GIBRALTAR, CARTEGENIA AND
BARCELONA
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!
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 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.
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
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!!)
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!
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.
The World is Our Playground!
Mari
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