Okay, so you could say the magic began in Barcelona, but the cruise begins today.

So, we landed in Barcelona and it was raining. We found the train after a bit and made our way into town. First impressions of the neighborhoods we had to go through to get to town were not great. Grafitti and high rise, low cost housing were the norm. But after a few hours here, I can say that I LOVE Europe. Barcelona is a neat place.As my title suggests, it feels like a combo of New York and New Orleans, with really old stuff. 
The most amazing thing I saw today was the Sagrada Familia church. I have read others say that it is not worth it to pay to go in, but I disagree. You cannot see the carvings well enough from the road, and they are spectacular. They are practically the story of Jesus carved on the side of the church. Really. I just sat there and kept going... look,. there is Peter by the fire denying Jesus, and there is Jesus talking to the elders in the temple, and there are the soldiers casting lots for his clothes, and on it went. The interior is still being worked on, but is already amazing. It has so much natural light, and it was taller than any interior I have seen. (St. Peters will probably beat it next week)
We also loved the Gothic Quarter. It consists of Roman walls and medieval winding alleys which open to little squares. We found a square named after Veronica and took a picture. 
I am so tired, but James wants to go back out this evening for a bit. Well, wish I could write more, but ironically, I am racing against the battery here because we have no converter for our charger, and on the boat, I will be racing against my internet time. Oh well. 
If you are coming to Barcelona, DO YOUR RESEARCH, especially the metro system was complicated to figure out, and we only did because I had researched so much.
We love everyone back home, and can't wait to update more!