Boarding the Brilliance of the Seas

     We got up earlier today and once again Arik, Rick and I went out for some breakfast in an outdoor cafe.  Arik used his Spanish and right away got some Café con Leche.  Barcelona has a lot of pollution – much more than Madrid which has been working hard for the last ten years to be a “green” city.  I am getting pretty wheezy but soon we will be out on the fresh ocean air.  Today is another warm and sunny day.
    We are packing up for the ride to the ship.  Carter and Matt feel good again and no one else has gotten sick.  Thank goodness.  When we all got down to the lobby we had quite a pile of luggage.  We had requested “big” taxis but they don’t seem to exist.  When the first driver arrived and saw our pile of luggage which included a stroller and two bags per person, he called for help and several more taxis arrived.  When we got to the ship we found hundreds of taxis and buses delivering folks to the boat.  However the process was very smooth and orderly.  We had to leave our large luggage to be delivered to our rooms and took our carry-on luggage with us.

     While we waited for our luggage to arrive we went to the luncheon buffet.  There was lots of fresh fruit, sandwich fixings, soups, and plenty of hot foods too.  We found where to go to get a high chair for Carter and he was thrilled with fresh grapes and yogurt.  We took some extra cartons of milk to put in the little fridge in our room.  This is a very handy thing to have with a child along.  He can have fresh milk and snacks any time he is hungry.
    Our cabin is great and actually pretty spacious with good storage.  We have been on some “small” ship cruises where there was almost no room to turn around in.  Here we have a huge bed, a nice sofa and desk, a big closet, and a reasonably big bathroom.  Not bad for a ten day cruise.  We got unpacked and got the door opened between our cabin and Matt’s.  Carter thought it was great to run back and forth.  He loves it but was crabby and tired.  We went out to the balcony and found Arik peering at us over the divider.  We just need to be sure that Carter isn’t on the balcony alone and that we keep the chairs away from the edge.  Fortunately the balcony has a solid glass front so Carter can’t stick himself between the railings.
   We had our required emergency drill and then we went to dinner together and the food was wonderful.  However, Carter was tired and really hungry so we wasn't in a mood to sit very long.  The waiters were very nice to us and clearly have had lots of kids on cruises before.  They were very accommodating in finding something that Carter likes to eat.  He had a meal of green beans and red jello and was happy.
    When we got back to our rooms we slid open our big doors to the balcony and relaxed in the warm, ocean air.  It was a beautiful sunset – the end to a wonderful day with my family.  The big bed with its wonderful linens and piles of pillows is calling my name.  Good night.