Sat 08 Nov- to Barcelona, Spain; Hotel Torre Catalunya

Sat 08 Nov- after a leisurely cup of American coffee, we checked out of the Hotel Grand Florence and went to the airport. The cab was E25 for the 20 minute ride to the small Florence A. Vespucci airport. We checked our luggage in to the Meridiana Airlines counter, breathing a sigh of relief that there was no extra charge (we were 1 kg over the allowance). Then we went through security with our carry-on bags, expecting them to be weighed, but they just did the inspection without weighing us in. Another sigh of relief.
We were early, so decided to have a light lunch at the airport's MyChef snack bar. Kiyomi had the menu 1 pasta for E 8.80, which included a salad, spaghetti and a soft drink; Stan had a piece of chocolate cake. The spaghetti was made from fresh pasta - we watched the counter personnel make more pasta and put it into microwavable containers for heating. It was actually pretty good; apparently it is difficult to get bad pasta in Italy, because the place would be boycotted. The flight left on time, and arrived in Barcelona on time.
We took a taxi after collecting our checked luggage to the Grand Hotel Torre Catalunya, a modern high-rise hotel next to the Barcelona Sants station (we could have taken the airport bus and arrived just across the street instead of the 40+ euro taxi). Our room on the 14th floor has a beautiful view toward the Mediterranean and Mount Montjuic. We can see the cruise ships in the harbor; we might be able to watch the Regatta arrive on the 11th.
We had dinner in the hotel's <isual Restaurant Panoramic (that's a horizontal V, at first I thought it was a C!), which has a restaurant on the top floor where it has a spectacular view of Barcelona. They have a very interesting menu selection; we had a nice white wine; then a small glass of a seafood puree with anise and gelatin that had a taste more like mild mushrooms; Kiyomi had 'Iberian suckling pig with cooked peach with passion fruit and vanilla oil' that was tender with a crispy skin; Stan had 'Guinea fowl cannelloni with sauce of foie in the truffle perfume, chestnut puree, rocks of herbs bread and a black beer reduction' that was an unexpectedly delicious combination of ingredients; then a plate of interesting petit fours to finish the meal. Total cost was E 67.70; but the ambience, the view, and the interesting cuisine made it worthwhile.