Room 84 or 44?

Our final night in Paris.  I confidently walk into the hotel to request our room key and say,
quatre vingt quatre,  44.  The man at the reception desk said "Nice try, that's 84 and you'd be
in the garden." Time to go back to the USA.

Barcelona Airport

The airport is Barcelona could be another country!  There are three terminals, I 

was in one, it was enormous with 70 gates.  The width of the terminal walkways

the distance of a two lane highway.  The shopping, in this terminal rivaled Braintree

Mall in Mass., the largest mall in New England.  I gazed at the departure signage, 

airlines I never heard of and destinations I had no idea where they were.

I arrived in Paris, as planned and Lauren was already in the room, asleep from 

her red eye.  A brief 3 nights here before we head home. We've got our walking

shoes on... exploring on foot.

Russell Crowe, where are you darling?

How could I not think of Russell Crowe in Gladiator as I gaze into the Amphitheatre, by the ocean in
Tarragona.  I just wanted to beam myself to 1 BC, to get a glimpse of the crowd, the stage, the dress of
that time.  All I'm sure of is sandals and togas.  I like sandals and yes togas, I went to college.  The amphitheatres were used for blood sports, like gladiator fights and fights with wild animals.  They were also used for athletics and other entertainment.  The backstage is underneath the arena.  The stands here are divided by social classes, inferior, middle and superior.  The amphitheatre was also used for public executions.  If we did that today, on Wall Street,  maybe these Bernie Madoff types would stop all this illegal trading.   The site is breath taking, I was spellbound by the workmanship that existed so long ago. The geology major always comes out and I take photos, close up of the rocks used in construction.  The chisel marks were obvious to me, I try to visualize the tools the romans used to make
the bricks square, on those hot summer days.
Most of my time here has been in Old Town, the original city, within a non descript city.  Old Town is amazing, narrow streets, courtyards of eating establishments, lots of umbrellas, pubs & patio chairs that
get lots of use.   We did encounter communication issues, like the prawn salad that arrived with no prawns and the chocolate ice cream that was green.  Then, when lost, I lost my logic and went to a bus stand where two women were waiting for a bus.  I showed them the map and inquired what direction.  One woman who had one tooth, bottom middle, and a wart that competed with her nose could only laugh, the other woman joined in, I left.  So Cathy has determined, in Italy the locals know some English, here they don't.
Back to the ice cream, the waiter poured what must have been a sister liquid to gasoline all over it.
More sites today, heading to the Barcelona area,  closer to the airport, in the likely event we have to walk to the airport tomorrow, as driving has been a huge issue.