Spain--Here I Come!!!

Today was eventful.

Not only did we finally pass through the infamous Straits of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea, but I also learned all about the artistic genius of Salvador Dali, the architectural brilliance of Gaudi, and the varying prices of food and drinks on and off of the world famous Las Ramblas in Barcelona.   After losing yet another hour of sleep last night I slept in a bit this morning.  When I went to lunch I was invited to sit with the captain in the main dining room and learned all about the life of a sailor.  As it turns out, being a captain of a cruise ship requires up to and over ten years of education.  Our captain, and friendly and handsome British fellow who has literally been all over the world, completed the extensive schooling at a young age and claims that SAS is his favorite gig yet. 

He also discussed the growing risk of pirates in certain areas of the globe.  When SAS crossed through the Suez Canal a few years ago, he took the ship up to full speed so that any boat attempting to board would have a difficult time even pulling alongside the ship.  He assured us that even if pirates were to board our vessel, they would most likely let us go as holding 700 college kids hostage is a very daunting task—even for a pirate.

Barcelona is almost here!  Tomorrow night we will dock and Thursday I will be exploring the city!!!  There is so much to do there that I hardly know where to begin. Tonight I went to a seminar on the many activities of Barcelona given by a 20 year old college student who is a native of the city.  He warned about pick pockets, gave tips on the best tourist activities and assured us that since the subway closes at 2 a.m. on Fridays, we would have to take a taxi home because at that point in Barcelona the party is only getting started.  Most clubs in this city stay open past 7:00 a.m.!  I cannot even imagine…

Passing the Straits of Gibraltar this afternoon was a nice reminder that there is in fact land waiting for me.  It was a pretty amazing experience to see Spain on one side of the ship and Africa on the other. 

Have to go.

Best wishes,

Bonnie