The start of our Pan European Sojourn

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023
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Well, we are off again!  After a couple of big recent trips to immerse ourselves in the power and beauty of raw nature, this trip has no real design per se. Rather than seeing how nature shaped cultures in order to survive, this trip will be resplendent with how various ethnic, religious, and tribal groups shaped (and continue to shape) cultures in the various locales today.

We are starting with a 7-day cruise around the Western Mediterranean. It’s actually our first time doing that.  While we are going to be in a number of ports that will be familiar to many of our readers, we are also trying to go outside the tourist areas in search of a little local culture. We are going to be on the Seabourn Pursuit, the second of their new class of Expedition Ships.  We were on the sister ship, Venture, last year up in the Arctic.  The small size of the ship, combined with the expedition team and the offshore adventures, make this a great way to see remote areas.  I should note that there won’t be an expedition team on this voyage as they are still in shakedown mode.

After our cruise, we will fly to Paris for 4 days (a perennial favorite of Deb’s) and then off to Eastern Europe including Bucharest, Brasov, and a river cruise from Bucharest to Budapest. Given the proximity to the fighting that is going on in Ukraine and the current unrest in Serbia and Kosovo, this is an interesting time to be visiting.  We end the trip with a few days in Austria, always a genteel way to end a European trip.

So we got in to Barcelona yesterday afternoon, just as the skies were darkening for the thunderstorms that came later in the evening. This city is beautiful in whatever conditions that are presenting themselves at the time.  The combination of the rain storms and the Vuelta a Espana bike race that is going on here, traffic was pretty snarled.  We ended up making it to a lovely restaurant (Martinez) up in Montjuic. Despite the rain and temporary power outage, it was a lovely evening that led to a long sleep. Today, we are off!

Flying into Barcelona. The clouds were beginning to gather.
A rainy view from our restaurant on Montjuic.
Whole local sea bass, grilled to perfection!
A view from our hotel window. Masses of humanity debarking from the Virgin ship next door. Glad we are on a much smaller ship!
This entry was posted in Cruising, Europe, Spain, Travel
Glen Bruels

I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.

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