBRALTAR
Gibraltar


Mosque of the Two Holy Custodians
Gibraltar is a mix of Spanish and UK cultures.  There are pubs ... AND there are restaurants that are tapas themed.  EVERYONE we met was very nice.  Gibraltar is also a mix of religions.  A Mosque, 4 Synagogues and many, many churches or many denominations.  What a lovely mix!

There is one major long street that takes you from the port and ends at the Mosque of the Two Holy Custodians and Europa Point.  Gibraltar is easy to tour and all signs are in English and Spanish.

Cannon Bar
Gibraltar was a WWII stronghold so there is a lot of history here.  One of the highlights is visiting the WWII Tunnels.  There is a Moorish Castle to visit and a tour that goes to the Top of the Rock to visit Gibraltar's monkeys.


We stopped for lunch at the Cannon Bar.  The Bar was full of friendly locals and the server made suggestions that began with the local Sangria.




CARTAGENA, SPAIN
Cartagena, Spain


Cartagena, Spain was a lovely surprise.  The city is clean and easy to access.  We visited on a Sunday so all of the stores were closed.  The people though were nice and helpful.
Roman Theatre


The highlight here is visiting a newly uncovered Roman Theatre.  Not too much else.  The closest beach is a 30 minute walk.  If you visit, just hope that its a day that the shops are open or you might be a bit bored.





BARCELONA, SPAIN
Barcelona
Las Ramblas
To those of you who follow my blog, you know that I've visited Barcelona many times.  We visited on the 2nd day of the religious holiday of Saint Juan which started with major celebrations yesterday and ended with major hangovers today.  Unfortunately for the shopping lovers like me EVERYTHING except the souvenir stores and some of the restaurants were closed.  (SAD Mari moment!!)


Passeig de Gracia
We walked along Las Ramblas enjoying the party sunny morning at 72 degrees and then walked along Passeig de Gracia which is the major upmarket shopping street.  We headed for Hotel Casa Fuster for a visit and I am so happy that we did.  We met the Deputy General Managers, Cesar Royo Gascon who proudly showed off his lovely hotel.  This is a Palace Hotel and as such, the integrity of the Palace structure couldn't be changed.  The rooms are small but very comfortable.  I have had clients stay here and now I understand how happy they were.  From the outdoor bar area overlooking the city to the lower floor showcasing a wonderful breakfast, this is definitely a special hotel.  Cesar insisted that we try a Barcelona treat, Coca de Sant Juan which is only made once a year.  All of the pastries are made on property and this really showed off their cuisine.  Hotel Casa Fuster, part of Leading Hotels of the World is no longer a part of Virtuoso however they do offer “Virtuoso-like” amenities to clients of Protravel.  Ask me for more details!
Coca de Sant Juan


After our site visit, we returned to our favorite Tapas Restaurant, Divinus. It was as friendly and yummy as we remembered.  This is a must try!  We learned that Divinus is part of the Cacheiro Restaurant Group and we will definitely have to try one of their other restaurants when we return.


As always, please let me know if you have any questions!


Tomorrow is Monte Carlo.




Divinus



The World is Our Playground!

Mari

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