Haaj. Hola. Hello!

Coming to the end of the first week on vaca. Wi-fi has been spotty to say the least. The hotel in London only had access in the lobby, a real pain. The place I stayed in Alkmaar in the Netherlands claimed to have wi-fi but the signal was so poor that it shut down before I could complete signing in. Here in Barcelona, the place I’m staying is pretty basic and good for the price because it’s right on the Rambla and here, finally, the wi-fi signal is strong and I’m finally able to sort through my emails. Most of them become `Recently Deleted´ since I can´t see the point of spending vaca time reading junk mail or even stuff that is important when I´m at home.

The two most important issues for me at the moment are the fact that the ferry I was booked on from Venice to Rovinj, Croatia in a couple of days has been cancelled and I’ve needed to verify the alternate arrangements. My UK mobile was acting a bit finicky, so I didn’t want to pass it on in case it kept acting up.

The other communications have been with a couple of hotels to confirm arrival times and to sometimes to say that I don´t require a parking space.

After barely two days in London (apologies to my London friends; I hope to have time in a week or so to hook up) when I managed to see a couple of plays, it was on to the Netherlands.

So far, I´ve spent time at the newly reopened (after ten years´renovation work) Rijksmuseum whose multi-story atrium reminds me of the British Museum´s new entrance. Then there was Keukenhof, the most amazing flower festival in the world (my third visit) though it´s been so chilly here that the trees have barely begun to leaf out. Then I spent time with zillions of other people crowding into Dam Square in Amsterdam to watch the jumbo TV screen showing the official procession where the queen stepped down and her son stepped up as king.

And the Heineken `Experience´. Interesting, high energy, interactive multimedia presentation, surrounded by hundreds of people young enough to be my grandkids!

Here in Barcelona, I took public bus #24 to Parc Guell and spent a couple of hours trooping up stone stairs and dirt pathways from one amazing construction to another and being totally gobsmacked by the view down to the city, Sagrada Familia and the Mediterranean. The weather is finally warm enough for May. 20º Celsius (about 70º F). I can´t get enough of this sea view. I´m hoping to get down to the beach area known as Barceloneta for a seafood meal.

I may or may not get into Sagrada Familia. I had the foresight to buy online tix for Rijksmuseum and Keukenhof, but was unsure of my schedule in Barcelona, so… the queue may swallow up the rest of my day and may not even get me inside. Oh well.

When I get home, I´ll have some photos and more stories.