2 On the Road: Boarding the Viking Saturn

The day comes to board our cruise ship, but first, we need to take a 2.5-hour train ride to Barcelona. We were taken to the train station where we were put in a special section for those who had premium class seating. There was plenty of food and beverages here that were all included in the price. Then we ventured across the train station to board this train. Each row had two seats on one side of the train and one on the other. The staff made sure we had enough food and beverages. This was a high-speed train with speeds sometimes approaching 180 mph.

Train station in Barcelona where we disembarked the train. From here we had a bus ride to the cruise ship. Color is off because of shooting through the tinted windows of the bus.

Woman and Bird by Joan Miró. Barcelona-born artist Joan Miró is best known for his colorful abstract paintings and murals, several of which are displayed in Barcelona’s public spaces. The twenty-two-meter Woman and Bird Sculpture (Catalan: Dona I Ocell) was inaugurated in 1983 and represents the link between the Earth and the universe. There is another photo of it on the post of the day we disembark the ship.

This observation tower is attached to the old bull fighting ring that has been turned into a shopping mall. More info on in in a later post as we go in the mall and out to the tower on the day we disembark the cruise ship.

Stairway alongside the bullring. I bet it was installed as a fire exit.

We went past Fountain of the Three Seas. Built in 1929, it looks like it is undergoing renovations. The main sculptures represent the three seas surrounding the Iberian Peninsula and the main rivers that run through it: the Ebro, the Tagus and the Guadalquivir. The figures on the corners depict abundance, health and navigation. A flame usually burns in the cauldron.

Photo of complete bullring. The disk on top supports a ring of restaurants.

No stores are located in standalone buildings. They just inhabit the lower floors of high rises.

Some architecture photos.

What you see on the facade is sgraffito. Sgraffito is a technique of scratching through a coating on a hard surface to reveal another color. I have more closeup photos of designs like this in my Whole Day in Barcelona post.

The bike/wheeled transportation lane is in between the two car lanes on this street.

Madrid and Barcelona had lots of these electric rental bicycles.

This is part of the 14th century Medieval Wall of Barcelona that still stands. More info on this photo and the next two in my Whole Day in Barcelona post.

Monument to Christopher Columbus and the Aduana.

Hard to tell with the palm trees but there's a bridge that we are going to cross to get to the wharf where the ship is docked.

Our ship is the second one back.

Finally approaching the ship.

Due to canceling a trip we were supposed to take earlier in the year, Viking had upgraded us to a Penthouse Verandah cabin. This is larger than the Deluxe Verandah we had on our prior trip. Yes, this trip was free (plus excursions and insurance) because Viking overbooked the Far Eastern Horizons cruise we were supposed to take in April.

As you can see by the stuff on the counter, the open closet door and the airplane pillow in the bed, we had already put some of our stuff away. The wall on the other side of the far bed is where the bathroom is located.