Barcelona

Spanish class The Barcelona boat show ran from the 22nd Oct. to 2nd Nov. and as usual Marina Port Vell provided complimentary VIP tickets with unlimited entry. The day after the show the marina hosted the fiesta of Castañada on the Luz de Gaz, a floating restaurant next to pontoon “A” to celebrate the transition from summer to autumn and to remember deceased family. Roasted chestnuts (castenadas) and nut based sweet nibbles were in abundance as were the drinks – all courtesy of Marina Port Vell.

Christmas lights award Tan & I are going to the Marina’s Spanish classes and I’ve started to give one-to-one computer lessons and do computer repairs. Greg and Elaine came to visit on 16/11 for 4 days. I hadn’t seen Greg for years and Tan hadn’t met either of them before but we had a fun packed time despite eating too much, drinking too much, and a sight-seeing overdose. It was good to see them both after so long.

On the 31st October Brian and Tim had a combined birthday meal at the Restaurant Peru where the cava and wine flowed freely and we were well satiated with good food, all courtesy of the two birthday boys.

Nigel's Birthday Tan researched many restaurants for Christmas day and New Year but they were either full or ridiculously expensive so Christmas was on Blank Canvas, quiet but enjoyable. Rachel and Andy came to visit us for New Year. We ordered some prepared dishes the day before and had an excellent hot and cold buffet liberally washed down with good cava. The plan being that the youngsters could go out later and party and I could be in bed with my lover but at midnight when the ships horns sounded we were all still up drinking cava so we saw the New Year in together. It was so mild we stood on the aft deck saluted the world and sounded our ships horn.

Resaurant Vinynova The week of 15th Jan was hectic, we went to Taller Tapas for Tan’s birthday and consumed 7 very good tapas washed down with two bottles of good red wine and invited a couple we met there back to the boat for a nightcap. Over Christmas and New Year we had the usual display of lights but this year we received 3rd prize at the prize giving ceremony hosted by the marina with free wine and aperitifs. The next night (18th) we were invited for drinks with Bob & Betty on Ultimate, and the following day we took the boat out even though there was little or no wind, but it was good to be out. We went to Port Olympic for fuel, there isn’t any here due to the construction work to the main quay. Then on to the new Port Forum before returning to Port Vell. Forum is a terrible design with a 16 metre bridge barring entry to the inner harbour which excludes most yachts, including us. In the evening we went to a local Catalan fish restaurant with Jessica and Pierre.

Barceloneta Carnival On Saturday we helped Nigel (Simbad) celebrate his 50th birthday at a restaurant set in olive groves at the foothills of Monserat. He organised a coach for about 30 of us and we had a truly memorable Catalan meal. To start, baskets of larges slices of toast with tomatoes and garlic to make your own Llesca de pa torrat, alls i tomàquets by rubbing a clove of garlic over the toast then rubbing it with tomato, followed by platters of salad, cold meats and escalivada (roasted vegetables) followed by huge dishes of Catalan cassoulet with roasted lamb chops, black sausage, butifarra sausage and beans and unlimited red wine. For postres (deserts) there was fresh fruit, nuts, dried fruits and toasted nut bread with plenty of sweet marsala wine. We can highly recommend the Vinyanova restaurant, take a look at www.vinyanova.com. In fact we enjoyed it so much I organised a trip back there in May, just before we left.

Kate, Nicola and Charlotte On the 31st Jan. the Beneteau guy came to replace the galley surface now that his broken leg has fully healed. We had been told it could take 2 or 3 days so we booked an apartment for 3 days but did an excellent job and finished in just a day. We were happy to get back on the boat.

On the 19th Feb. we had 3 very pretty girls, Debbie’s daughter Charlotte and her friends Kate and Nicola on board for a drink, unfortunately they didn’t stay and on the 26th my son Timothy arrived for seven days, I ate far too much and put on 4 lbs weight. 1st March Tan went to London to stay with her daughter Rachel for a while and on the 18th Rachel’s fiancé Andy arrived for a night aboard on his way to a course. Tan went to Wales on the 5th April for ten days and on Easter Sunday, the day after she got back Debbie and Colin came to visit for a few days then on the 30th my son Timothy arrived for the summer! Top