Transatlantic Voyage Begins

Today is our final Barcelona Embarkation, where we pick up everyone who'll be along for the ride across the Atlantic Ocean to Galveston Texas, our future home port. We've had some problems with people getting sick (GI) on the ship, so have have to go into a more strict health code. So today everyone had to help sanitize the ship. I was assigned deck seven, port side, and my job was to hit all the doorknobs and handrails with my rag and chlorine bleach, 1000 parts per million (watch your eyes!) Luckily it only took about 20 minutes to do. Everyone has a job like that so that the whole ship can be sanitized in that short window between disembarking and embarking guests.

We were finally granted shore leave at about 12pm, and I managed to make a quick Metro trip out to the Sagrada Familia, and actually go inside this time (no lines in late November!). It was neat to see, even though it is still heavily under construction. After a couple of photos, back on the Metro to my favorite café for the last time, where I'm writing this post. I am pretty excited for the crossing, and can't wait to see these two islands I've never been too in the next couple of days. Well, I've got to run back to the ship since we have an earlier call time before the transatlantic, but I have some good news re:my last post - due to excessive complaining by people like me, the ship is going to pull together a Thanksgiving dinner for us in the mess hall in a couple of days. It'll be December, but better late than never, right? :-)