We know that everyone in the world….think about that a minute, in the world….has seen and could publish photos like this of their own locations. It is eerily silent, outside. It is eerily empty, outside. It is all eerie, period.

We are in a Homewood Suites by Hilton, with a kitchenette. The day after we arrived back from Barcelona, we took Ubers to and from Walmart to buy food so that we could self-quarantine and hunker down. We bought almost $400 of provisions, both because we didn’t want to pay Uber $20+ every few days to buy groceries, and because at that point we didn’t know if items would be restocked regularly and be readily available. One of our Uber drivers told us that his business is suffering, as he normally clears about $150 a day, but recently it has been $50-60. On a normal day, we would have been his eighth or tenth fare, but at 11 am, we were only his second. Until two days ago, the fitness facility in the gym was open, a buffet breakfast was available each morning, and three nights a week (served four nights prior to COVID-19) there was an evening happy hour with drinks, snacks, and light dinner entrees. Then it changed, as the front desk told us that law enforcement officials stopped by. They closed the gym and mandated that no food could be self-serve, but had to be distributed in takeout boxes and consumed in our suites. The first three photos are from the hotel…nothing sadder than a room with buffet facilities that cannot be used. The open door in the first photo is where we go to ask for breakfast, served by gloved workers. The third photo is something we hadn’t seen after essentially living in hotels for two years…an area of refuge for handicapped people. We followed the signs, and they lead away from the elevators, to the stairwell…a gathering place where they would be helped in an emergency. There is also an emergency phone there. Interesting.

Across the street from our hotel is Dolphin Mall, so that is where we headed for today’s walk. You can see in the photos all the empty streets and parking lots. We were the only people out, other than a few security guards and one Cheesecake Factory worker who told us that they still serve takeout in the afternoons (yay, Cheesecake Factory!). We were able to cross streets wherever we wanted, as there were zero vehicles, and we could even walk on the streets themselves. When we booked this hotel while still in Spain, we thought it would be good to be at a mall so that we could walk inside for exercise if it was too hot outside. It has been 80-85 degrees F every day, but as you can see in the photos, the mall was closed, of course. We grinned when we read the sign in the Ralph Lauren store (Photo 9) that starts, “In the current context, our purpose of inspiring the dream of a better life takes on new meaning.” Their last sentence includes, “our hope is to continue to be the beacon of optimism and unity…” It sounds like a message from a nonprofit that helps people and does some good in the world, like Doctors Without Borders, but no, it is just an upscale retailer.

We have heard that Miami-Dade County was closing all hotels so that there would be none available for spring breakers or people wanting a self-quarantining vacation on the beach. Since we live in hotels, that caught our attention. Our front desk staff told us that occupancy was 55 percent when we arrived, went down to 30 percent, and is up a little today. They are being told that this hotel will remain open, as it is in the suburb of Doral and provides temporary lodging for hospital and airline personnel. If it should close, we are hoping that we can rent a furnished apartment for a while. We are very resilient, so we will figure out something, no matter the circumstances.

We have saved the best for last, as usual. Look at the last two photos. Did you know (we didn’t!) that there were vending machines for live bait??? We came across this outside a Bass Pro Shop, a retailer that carries items for the great outdoors. Check it out…you can buy a dozen nightcrawlers for $4 or 3-4 shiners for $3! So if you are self-quarantining on a boat off the coast and doing some lazy fishing, you can restock your bait in Doral, Florida!!

The word of the day is….Surprise. Another good one? Remarkable.

After reading about the utter chaos in airports over the weekend as people rushed to return the US, we had very low expectations for our return today. In Barcelona on Sunday, our hotel announced that it was suspending its evening reception (a day earlier than they initially said they would and an hour before it was scheduled) and the breakfast buffet. A continental breakfast would be served in our room, with the staff keeping a distance of about 5 feet from hotel patrons. It wasn’t bad…hot coffee, a plate of breads and danish, a plate of cold cuts and cheeses, and all the accompaniments. We had enough left over for lunch, since unlike Europeans, we do not typically eat cold cuts for breakfast. Also on Sunday, the hotel was noticeably empty and all the staff members were wearing face masks and gloves. We were told that the military had been called in to enforce the ban on walking around the city. Everyone was to stay inside unless going to the doctor, grocery store, or pharmacy.

So this morning we got to the airport around 6:00 am for a 9:00 am flight. Lines had already formed at the counters to check in, since we couldn’t do so on line. We had an odd interaction at the check-in counter, as the woman interviewed us without asking about travel….rather, what did we do for a living, what are our favorite hobbies…topics like that. Then, she handed back our passports and boarding passes, and that was it. When we discussed it later, all we could conclude was that she wanted to talk to us for several minutes each to see if we became short of breath, which would mean we possibly had coronavirus. But the virus was never mentioned. Odd.

All the staff at Barcelona airport who passed us smiled at us, wished us a good journey…over-the-top friendliness. Airport personnel normally don’t do this, and not to this extent. The flight wasn’t sold out, as we sat in a middle row of four seats and had them all to ourselves. When we arrived in Miami, we found that only 20 people would be allowed to deplane at a time. That turned out to be our longest wait of the day, maybe 10-15 minutes. We had filled out a health questionnaire, and were led to two people who collected it and took our temperatures with a zap to the forehead. We proceeded to a passport kiosk, where we scanned them and received a paper receipt. The kiosks were readily available. When we got to immigration, we had a 10-minute wait in line and were done in a minute. From the time we deplaned until we were outside calling an Uber, only 20 minutes had passed. The Uber was three minutes away. This was exactly an hour ago, and we are in our hotel and writing a blog! Remarkable. And surprising.

The first photo is the path in front of us, walking to the passport kiosks. Practically empty. The second is an available passport kiosk. The third and fourth are the people ahead of us to see an immigration officer. It was like the gates of heaven had opened. We had read of people waiting over six hours, jammed together in lines over the weekend. They fixed it quickly, as crowds are the easiest way to transmit coronavirus. We were treated courteously and in a friendly manner. We found out upon checking in to our hotel that the gym is still open (we are guessing not for long); the evening reception with hot food, salad, wine, and beer is still on for tonight; and the breakfast buffet runs every morning as usual. Spain’s actions were more drastic, but they have many more cases of coronavirus. The US is the last place we expected to be in the middle of March (after having been gone from the US for only 16 days), but considering these “extraordinary times” (as our pilot kept calling them), we are happy to be back and grateful that everyone made the process a painless experience.

What a difference a day makes! Overnight, Barcelona transformed from a busy, bustling major world city to…a ghost town. We arrived in Barcelona from our transatlantic cruise on Friday, and traffic was busy, people were out walking, eating out, and shopping as we taxied to our hotel. After settling in, we walked around and stopped in a grocery store for berries and other items we missed after 12 days at sea. We scoped out nearby restaurants that we could utilize for dinner over the four days we were going to be here. We even talked about where we might sightsee the next day.

Well, the next day came…Saturday. We found out that the hotel had closed its gym as a precaution. We were totally shocked when we out for a walk. Nobody was around, and it looked like a movie set filming the apocalypse. It was eerie. Being movie fans our minds went to many we have seen – The Last Man on Earth (1964, starring Vincent Price), I Am Legend (2007, Will Smith), and especially the scene in the 2001 movie Vanilla Sky, when Tom Cruise drives around Manhattan with no one else in sight. We now know what the end of the world looks like.

We encountered just a handful of people walling on this major boulevard, and every single store and restaurant was closed. So much for getting a snack or stopping for coffee! Every business had signs saying it was closed due to government orders. The only stores open were grocery stores and pharmacies. We went to one of our favorite stores in Spain, El Corte Ingles. It is a huge multi-floor department store that always has a supermarket in the basement. When we entered, as you can see in the photo, the department store was cordoned off, watched by security guards, and they led us to the escalator to get down to the supermarket. A lot of the prepared food was sold out, so we picked up a salad and more fruit for dinner.

When we returned to the hotel, we told the woman in reception how empty the streets were. She said, of course…the government asked everyone to stay in their homes unless they needed food or prescriptions. We hadn’t heard the news before we ventured out! It was an eerie experience. We have airline reservations to fly to London on Tuesday, but have decided against staying in yet another quarantined country. If either of us do get the virus, our healthcare will pay for our care in the US, but not out of the country. So we are flying to Miami on Tuesday and self quarantining, as required by government officials. From there, we will play it by ear.

The photos show the empty streets, closed businesses, signs explaining the closures, and the roped-off pharmacy and department store. The second photo is of a man just in front of us for a while, pushing a supermarket cart of toilet paper, water, and other supplies he managed to get. On a brighter note, the last picture shows the blueberries we purchased, held in a hand to show perspective. Each one was the size of a large grape, and each was sweet beyond imagining, tasting like pure sugar. We have never seen anything like them in the US…or any other country, for that matter.

Just as we were completing this blog entry, notes were shoved under our door saying that the evening reception (which occurs every night and scheduled one hour from now) is canceled, a continental breakfast will be served only in our room tomorrow (instead of the breakfast buffet), and their restaurant is closed. We must place our tray outside when we are done, as the staff is required to maintain a distance of about 5 feet from all guests. All of this (and we are getting used to hearing this phrase), of course, until further notice.

It feels like we are experiencing the last squeaks before the world comes to a full stop. Crazy times.

Back in Spain! We left Spain on November 9 and just returned via cruise ship (where we have zero cases of coronavirus!) Malaga is a gorgeous port city on the Mediterranean, with many cruise ships stopping here after crossing the Atlantic. Malaga was founded by the Phoenicians 2,800 years ago, making it one of the oldest cities in the world as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities. Having been ruled by the Phoenicians, Romans, Muslims, and Christians, the historic city center is considered an “open museum,” with an abundance of archaeological and historic sites. Another claim to fame for the city is as the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, with a museum dedicated to his work. But there are also Picasso museums in many other cities. His most famous quote, which we heard several times today, is “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

First up in the photos is the 1st century BC Roman Theater, only unearthed in 1951. It is right in the middle of the city, is free to enter, and forms the lower “array” to the Alcazaba fortress, which you can see above it. Built by the Hammudid Dynasty, the Alcazaba was constructed in the 11th century, with some material taken from the Roman Theater. The Alcazaba was fabulous, is one of the best preserved in Spain, and the admission cost was just 1.5 euros for seniors! In the second photo, you can see five arrowslits at the top of the structure, used to shoot arrows at attackers during raids, yet so narrow that the archers’ bodies were protected. In the third photo, you can see a narrow channel with water flowing. This is the complex’s water conveyance system. Built on a hill, the water flows down through these gullies and into fountains and holding pools…very cool to see! After that are some of the gardens, followed by those famous Moorish “keyhole” arches, used many times over in this Alcazaba. Some of the arches are so elaborate, they are dizzying.

We took a free walking tour around the city, where you tip whatever you wish at the end. These are professional guides who choose to put their guidance to the test and not charge upfront. By all accounts, they seem to do very well with tips! All the photos following the Alcazaba were taken on our tour. You can see the spire of the Cathedral of the Incarnation from most places in the city center and in several photos. But…look at the photo of the cathedral itself. There is a spire on the left side, but the right side…? It looks like it fell off in a natural disaster. No! Construction began in 1528, and the builders eventually ran out of money, so the right spire had to wait. Eventually, they collected the money to complete it, but the city’s citizens kind of liked the distinction of having a unique, unfinished, one-spire cathedral, so they elected to keep it as it was. The orange and gold building adjacent to the cathedral, with the Pieta on the uppermost balcony, was the bishop’s residence.

After that are various street scenes to give you a sense of the city. We found pedestrian-only walkways, fountains, contemporary sculptures, restaurants, designer retail shops, and lots of palm trees. Just beautiful. We liked the style of DK’s “barbershop” in the last photo. Despite its name, it does say it is for hombre and mujer….both men and women. It even has chandeliers inside!

A floating city at sea. Allure of the Seas. It weighs 220,000 lbs, is 1,181 feet long, and carries 5,400 passengers and 2,150 crew members. Due to the many things to do, it only occasionally feels crowded, but everyone heads to their favorite spots, and it all works out. There are 20 dining venues, and about half of those have a surcharge. We were actually on this ship’s fifth voyage, in January 2011. It is the second ship in Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class, and it really is fun. The ship usually does 7-day trips in the Caribbean, but we are heading to Barcelona on a Transatlantic Cruise for 12 days. It is going into dry dock in Cadiz, Spain, for two months. The crew told us that they will stay on board and help with rejuvenating the ship. The first nine photos are of Deck 5, the Main Promenade. It is like walking through your city’s downtown, with cafes, a pizza joint with excellent pizza, bars, retail shops, places to sit and relax, and even a Starbucks! One of the bars is The Rising Tide, which slowly rises two decks and can be seen in Photos 3 and 4. In Photo 4, it looks like a spaceship! As you sit on the upper decks, it is fun to see the bar suddenly appear and continue on its way.

The next photos are of the Boardwalk, which is the open-air end of Deck 6. It starts with a hot dog stand, donut bar, ice cream store, and a candy shop. Then you encounter the carousel, several bars, an arcade, a Johnny Rocket’s restaurant (free for breakfast and a small charge for lunch or dinner), a climbing wall, and at the very end, an aqua theater. There are high diving shows from the very highest points there, and as you can see, one day there was a bellyflop competition…contestants mount the “Hurt Box”…and the biggest splash won! You can see in the photos with all of the balconies over the boardwalk that the designers were very clever: they created a place for more balconies (which cost more than regular rooms). Normally, cruise ships only have balconies that face the ocean, but this ship is so wide, so large, that there are also balcony rooms facing inward.

Following the Boardwalk photos, you can see what is called Central Park, making up the middle portion of Deck 8…and more balconies over the park! It is a beautiful place to walk, to sit, and to shop and eat. It is open to the air, so in crossing the Atlantic, sometimes it is fairly windy and cool, while on other days it is warm and calm. Because the trees and plants are open to the sky, the US Department of Agriculture inspects the ship regularly to ensure that no unwanted pests have flown in.

There is an ice skating rink on board, with time for personal skating as well as ice shows. One of the entertainment features is Broadway at Sea, with Mamma Mia! featured on this journey. For younger guests, there is a dance club as well as a Flowrider for simulated surfing. At the very end are four miscellaneous photos, including the “dresses” that decorate one of the elevator areas and the whimsical pool area. The next photo is Jan, riding on the zip line over the Boardwalk. We end with a photo of a small portion of last night’s Chocolate Fantasy. No, we did not partake, we just photographed! We had strawberries instead.