We departed Portland early this morning to travel to Oakland. Tracie’s friend and former coworker Toni was on the same flight so there was a lot of chatting!

After arriving in Oakland we took BART to the Embarcadero on the SF waterfront since we had several hours to kill before our Europe bound flight. It was a gorgeous day and we sat outside for 2+ hours enjoying the view with our coffee/tea and a small snack.

We made it to SFO around noon so had 3 hours to check in, go thru TSA and find our gate. Even though our takeoff was delayed about 90 minutes we did take off and will have plenty of time in Paris to catch our final flight.

The flight to Paris was uneventful. Because this is summer, flying over the northern portion of the globe meant it never really got dark, so we closed our window shades and pretended it was dark outside. It worked for most of the occupants on the plane, including Tracie and I.

We enjoyed a decent dinner and I was offered champagne. I thought about it for a second and then said “oui merci”. It was a nice way to begin our trip! Just look at those bubbles!

If anyone is traveling to Paris for the Olympics, be prepared for extra time at the airport. We got off our international flight, went thru passport control, and found our next gate (to Barcelona). We sat down, checked our watches and determined we had walked a mile! Of course if you’re heading into Paris you may not walk as far, but Charles DeGaule (CDG) is one large airport!

Now on to Barcelona!

Our flight was again delayed but we made it within 45 minutes of the original scheduled time

I had pre-ordered a taxi when I booked the hotel and the driver came looking for us. What a treat!

As we approached our hotel, the taxi driver took us down Rambla de Catalunya which is where the hotel is. Along the street were blocks and blocks of restaurants with tables set up for dinner and beverages. The weather was around 80 degrees so a perfect evening to be outside. We wanted tapas and found it. We realized too late that our choices were more than we could handle (we didn’t eat all of it), so next time there will be one less dish!

Our hotel is beautiful. Our room is large enough for two beds and room to walk around the beds, so that’s a plus. The coolest thing about this hotel is the rooftop bar and viewing platforms. We managed to get up there just as the sun was setting so the sky was pretty.

We are only spending one night here but will be back the end of June for 3 more days/nights. We have some ideas on how to spend those hours…

Tomorrow – the train to Narbonne and Agen, and a bus to Lectoure. The real fun begins!