Iberia 2025 | Barcelona | 11/5 - 11/8/2025

The second annual Moms Trip (i.e., me, my mom, and my mother-in-law) got off to an ominous start about two hours into our flight from Newark to Barcelona. The pilot announced that they needed to turn the plane back around due to a navigation issue on the plane. Needless to say, this was concerning, but there was nothing that we could really do about it. We also weren’t sure what our options were going to be. When we eventually did return to Newark around 12:30a, we were in the same position as we had been before we initially departed almost 5 hours prior. After deplaning and some waiting around, we were eventually informed that we would be taking the same plane back over to Barcelona.

I was luckily able to have a short conversation with the pilots from our ill-fated flight, who were replaced by a new air crew for the second flight. I didn’t fully understand their explanation, but from what I could gather, it seems like the problem was actually with the flight controls and not exactly navigation. They said something about the throttle automatically pulling back soon after takeoff when the automatic system stopped working correctly. They were essentially in this manual flight mode for the next two hours, trying lots of things to get the automatic flight system fully operational. Before giving up and turning back around, they were even on the phone with ground maintenance and United headquarters. They also didn’t want to have to navigate bad weather in Barcelona in the plane’s degraded condition, and would not want to leave a stricken plane for the next air crew in Barcelona. As an aside, we later found out that multiple flights from the US headed for Barcelona around that same time ended up being diverted to Madrid because of the weather. The conversation gave me more of a sense of why they needed to turn around, and made me appreciative that we got back safely (and also appreciative of the time they spent conversing with some random passenger who had approached them as they were heading home). Unfortunately, this whole ordeal meant that we missed out on our tour of La Sagrada Familia that was scheduled for 1p on November 6.

The second flight turned out fine once it got going. I got a bit of sleep on the plane, but it wasn’t exactly of high quality. We arrived in Barcelona around 4p, and then eventually made our way to our hotel (HCC St. Moritz) by taxi around 5:30p. This gave us 30 minutes before we were to meet the rest of our Globus tour group (a total of 26 (?) guests, plus the tour director “Abbadi Klay”) at the welcome dinner around 6p.

-- 

After a (pretty solid) buffet breakfast at the hotel, our first activity of the 7th (a Friday) was a 10a guided tour of Park Güell (which we were a couple of minutes late for, but it wasn’t a big deal). The park was just about as impressive as I vaguely remembered from my first visit 20 years earlier, and it was good to get some background information about it this time around (e.g., I never knew that it was a failed real estate development). We had a bit of a scare as we were leaving, when my mom thought that she had lost her watch, but it turned out that she had left it at the hotel.

Park Güell

After getting back to the hotel, we went out for a walk, during which Mutti got an ice cream and I grabbed a sandwich. We returned to the hotel to meet up with the rest of the group for an afternoon driving tour of Barcelona, which began at 1:15p. I struggled to stay awake during the tour, probably more because of adjusting to the time zone than boredom. We made a couple of stops to get off the bus: one extended stop to walk around the Sagrada Familia (plus a bathroom break at a souvenir shop), and another to take a quick photo looking down over the city from in front of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (National Art Museum of Catalonia).

La Sagrada Familia

We returned to the hotel from the tour around 4:30p. After some deliberation, the three of us headed out on foot to walk down part of La Rambla. We also made a stop at the Mercat de la Boqueria (a public market) to buy some treats. After even more deliberation regarding dinner (trying to accommodate vegetarian options, and also shrimp for my mom), we eventually made our way to a small tapas restaurant not far from the hotel. I turned out to be the only one who enjoyed my meal. To make up for this, we got some gelato before returning to the hotel.

--

Full trip photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ubSqXjyFue9AWmAn8

Pacific Northwest 2025 | 7/19/2025 - 8/2/2025

Better late than never... 

I didn't blog for this one, but you can find Fran's blog about the trip here.

I did create a photo album here, and Fran created one here.

Middle East 2024 - Day 11 - 12/9/2014 - Journey home + final thoughts

My Etihad flight from Zayed International Airport to JFK was scheduled to depart at 10am. I figured that getting to the airport about 2 hours before would be fine, and that's just about what I did. I got up early, prepared, packed, said goodbye to Brad (he wasn't flying out from Dubai until 2am the next morning), had a quick breakfast at the hotel, then hailed a Careem for the ride to the airport. I was running a little later than planned, but still made it there by 8:05a. When I went to check in at the business class counter (I got a credit card charge the night before hinting that my ~$2K bid for an upgrade was accepted), I found out that check-in for US flights closes 2 hours before departure, so I was just about 10 minutes late. But the agent made a couple of calls to re-open check-in for me, and I was able to get a boarding pass.

This scary moment potentially could have been avoided if my attempt to check in online the night before had succeeded, but I couldn't complete it then for some unknown reason; of course knowing to arrive more than 2 hours before would also have helped. I think the fact that I wasn't checking any luggage helped the case, and perhaps also being in business class. In any case, I was able to breeze through the security line and US pre-clearance due to a combination of business class and Global Entry, so I was at my gate by 8:40. I guess I could have had a little time to check out the Etihad lounge after all...

The 14+ hour flight was a lot more comfortable than it would have been in economy. We left about a half hour late, but arrived just about on time. I was in a seat facing "backwards" (opposite the direction of travel of the plane) - Brad informed me that this layout allowed every seat to have aisle access. I tried to take advantage of as much of the experience as I could, but I was probably still among the least demanding passengers. Highlights included: the lay-flat seat with built-in massage, larger and less trafficked bathrooms, complementary slippers and loungewear (I declined the latter), hot towels at take-off and landing, ample drinks (including mocktails), ample snacks, eating on real flatware. One minor complaint is that the anytime bites (which people were having as a lunch of sorts before landing) didn't have a hearty vegetarian option, so I settled for some muesli and cheese. Due to timing (boarding the flight and having the meal not too long after breakfast) I never felt like I had enough room to sample the dessert options.

Back in cold and rainy NYC, I chose just about the worst option to get home from the airport. By the time I was able to take the shuttle to the ride app lot, the wait for an Uber driver, and the ride through rush hour traffic, I could have taken the AirTrain and subway home for one-tenth the cost. The taxi line looked pretty long, but I probably could have gotten in one sooner than an Uber.

--

Some brief final thoughts about the trip...

Overall, it was a good trip, and went just about as planned. The amount of wealth and development in Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi was impressive (ignoring the dark side of that development for the moment). Doha in particular had more going on than I expected, and perhaps had the best infrastructure relatively speaking (although the traffic to get to the circuit was hellish, the metro and shuttle worked fairly well; the parking at all the places we went was underground, plentiful, and free); and the scale of development in Lusail is mind-boggling. Dubai and Abu Dhabi seemed more tolerant of Western culture, and more so than I expected. And it was fantastic to meet up with Ngozi, and have her show us around Abu Dhabi a couple of times. Oh, and if I were to do the Dubai / Abu Dhabi trip again, renting a car would probably be the way to go (despite the anxiety of driving somewhere foreign).

In terms of track activities, the seats at Yas Marina provided the most action that I've seen at a race (I've been to four after the two this trip). The only very minor downside of that was that I couldn't hear the announcers / PA system much during the race, as they were drowned out by the cars essentially all the time. Perhaps listening to the commentary on a personal system (either a stream or a radio) would be a good idea, as you don't get a good sense of the whole race (and have to watch highlights after 😅) even with a view as good as we had. The seat at Lusail was also good, nice and close with a good view of the main straight, the pit lane, and the podium (plus the seats were spaciously spread out); but the main straight was the only thing I could see there. The facilities were also nicer at Lusail, and the trackside activities were perhaps marginally better there. However, there was less total area to walk around at Lusail. Both tracks had better facilities than the other tracks that I had been to before (COTA, Hungaroring), but there was less ability to watch track action while walking through general admission areas (especially at Yas Marina). YMC was closer to things, with all the other entertainment options nearby on Yas Island, while LIC was way out by itself like the other two tracks. These were the first two in-person weekends for me with support series (there wasn't any at COTA, and I only went to the race at Hungaroring), and I didn't spend much time watching those; F1 qualifying and racing is really what I'm there for (though practice sessions are nice as well). It was cool to see a sprint race (in Qatar), especially one with much different results than the main race. It was even cooler to for the first time see a main race (in Abu Dhabi) that was won by someone other than Max Verstappen.

I could get used to traveling business class... The part I appreciated the most was being able to stretch out and lie down, particularly with the pelvic issues that I continue to have. But at the end of the day it's tough to justify the significantly higher price if you're all just going from point A to point B. We'll see if my thinking changes after going back to economy next time around...

--

Trip highlight photos can be found here.

Middle East 2024 - Day 10 - 12/8/2014 - Louvre + Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

After breakfast we took an Uber to meet Ngozi at Louvre Abu Dhabi, an art museum renting the name of the original in Paris. This was yet another museum where the building greatly outshined the works within, though this time it was partly because the three of us were spending more time chatting than paying attention to the art. We had also considered doing a kayak tour around the museum, but we found out that it was only offered in the evening. Instead Ngozi drove us over to the nearby Mamsha complex also on Saadiyat Island. We took a short stroll along the boardwalk and then stopped for a light (but luxurious) lunch at Valgerand Nordic Grill. After that she kindly dropped us off at the track about an hour before the 5p race.

 

We were in our seats about 35 minutes before the start, and caught the national anthem and A380 flyover. We also got a glimpse of one of the cars from the upcoming F1 movie (starring Brad Pitt) doing a lap. The race was pretty entertaining, especially the couple of incidents on the first lap. We also caught a little bit of argy-bargy in front of us at turn 6. Lewis had a great recovery drive from 16th to 4th on his last race with Mercedes, passing George on the final lap. Despite a Ferrari double podium, Lando Norris' win ensured that McLaren clinched the constructors' championship. We left during the podium celebration (and also later found out that we missed the fake podium celebration for the F1 movie), and were able to snag an Uber without nearly as much hassle as the night before. We made it back to the hotel around 7:40p, and had (a somewhat expensive) dinner there.

--

Trip highlight photos can be found here.

Middle East 2024 - Day 9 - 12/7/2014 - Qasr Al Watan, quali, and Eminem

Today was a pretty long day amidst a streak of nights with not quite enough sleep. After breakfast at the hotel we took a Careem over to Qasr Al Watan, a grand presidential palace that is used to greet foreign dignitaries but also is open to the public for tours. It was another pretty spectacular building. A (random and) perhaps interesting note is that upon entry you have to take a shuttle bus from the entry building to the main building. A more noteworthy happening was that we didn't realize that there was a dress code so both Brad and I were not up to code in our shorts; when this happens they lend men sweatpants to wear (in our case over our shorts).

We didn't stay at the palace all that long before heading over to the race track via Careem. We first watched Free Practice 3 and then walked around to check out other parts of the grounds and get some food. During FP3, Brad made a wager on one of Alex Albon's flying laps that if Alex topped the timing table then Brad would buy a Williams shirt (he had been trying to decide which team for which to buy merchandise in support - it was between Red Bull, McLaren, and Williams (who were only in the running because Albon was his favorite driver this year)). Well, Albon did indeed go top by a few hundredths of a second, so Brad had to make good on his promise and indeed bought a Williams shirt (for the outrageous trackside price of something like AED 680). We missed out on the F2 sprint race during the walkabout (unlike a track like COTA, you can't get views of the track as you walk around), but headed back to our seats to catch qualifying. Unfortunately, Lewis was knocked out in Q1 due to an unlucky incident where a bollard got caught underneath his car; George did fine, but the car didn't look so great in getting him to P7, behind a couple of midfield cars. Another noteworthy occurrence at the start of the session was a drunk couple coming up to us and belligerently claiming that I and a lady next to me were in their seats. Of course they were wrong, but they showed no remorse nor shame when an usher intervened to direct them to their proper seats. This got my normally cool blood boiling a little bit.

After quali we walked over to Etihad Park (which is on one side of Ferrari World) for the Eminem concert (included with the F1 ticket, if you were able to pick up a wristband before they ran out). We were there at least 1.5 hours (including time getting a bite to eat) before Eminem came on sometime around 9p. The show was meh; I wasn't particularly interested in going, but Brad wanted to. It was certainly not worth the subsequent headache getting home, nor the lost sleep. Traffic was a mess, and there were multiple failed attempts at hailing a Careem/Uber; which brought out a small heated (or maybe lukewarm) exchange between Brad and me. Brad was eventually able to land us in an Uber, though the surge pricing almost quadrupled the cost of the ride to the hotel the night before. We didn't get back until after 12:30a.

--

Trip highlight photos can be found here.

Middle East 2024 - Day 8 - 12/6/2024 - Ferrari World & FP2

Today was relatively simple in terms of activities, though not so straightforward at times. After breakfast at the hotel (a buffet plus some made-to-order items), we took a Careem to Ferrari World on Yas Island. Brad was super excited about the theme park, and also about his first in-person F1 session; as usual I was more low key about things. Unfortunately, Formula Rossa (the fasted roller coaster in the world) was closed for maintenance. We went on Flying Aces (a more standard coaster) and then Mission Ferrari (a mini coaster with immersive qualities), at which point Brad needed a break from the coasters. We stumbled upon a Ferrari fan zone, the highlight of which was a static display of the F1-75 from 2022. We then did the Fiorano GT Challenge and then grabbed some lunch.

Next we headed to the Yas Marina Circuit, though finding the way was not so simple. We eventually made our way through the parking lot, a portion of the mall, and out to the shuttles, which we took to the west grandstand. The seats that Brad got us were in the premium section of the west grandstand, giving us a view of most of the first back straight and the subsequent 3 turns (6, 7, and part of 8), the last 2 turns (15 and 16), and the first half of the start/finish straight. This was the most racing action viewable from my seat at a race thus far. We watched part of a Formula 4 qualifying, then Formula 1 Practice 2. After that we walked around a bit and grabbed a bite to eat.

Getting back to the hotel didn't take too long. Once we exited the circuit we took about 10-15 minutes to find a spot to call an Uber. Once we were in the car (after Brad passed up the first driver who was in the wrong car), it took less than 30 minutes to get back to the hotel. Back at the hotel we headed down to the bar to play a couple of games of Kingdomino. We initially couldn't find a suitable table, and an Emirati who was drinking alone at a larger well-lit table noticed this and insisted that we switch with him. We played the 7x7 variant for the first game, and Brad won 133-123. As we were concluding, the Emirati came over to talk to us, showing interest in the game. We showed him some basic rules and offered for him to join us. He asked instead to watch us play as he learned more, and then join in. This ended up side-tracking the game a bit, as he told us some wild stories about his time in the US when he was younger. We ended up calling it a night after finishing the second game, a 5x5 variant, which Brad won.

--

Trip highlight photos can be found here.

Middle East 2024 - Day 7 - 12/5/2024 - To Abu Dhabi

After breakfast and a short stroll, we used the Careem app (which I finally got working after failing the verification process in Doha, but had the option to verify via WhatsApp in Dubai) to hail a taxi to take us to our hotel in Abu Dhabi. We had also considered going by bus (which would require a car to get to/from the bus station on both ends, but still be significantly cheaper), but opted for the convenience of a point-to-point journey after a couple of days of hemming and hawing. The ride to the Andaz Capital Gate took about 1.5 hours (we got there a bit after 1:30p) and cost AED 324 ($88.24 based on the conversion rate on Google, but Bank of America charged me $92.39). Brad's friend also gifted him status there, so we got a larger room (which happened to be a disability friendly room) and complementary breakfast.

I had contacted a family friend, Ngozi, the day before, and arranged to meet up with her today. This was actually a last minute connection, as I didn't think that she lived in the UAE anymore. She graciously offered to show us around, and picked us up at the hotel around 4:30p. We initially headed toward Qasr Al Watan, but had to make a detour to top up the air in one of her tires after a low pressure warning. We then found out via the internet that Qasr Al Watan had closed (at 5p), so we pivoted to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (which closed at 10p) instead. We had initially ruled this out when she picked us up because I was wearing shorts, but we decided to head back to the hotel so that I could change to pants before going to the mosque (which wasn't too far from the hotel - maybe a 10 minute drive).

The mosque was quite grand indeed, very large and spectacular. I found it interesting that Ngozi commented that they had greatly reduced the places that you could go within the mosque - it used to be essentially completely open 5 years ago, but now there was a roped-off path where you were allowed, which excluded all of the central area. She also had to go buy a covering for herself (I don't remember the name), as they didn't lend them out anymore. At least visiting the mosque was still free, though you did have to reserve tickets (which we did online).

After walking though the mosque grounds, she drove us to one of her favorite restaurants, a Japanese place called Zuma. It was quite fancy (though I was fine entering in a t-shirt), and also pretty tasty. She also secretly ordered a special personalized dessert to celebrate my birthday 😅. After dinner she drove us back to the hotel.

--

Trip highlight photos can be found here.