dani negreanu

Thanks, but I really lack the energy to pursue the matter. Have little faith that someone will "care" and I don't see us cruising Celebrity in the foreseeable future. I've "published" my "musings" on the Celebrity board now.

“Personal” because we look at our cruises from a different perspective/point of view – we don’t participate in a lot of ship’s activities like Trivia/L&M/Quest, etc. Also, comedians/one man shows, all of them necessitating a good command of English. We go only to the big musicals, and on this cruise, DH had to leave after a few minutes, the sound being too much for his hearing aids. We don’t cruise for the beaches/hot weather, drinks and we gamble very small amounts (like 5-10$ pp per evening) just for fun. Usually bets of 1 or 2 cents 😊 On this cruise, after 3 long “dry dock” years, we found out that the minimum bet was raised to 75 cents, so our 9$ were quick to disappear. Then, why are we cruising? Mainly for the itineraries. Sometimes – for the ship. This time we found an excellent combo – interesting itinerary and a new class of ship. … and, for the food, mainly on Celebrity. Therefore, our criteria of judging if we enjoyed the cruise is much more limited – itinerary, food and ship. What we liked about Beyond? *the lower staff (servers, waiters, cleaners, sales attendants, casino staff) were all excellent, always smiling, always willing to help. *the pool – was the longest in comparison to every other ship. I’ve managed, early in the mornings, to swim some nice laps. *all night light in the bathroom. *the infinite veranda makes for a bigger room, but, if one of the cruisers is an early raiser and wants to spend time on the veranda, the light wakes up the other. What we didn’t like? Soulless. Too dark. Too much “real estate” taken by very high-end shops (Cartier, Bvlgari, Montblanc, La maison du chocolat – always empty), and not enough connection with the sea. A dark mirrored hallway, which I’ve found down right creepy, fearing I’ll find myself stepping right into one of the mirrors [deck 5 on the way to Eden]. No library, which is weird, since Beyond was designed BEFORE Covid. We like to sit and admire the wake. Eden. A very strong smell of fried fish from the restaurant below. At Raw 5 we couldn’t hear one another due to the high volume of music in the Grand Plaza. The SOUND. First time we saw many people leave after the show began, mainly because of the high volume. Yes, the issue was raised by me and others, nothing was done. Unless we travel with family/friends, we usually prefer to dine at WJ/OVC. We’re "in and out" quickly, can try different dishes, mainly the stir fry, which we highly prefer. Quite from the beginning we were disappointed in the quality, quantity and diversity of the OVC’s food. There were a lot of heavy stews, unappealing for the most of time. I found myself making one round, two rounds, trying to map the dishes I’d like to sample, and found myself “settling” for a grilled steak, chicken breast or burger…. In very contrast to all other cruises, where I’d make a round and say to myself: “ohh, shepherd’s pie, ohh, meat lasagna, ohh, seafood salad, ohh, this pad thai looks sooo good”. DH was even more disappointed, since he mainly eats fish, seafood and salads. Usually, he’s going to the salad bar, and comes back with a huge amount of leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, etc., his usual Mediterranean staple at home. Here, he found himself asking for two slices of this, two leaves of this, a spoon of this -- a rather tedious “affair”. Meantime, a line is forming after him, close enough to defy the purpose of being served in the name of “social distancing/ Covid”. The first grilled fish he asked for was half frozen… The second – the same. He showed it to the server, who promptly left the serving and went in search of the “culprit” (the cook). Another line after DH. Someone appeared from the kitchen, and agreed, that, indeed, the fish was not properly unfrosted and grilled. Meanwhile, another “in-charge” saw the “fuss” and wanted details. DH explained the “case” and wondered why, 1 day after we left Rome, which is a fishing port, there are only deep frozen fishes on board, not to mention calamari, shrimps, mussels, etc. The standard reply, which we were going to hear repeatedly, was “difficulties in the chain of supply”. After 2 days of “buffet” diner, DH wanted escargot and we went to one of the 4 “free” restaurants. The escargots DH got were tiny and the meal was no more than OK but, as expected, took a lot of time. Back to OVC. After another 2 days of disappointing food at OVC, DH wanted a proper grilled fresh fish and we opted for “Cyprus”, which offered a grilled seabass. While DH was eating the seabass, I suddenly saw him confused, murmuring “a bone” and taking something out of his mouth… turns out it was not a bone, it was a 1.5 cm long piece of … wire !!! He gently placed it on the bread plate and we called the waiter, who immediately called… whoever. DH, of course, was distressed. What if he ingested another, smaller, piece of wire and he didn’t feel it?? Me? I was speechless and worried sick. A perforated intestine was NOT in our plans… After a few minutes of looking one at another and pushing aside the beginnings of our entrees, the head waiter appeared with an “explanation”… the piece of wire comes from the brush used to clean the grill…” Ahhhh, now we were “relieved”… We were so outraged, we just left the restaurant and went outside, to try to understand what just happened, and moreover, what IF another piece of wire was ingested? When we got back to our cabin, a bottle of white vine was waiting for us, along with some chocolate covered strawberries from the Cypress’ manager. The cheap bottle of wine really irritated DH: “I don’t want their vine, I want this going up and reported to the higher management, so that it will never happen again!!!” “It should have never happened in the first place” !!! So, first thing in the morning we went to GS with the vine in tow. Asked for “someone in charge”. The GS was reluctant, asking our room #, saying: “it is mentioned here”. I took the “helm” and said that we want to be sure it is “mentioned” up to the B&F director, and besides, we want to return their vine. Even if it’s just a “gesture”, might as well find out if we drink vine, and find something “neutral”, but that was not really the issue. We just felt that the vine was CYA. After a few minutes, the Cypress’ “in charge” came, claiming that it has been “reported”, “measures are being taken”, and, get this: “should you need medical assistance, we’ll be more than happy to provide it”. DH replied that “should I need medical assistance, I’ll be in big trouble, and Celebrity in an even BIGGER trouble”. He took the vine back, DH telling him that it was offending to receive a cheap bottle of several dollars by way of apology, instead a letter of “we will thoroughly examine what went wrong”, which surely will be more to the point. Quite reluctantly the “in charge” offered a free lunch at either Le Fine Cut or Raw 5, and we agreed to Raw 5, being seafood and fish. DH was eating bananas from the fateful evening, in the hope that his intestine will “weather” any stray wire… A day after the “wire”, I went to a “senior officers” meeting with Elite, +, etc. members. While I was sitting by myself, people watching, one of them came, randomly, to ask me “how do you like the cruise so far”? Big mistake on his part, HUGE…. I made a “so-so” movement with my hand, being masked and him also. Didn’t want to elaborate… but he was so surprised and, seemingly, interested… I told him that the food quality, diversity, quantity is sub par for a Celebrity cruise, and us being foodies, are underwhelmed. He wanted examples and details, which I supplied. Turns out he was the “procurement” officer, which enraged me more. I told him that there is no quality control whatsoever on the food, fruits in particular, and some products should never reach the buffet [overmature watermelon and kiwi coming immediately to mind]. Told him that, obviously, being veteran Celebrity cruisers, we have the “means” to compare. He said that they pride themselves in the quality of food on Celebrity, being one of the things which set them apart from other cruise lines. I just gave him THE LOOK “not happening here”. When I told him that I’ve heard the same from others, suite guests/Luminae, Le Voyage, The Fine Cut, etc., he excused himself and went in search of the F&B guy, and brought him to me. At that moment I decided to check if our plea that the “wire incident” will go to the “top” was granted and was shocked to see that he never heard of it. Immediately he profusely apologized and asked where we’re going to eat tonight, wanting to see for himself that DH is OK. Told him we had a reservation for Raw 5 [which was made before the free lunch offer]. He promised to be there. He wasn’t… but he comped us the dinner…. And we were glad he did, since, how DH said it so succinctly: “the lobster tail was from the runt of the litter” [and the oysters were far from fresh]. On the “free” lunch, we ordered only fried items and they were good. There were other food disappointments, where you see “grilled steak” advertised, but no steak on the grill. When you ask about it, they search one in their drawers, put one on the grill and tell you to come back between 7 and 10 minutes… Fries? “We’re waiting for a new batch, come back in 5 minutes?” NO!! Someone should monitor the popular items like fries, and the moment it seems that in a few more servings, they’ll be out of it, to already bring a new batch. The last “straw” was potato salad. With no fries available, I’ve tried my luck with the 2nd best… Long line, since the potato salad is with the “made to order sandwiches” and it takes time. I’m getting the last batch. Yay!! Sit down to eat, the potatoes are undercooked… I calm myself, and go back for another batch. Same “quality”. Ask a waiter to call someone “higher”. A nice and seemingly harassed lady arrives. Stoked her fork too. “Yep!!, not cooked at all”… “What’s you room number”?? That was the "standard procedure". Can’t figure it out what my room # has to do with the undercooked potatoes, overmature fruits, not properly unfrozen fish, etc. It’s not that someone called and apologized or explained. To sum it up, on previous cruises, at dinner you saw lots and lots of officers eating at the OVC. There were always stir fry stations, pasta stations, grill stations with every imaginable meat or fish being done on the spot. There were officers patrolling the buffet and keeping eye on everything. If a tray was about to be 2/3 finished, immediately a fresh one was brought, so there will be no delay and waiting. Not on Beyond. Not even one. DH, ever the cynic, predicted that in the last day, Celebrity will pull all stops and gave us a meal to remember. He was right… In the last day lunch there was a “buffet extravaganza”….

That's it. I wish I had the presence d'esprit to ask for it immediately... and save us the worry of a perforated intestine. Of course, Celebrity should have offered it too !!! I'm feeling better. 70% of my usual self. DH, somehow, managed to stay out of "it" 😟 Wishing everyone a joyful 4th of July celebration

LONG - that's my "style". I know... my kids always say to me: "Fast forward, mom". So, fast forward, pls. 😁 Some very personal musings about our Beyond cruise, “Personal” because we look at our cruises from a different perspective/point of view – we don’t participate in a lot of ship’s activities like Trivia/L&M/Quest, etc. Also, comedians/one man shows, all of them necessitating a good command of English. We go only to the big musicals, and on this cruise, DH had to leave after a few minutes, the strong sound being too much for his hearing aids. We don’t cruise for the beaches/hot weather, drinks and we gamble very small amounts (like 5-10$ pp per evening) just for fun. Usually bets of 1 or 2 cents 😊 On this cruise, after 3 long “dry dock” years, we found out that the minimum bet was raised to 75 cents, so our 9$ were quick to disappear. Then, why are we cruising? Mainly for the itineraries. Sometimes – for the ship. This time we found an excellent combo – interesting itinerary and a new class of ship. … and, for the food, mainly on Celebrity. Therefore, our criteria of judging if we enjoyed the cruise is much more limited – itinerary, food and ship. What we liked about Beyond? *the lower staff (servers, waiters, cleaners, sales attendants, casino staff) were all excellent, always smiling, always willing to help. *the pool – was the longest in comparison to every other ship. I’ve managed, early in the mornings, to swim some nice laps. *all night light in the bathroom. *the infinite veranda makes for a bigger room, but, if one of the cruisers is an early raiser and wants to spend time on the veranda, the light wakes up the other. What we didn’t like? Soulless. Too dark. Too much “real estate” taken by very high-end shops (Cartier, Bvlgari, Montblanc. Le maison du chocolat – always empty), and not enough connection with the sea. A dark mirrored corridor, which I’ve found down right creepy, fearing I’ll find myself stepping right into one of the mirrors. Unless we travel with family/friends, we usually prefer to dine at WJ/OVC. We’re "in and out" quickly, can try different dishes, mainly the stir fry, which we highly prefer. Quite from the beginning we were disappointed in the quality, quantity and diversity of the OVC’s food. There were a lot of heavy stews, unappealing for the most of time. I found myself making one round, two rounds, trying to map the dishes I’d like to sample, and found myself “settling” for a grilled steak, chicken breast or burger…. In very contrast to all other cruises, where I’d make a round and say to myself: “ohh, sheperd’s pie, ohh, meat lasagna, ohh, seafood salad, ohh, this pad thai looks sooo good”. DH was even more disappointed, since he mainly eats fish, seafood and salads. Usually, he’s going to the salad bar, and comes back with a huge amount of leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, etc., his usual Mediterranean staple at home. Here, he found himself asking for two slices of this, two leaves of this, a spoon of this -- a rather tedious “affair”. Meantime, a line is forming after him, close enough to defy the purpose of being served in the name of “social distancing/ Covid”. The first grilled fish he asked for was half frozen… The second – the same. He showed it to the server, who promptly left the serving and went in search of the “culprit” (the cook). Another line after DH. Someone appeared from the kitchen, and agreed, that, indeed, the fish was not properly unfrosted and grilled. Meanwhile, another “in-charge” saw the “fuss” and wanted details. DH explained the “case” and wondered why, 1 day after we left Rome, which is a fishing port, there are only deep frozen fishes on board, not to mention calamari, shrimps, mussels, etc. The standard reply, which we were going to hear repeatedly, was “difficulties in the chain of supply”. After 2 days of “buffet” diner, DH wanted escargot and we went to one of the 4 “free” restaurants. The escargots DH got were tiny and the meal was no more than OK but, as expected, took a lot of time. Back to the buffet. After another 2 days of disappointing food at the buffet, DH wanted a proper grilled fresh fish and we opted for “Cyprus”, which offered a grilled seabass. While DH was eating the seabass, I suddenly saw him confused, murmuring “a bone” and taking something out of his mouth… turns out if was not a bone, it was a 1.5 cm long piece of … wire !!! He gently placed it on the bread plate and we called the waiter, who immediately called… whoever. DH, of course, was distressed. What if he ingested another, smaller, piece of wire and he didn’t feel it?? Me? I was speechless and worried sick. After a few minutes of looking one at another and pushing aside the beginnings of our entrees, the head waiter appeared with an “explanation”… the piece of wire comes from the brush used to clean the grill…” Ahhhh, now we were “relieved”… We were so outraged, we just left the restaurant and went outside, to try to understand what just happened, and moreover, what IF another piece of wire was ingested? When we got back to our cabin, a bottle of white vine was waiting for us, along with some chocolate covered strawberries from the Cypress’ manager. The cheap bottle of wine really irritated DH: “I don’t want their vine, I want this going up and reported to the higher management, so that it will never happen again!!!” “It should have never happened in the first place” !!! So, first thing in the morning we went to GS with the vine in tow. Asked for “someone in charge”. The GS was reluctant, asking our room #, saying: “it is mentioned here”. I took the “helm” and said that we want to be sure it is “mentioned” up to the B&F director, and besides, we want to return their vine. Even if it’s just a “gesture”, might as well find out if we drink vine, and find something “neutral”, but that was not really the issue. We just felt that the vine was CYA. After a few minutes, the Cypress’ “in charge” came, claiming that it has been “reported”, “measures are being taken”, and, get this: “should you need medical assistance, we’ll be more than happy to provide it”. DH replied that “should I need medical assistance, I’ll be in big trouble, and Celebrity in an even BIGGER trouble”. He took the vine back, DH telling him that it was offending to receive a cheap bottle of several dollars by way of apology, instead a letter of “we will thoroughly examine what went wrong” which surely will be more to the point. Quite reluctantly the “in charge” offered a free lunch at either Le Fine Cut or Raw 5, and we agreed to Raw 5, being seafood and fish. DH was eating bananas from the fateful evening, in the hope that his intestine will “weather” any stray wire… A day after the “wire”, I went to a “senior officers” meeting with Elite, +, etc. members. While I was sitting by myself, people watching, one of them came, randomly, to ask me “how do you like the cruise so far”? Big mistake on his part, HUGE…. I made a “so-so” movement with my hand, being masked and him also. Didn’t want to elaborate… but he was so surprised and, seemingly, interested… I told him that the food quality, diversity, quantity is sub par for a Celebrity cruise, and us being foodies, are underwhelmed. He wanted examples and details, which I supplied. Turns out he was the “procurement” officer, which enraged me more. I told him that there is no quality control whatsoever on the food, fruits in particular, and some products should never reach the buffet [overmature watermelon and kiwi coming immediately to mind]. Told him that, obviously, being veteran Celebrity cruisers, we have the “means” to compare. He said that they pride themselves in the quality of food on Celebrity, being one of the things which set them apart from other cruise lines. I just gave him THE LOOK “not happening here”. When I told him that I’ve heard the same from others, suite guests/Luminae, Le Voyage, The Fine Cut, etc., he excused himself and went in search of the F&B guy, and brought him to me. At that moment I decided to check if our plea that the “wire incident” will go to the “top” was granted and was shocked to see that he never heard of it. Immediately he profusely apologized and asked where we’re going to eat tonight, wanting to see for himself that DH is OK. Told him we had a reservation for Raw 5 [which was made before the free lunch offer]. He promised to be there. He wasn’t… but he comped us the dinner…. And we were glad he did, since, how DH said it so succinctly: “the lobster tail was from the runt of the litter” [and the oysters were far from fresh]. On the “free” lunch, we ordered only fried items and they were good. There were other food disappointments, where you see “grilled steak” advertised, but no steak on the grill. When you ask about it, they search one in their drawers, put one on the grill and tell you to come back between 7 and 10 minutes… Fries? “We’re waiting for a new batch, come back in 5 minutes?” NO!! Someone should monitor the popular items like fries, and the moment it seems that in a few more servings, they’ll be out of it, to already bring a new batch. The last “straw” was potato salad. With no fries available, I’ve tried my luck with the 2nd best… Long line, since the potato salad is with the “made to order sandwiches” and it takes time. I’m getting the last batch. Yay!! Sit down to eat, the potatoes are undercooked… I calm myself, and go back for another batch. Same “quality”. Ask a waiter to call someone “higher”. A nice and seemingly harassed lady arrives. Stoked her fork too. “Yep!!, not cooked at all”… “What’s you room number”?? That was the SP. Can’t figure it out what my room # has to do with the undercooked potatoes, overmature fruits, not properly unfrozen fish, etc. It’s not that someone called and apologized or explained. To sum it up, on previous cruises, at dinner you saw lots and lots of officers eating at the buffet. There were always stir fry stations, pasta stations, grill stations with every imaginable meat or fish being done on the spot. There were officers patrolling the buffet and keeping eye on everything. If a tray was about to be 2/3 finished, immediately a fresh one was brought, so there will be no delay and waiting. Not on Beyond. Not even one. DH, ever the cynic, predicted that in the last day, Celebrity will pull all stops and gave us a meal to remember. He was right… In the last day lunch there was a “buffet extravaganza”…. A few words about Captain Kate. I’ve told the concierge on the first day about my “romance” with “her”, and asked, if possible, for a few seconds meet. I thought that, after innocently investing so much time for her “snacks”, the least will be a souvenir pic with her. The concierge was amazed at the quality of the scam, and promised a short meeting. There were 3 meetings of Elite and up with C.K. She made a few seconds appearance, tightly surrounded by her fellow officers, to the point of reminding me the security surrounding the PM of our country… Not approachable, not visible. The one meeting the concierge promised had a few of us aligned in order to meet her. I was the last one in line. A couple before the couple in front of me decided to monopolize her, and, sadly … it was time for her to say a few words and no time for us. The concierge apologized and said to wait there, C.K.’ll “see” us later. The couple before me gave up and, when C.K. finished in a few seconds, she brushed me aside like I was an annoying fly, and… fled through a side door.

We were on Beyond, June 13 cruise. Had 86 registered. The registration was like in "normal" times, and we received an email confirmation of the "connections party". The first day of our cruise was a sea day -- ideally suited for this party. Nothing. Celebrity Beyond guest services: "we can't access the list of those registered".... Common, X, you should come with a much better reply than this...

No worries... I think that @aussielozzie18 is following Crystal on other channels, and the b'day was mentioned there. I'm taking notes of every birthday "alluded" here, as I'm sure you remember 😉 So.... @singinalot Happy Birthday, Crystal, hope you'll have a lovely celebration, and an interesting and rewarding job in the very near future

@Momof3gurlz Deb, Since usually we have a long flight with connection before any cruise, we choose to arrive 3-4 days before, to allow for "unexpected" delays. Therefore, when looking at expenses, we have chosen the Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn in the Condado area, which is cheaper than OSJ.... We had a bus to OSJ at the corner for 0.75 cents pp, and it was nice traveling with locals. Many restaurants in the area, and very pleasant to stroll in the evening. We were there 4 nights. For one night, of course, splurge to be in OSJ 🙂

I, for one, see the green. I bet she knows she's a beauty, she has this kind of aloofness about her 😍

Last time it was awful. I think we were more than 2 hours in plain sunshine. This time was much more reasonable -- less than an hour, for 2 reasons -- less ships in port and many were on ship excursion and given vouchers for the cable car [like us]. So instead of paying/counting cash/credit card/whatever, they just scanned our vouchers....

Another stop we've been before and thoroughly enjoyed it was Santorini. We were pleasantly surprised to find 200$ OBC from Celebrity, and used 110$ to book the transfers through the ship. Last time we relied on a private company for the transfers to Oia, and it took ages until they completely filled the boat. I didn't want to sit in an enclosed boat at this Covid time, and it turned out that it was a wise decision, since Celebrity took us through another route, we saw more of Santorini, and all the experience was better organized. Price wise -- private company -- 60 Euro + 12 Euro for the cable car, versus 110$ with Celebrity -- not a bad deal.... Look at the various colors -- ... and, our "dingy" is patiently waiting ...

@Ozark_Kid, John, they're both so adorable 😍 Our first stop was Katakolon (Olympia). We've already visited once, so this time we took a bus (10 Euro pp return), which took us to Olympia, we had 2 hours to roam, and then back to the port. It was a very HOT day [actually, like all the other stops, but this one was with almost no shade]. We saw the site of the Olympic stadium and other remains

THAT was the reason I've posted it... Like Sue below, I remember the video [and the nice shirt you wore], how romantic it was for Nate to get on one knee and how emotional you were. Otherwise, this so called "cake" will have not found itself among "luminaries" like Piazza Navona, Fontana and Pantheon 😉 @LucasLikesToCruise 🍁 Since you mention it 😉, Happy Canada Day also to all our Canadian friends 🍁

Our youngest grandson, flying in an airplane for the first time, between his other grands 🧡

Thanks, aussie, there is a slight improvement, but I still tested positive very strongly a few moments ago... Nooo, we couldn't get to the fountain, the people were packed tightly like sardines, and we didn't want to chance it... We did toss coins in 1976, and we've been back several times since then, so..... it still works😉

Fontana da Trevi 20220612_184511.mp4 Pic taken from a mirror provided to see the ceiling in one of the many churches near the Pantheon

Some more pics from our brief stay in Rome. Credit due -- ALL the pics were taken by DH, either with his Samsung or his Nikon 😉 Piazza Navona very early morning -- The Vatican in the background The Pantheon The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument

Mark, are those bananas covered in white chocolate?

Kudos to Mark ( @h20skibum) and John ( @Ozark_Kid) for being such hands on grandfathers and sharing their joy with us 😄

+ 1 @George C 💐

@singinalot I'm also glad, Crystal, that you're starting to "settle" down. Any options of work? Thanks, Debbie. From yesterday, I didn't take any Aspirin for lowering my fever, so that's good. Still, I'd like to sleep all day. No Covid test was required to fly back from Barcelona to Israel. Lucky me. @Momof3gurlz Deb, I'm slowly trying to catch up, but also skimming a lot. Hope Andy's hand is better. @aussielozzie18, aussie, hoping also your hand is better. @A&L_Ont, Andrew, glad Owen's wrist is "aligned". Fingers crossed to a return of 100% use of it.

Le Grand Bistro.

Date of Cruise: 13/06/22 Ship: Beyond Cabin #: 12210 Deck #: 12 Cabin Category: C2 Cabin Location: Mid ship near the Elevators Bed Position: Next to balcony Balcony Type: IV Balcony/Window Size: Standard IV Balcony/Window View/Obstruction: None Balcony Overhang?: Yes Magic Carpet Issues?: None Noise Issues?: None Wind Issues?: None Connecting Cabin? : No Advantages/Problems/Comments: Excellent location. BUT, being under the OCV, I've checked very carefully the deck plans, and found this cabin which is located just under the ladies RR, so no noise of moving chairs/tables... Would You Book It Again?: Yes Photos or Photo Links:

And some more... so many buildings are a feast to the eyes

So, I’ve been MIA… but with a “good” reason….. We debarked Thursday and “set to work”… DH to “his” museums, and I – to finally do some serious shopping (the hotel advised that Friday will be a national holiday and the shops will be closed). I enjoyed roaming the shops by myself, bought a nice linen trousers and a new pair of jeans at a fraction of what would have cost in Israel. Very frustrating that the cost of living here is so high. We met at the hotel in the evening, and went out again, strolling in the crowded streets (Covid anyone???), enjoying people watching and ending with a burger at Five Guys. Friday started easily. A very good and varied breakfast at the Jazz hotel (highly recommended, excellent location and rates). We then decided to revisit from outside the various Gaudi houses we’ve seen in previous visits, and, generally, taking it slowly, with frequent stops at shaded benches and people watching. After a couple of hours, we decided to go back to Las Ramblas, to see another house. On the way, I’ve noticed that we’re very close to our hotel, and dropped by to refresh. At that point, I was starting to feel a headache “brewing”, and suggested to take a nap, and go out again in the afternoon, since the days are very long in Spain. The headache rapidly deteriorated in a “splitting” one, with fever, chills and nose congestion. It was amazing how in just a few hours I was really sick. DH went to buy a Covid test [never done one at home], and spent an hour trying to figure out how to test, the instructions being in very small [as in very small] letters. I was negative, but didn’t have much faith in the results… Our family “swears by” Aspirin Bayer effervescent tablets, and I always travel with a bunch of them, courtesy of my pharmacist cousin… I topped them with wet towels, and by morning I was able to leave the room for a short time, to allow cleaning. We had a balcony, and we left the door open, even if it was hot outside, I couldn’t stand the air conditioning… We decided to test again on arrival, since we wanted to see the kids and grandkids, before the grandkids will travel to Netherlands for my DIL’s family annual break abroad. Sunday evening I tested positive on a PCR test, and DH – negative. He’s taking very good care of me, while keeping his distance [that is, from the moment we got the Covid results…]. Hopefully, he’ll continue to be in the clear. I’m quite weak, with a low fever and a nagging cough. I can’t fathom how I got sick, since I was so careful, to the point that DH was quite angry with me, asking him to mask up when entering the elevators. Braved the quirky looks we got when we were the only one with masks… We always ate alone and kept a table empty between us and other people, in the theatre we were masked and at the end of a row, with at least two empty seats between us and others…. Took taxis alone, masked up. Always on the lookout, always looking “over the shoulder”… Some Barcelona photos meantime…. Poverty ... For @Keksie some nice carpets – Casa Batlló

I found that the air ventilation in the shower is very good, I left my swimming suit on a hanger there during the night, and it was dry in the morning....