Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Another Sea Day

This morning on board Riviera all crew members are involved in a large-scale practice evacuation and abandon ship drill. This is practice for the required Coast Guard drill when we reach San Juan. Passengers go about their usual business while the crew runs around slamming doors and standing guard. The cruise director makes ominous announcements about boarding and lowering the life boats--but it is all imaginary.

While all this is going on, I have a haircut in the Spa. It used to be run by Canyon Ranch (which is headquartered in Tucson), but some other equally pricey organization is now in charge. Yesterday afternoon I watched a big-screen showing of the new James Bond film. Sad to say, I found it over-long and often boringly slow. And almost everyone has aged badly--certainly not why we go to the movies for fantasy.

Also, yesterday it was announced that the Oceania office in Miami had received approval from the CDC to make covid precautions voluntary rather than mandatory. Thus, masks are no longer required, and more than four people may ride in an elevator at one time (this rule was hardly ever followed anyway). I shall continue to take precautions as I see fit.

But now the blog shall return to Barcelona:

Friday, 19 November 2021
Barcelona Again

It is another glorious morning of bright sunshine as we dock at the port of the capital of Catalonia. I have visited Barcelona many times over the years; shallI count the times?--five times on extended visits and  four additional one-day visits while on various cruises. So I decide to take it easy after yesterday's busy day in Nice, and spend only a couple of hours window shopping along Las Ramblas, which is just short walk from the pier.  

Here are some panoramas taken from the ship:

Tonight we sail the short distance from Barcelona to Cartagena, another city I have been to before, under bad and good circumstances. This is a substitute for the port of Casablanca, which has prohibited all cruise ships at this time.