Morning of the Last Day in Barcelona

The last day was my favorite of the other days we spent in Barcelona. We took a short walk to Park Guell along a path that led to the back of the park. 

 On the walk to the park from the apartment we saw this man filling a bag of baguettes with water. We thought it was sort of odd and kept walking. Then we noticed he was behind us on the path and as soon as he stepped in this open area about 60 birds instantly flew down and waited for him to feed them. We nicknamed him "The Bird Man." It was a neat thing to see. There is no telling how long he has been going to that same spot to feed the birds.

 The house on the right was where Gaudi once lived for a short time. The architecture at this park was amazing!

 These benches wrapped around the park and had the gargoyle things on the end. When it rains the water drains out of the gargoyle's mouths.

 I love the curves of this area. I wish I could of had everyone move so I could get a shot with just the rock and not any tourists...but that's what you get for going in September.

 The roof of the gift shop by the entrance.

 Along the ceiling of the upper area of the park were full mosaics with big mosaic circles inside. 

 The famous mosaic lizard. A popular place to take a picture.

 We wanted to go to a tapas restaurant so one night I searched for one on trip advisor. I found this place that looked pretty good so we thought we would try it out. It was a little bit out of the way, but totally worth it!

 There were cold and hot tapas on the menu. At the end of the meal they just count how many toothpicks you had and that's how they know how much to charge on the bill. 

 Not the best picture...but wow! they were so good!

 The inside of the restaurant. This place was definitely not a place for tourists and the perfect tapas experience in Spain.

Day Two, Barcelona

Our apartment was just a walk away to the nearest subway station. Leaving was easy, but in the evenings coming back it was a steep uphill climb including a 5 flights up the stairs to the place. Not fun...but doable! 

 These kids crack me up...

They would buckle themselves in at the wheelchair part on the subway and ride the whole way like that. It made the trip so much fun from place to place.

 Every Sunday at the same time groups dance the traditional Catalan dance called the Sardana in front of the Cathedral. The dancers are serious in their hand holding dancing around thing they do. It was fun to see all the groups form as the music played.

As most cathedrals in Europe it was beautiful. This one had rules as to how you could dress upon entering. I had a sleeveless dress on so I had to put a scarf around my shoulders. They were turning people down who were wearing too short of clothing.

  

 We went to the Palau de la Música Catalana concert hall just a short walk from the Cathedral. 

It was quite expensive to go in for a tour, so outside pictures were the best for us. The mosaic on the columns and ceilings were amazing!

 These fountains were everywhere within the city. The kids loved taking advantage of the free hand washing station when they could.

 We intended to go to the Picasso Museum since it was free on Sunday...but then again so did the rest of the tourists in Barcelona. The line was ridiculously long...so we decided to shop instead. My mom and I found a great spanish pottery store where we picked up some unique pieces to take home. Jason and I do tapas nights during the weekend after the kids go to bed, so we bought some fun plates and bowls to eat off of on those nights.

 Before heading to Barceloneta we stopped at an outdoor area and had some drinks and olives. It was a good time for the kids to take a break and kick Jackson's soccer ball around.

 The beach was beautiful and crowded. The kids couldn't wait to get their swimsuits on and jump in the Mediterranean Ocean.

 Day Two was a success! Thanks to my mom for planning another fun day.

Viva, Barcelona! (Day One)

Ryan Air had a great deal for flights to Barcelona for Labor Day. Being that my parents were here around that time we decided it would be a great trip to take over the long weekend. As we usually do, we rented an apartment so we could have extra room and a kitchen to cook some of the meals in. With the kids it is so nice to wake up and have a good breakfast before we set off for the days adventures.

My mom had been doing research on all the top sights in the area to see and do. We had our days planned out and ready to see the great city of Barcelona.

My dad and the kids playing a card game before heading out on our first day.

 This children's museum was amazing...and the best part was it was only 4 euro for adults and free for the kids. There were so many things for the kids to learn and experience. We spent a good 3 hours at this place. 

 Seeing the roots of the tree from the bottom up.

 There was a special exhibit about microbiology. Loved it!! 

 This is just one of the main floors with all sorts of interactive things for the kids to do.

 Jason and the kids seeing how long they can hold their hands on the huge block of ice. 

 A rain forest with all sorts of animals and fish. Every so often it rained from the ceiling and you could see how the animals reacted when the rain came down. There were fish in the tank bigger than Jackson!

Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton were sitting behind the desk as we walked in the museum. My mom thought they were real before she realized who they looked like. It was creepy seeing these up close. They had real hair, whiskers, real eyes...everything about them was so real. I kept thinking at any point in time they were going to jump at me and say, "boo!"

                                           

 After the museum we took the subway (how we got around everywhere in the city) to La Rambla. This mile or so long stretch was full of stores, restaurants, street vendors and all sorts of people doing crazy things. It was fun to take our time and stroll along this stretch of road.

 We walked around the market for a few hours taking in all the amazing sights of fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat and anything else you can imagine in a market.

 Fishmongers with an crazy amount of fish and shellfish I have ever seen.

 Love the Iberian ham! The men who shave the meat off of the leg do it so precisely and thin you can see through it. 

 The kids souvenirs they picked out for the vacation. Couldn't of been a more perfect fit for each of them. 

 Taking a break and having a much needed sangria along La Rambla.

 At the end of the road is a statue with Christopher Columbus at the top. The statue is a reminder that Barcelona was his first stop after discovering the new continent.

Day one was a big day of sight-seeing, walking and getting the subway system down in this beautiful city. So thankful for sweet, well traveled kids who can enjoy these times we explore another part of Europe!