BARCELONA: Day 1

My flight into Barcelona last Tuesday certainly took first place in the “Most Scenic Landings” category. Arriving from Philadelphia, we first passed over the northern portion of Barcelona, providing a fantastic overall aerial view of the area, and continued out over the Mediterranean Sea to make a right-hand turn in preparation for approach. Fortunately, my window seat was on the right side of the plane, and looking out the window through the crisp 8:00am air, I could clearly see the vivid green colors of the mountain ranges further inland and the white rows of ships lining the beautiful seaport.

During the flight, I sat next to a guy from the US National Guard, who was visiting family here in Barcelona. It was comforting to have someone who knew the ropes with me while going through customs, passport control, and baggage claim.

I met a friend from Clemson there in the airport, and we began the ordeal of our first taxi trip in Spain. Our driver spoke no English, and we spoke little Spanish. Fortunately, a slip of paper with the apartment address got us moving in the right direction. Upon arriving at the street and paying the courteous cab driver, his general pointing and my summer’s worth of satellite image and map studies both failed to help me understand where the building was located. After walking around for a while in a developing rain shower, laden with suitcases, we found our apartment building and were soon unpacked in nice rooms with plenty of day left to enjoy our temporary home. My first European excursion had officially begun.