And Finally, Barcelona...

I'd never been to Spain before three weekends ago. Honestly, I previously had little interest in the country, but as we moved to London, that changed. After falling in love with tapas-style dining and knowing how much I enjoyed other Mediterranean cultures I've visited, I thought that I was past due for a visit. And clearly, this culturally rich country has all sorts of sights that needed exploring.

Friday afternoon, we said goodbye to Steve, Yoshimi and Howie who stayed at our flat for their final night in London. After an uneventful train trip to Gatwick, we met Eric and took the two hour flight south. Once we landed, we found our hotel with little trouble, had a good chuckle at the over-use of the color pink in the room decor, and slept long and hard.

The next morning, we enjoyed the breakfast buffet in the hotel and then strolled down Las Ramblas ("the streams" in Catalonian), explored the town market (bustling with tourists who mingled with the Saturday morning locals. Eric particularly "enjoyed" the fish stalls where all sorts of things were still moving!), and admired the outlandishly-costumed street performers. Brooks loved the bird stalls and checked out the bunnies for sale, and we ended our walk at the statue of Christopher Columbus (who set off from Barcelona to discover a new world).

Our lunch that afternoon was in a small open-air tapas place... the staff really enjoyed Brooks and we enjoyed the great weather and tasty dishes. That afternoon, we attempted to visit Gaudi's Sagrada Familia temple but discovered upon our arrival that they were no longer selling tickets for the towers - the lines had gotten too long. We knew that the view of the roof from the towers was a must-see, so we regrouped and headed off to the Picasso museum for the rest of our afternoon. Now, I've never really been a big fan of Picasso. Cubists sort of scare me, if you want to know the truth. But I really liked this museum as it had a substantial collection of his early works, heavily influenced by his Impressionist friends and much happier than his later "blue period". Thankfully when we arrived Brooks fell asleep after just 5 or 10 minutes of protesting. Eric maneuvered carefully through the rooms, trying to keep him asleep in the backpack. After the museum, we peeked into the extremely old central Cathedral. We didn't stay long - Brooks has discovered that his voice echoes wonderfully in large open spaces like a cathedral and a mass had just started. Plus the church was in the midst of a huge renovation project, so it was hard to see a whole lot. The solemn vibe in the church and the ornate chapels were the most notable things to me, plus the red glow from its collection of prayer candles.

For dinner that night, we went with a Rick Steve's recommendation. It was a stand-up tapas cafe that had 40 or 50 platters of little individual tapas treats laid out on the bar. Each one is just a couple of bites and they all cost the same - you simply sample the ones that look good to you. The staff gives each party a single plate on which to collect the empty toothpicks and then when the meal is over, they count up the used toothpicks and give you the total. It's a great dining idea! I enjoyed trying several unknown dishes and we discovered (much to Eric's chagrin) that the mushroom croquettes were Brooks' favorite! :) I was amazed at how quickly they turned over both food and customers. While we were there, at least three waves of locals came through, filling the place to overflowing, sampling the tapas and drinking a bit of wine before strolling back out into the night.

Later on that evening, after Bonnie and Warren went for a twilight stroll and we got Brooks to bed, Eric and I sat out on the balcony of our hotel for several hours. We talked about family, and travel, and our dreams for the next few months and years. It was a wonderful conversation and a priceless moment of connecting. Plus the view down Las Ramblas from the fourth floor terrace wasn't so bad either! It was worth us being a bit sleepy the next day, just to get to have that conversation.

Sunday morning, we headed back to Sagrada Familia, to ensure that we got to enjoy the tower views. As we popped up out of the Metro there at the temple, we were immediately surrounded by crowds, orange cones, and cheering - all for the Barcelona Marathon. What fun to see all the runners zipping by just two feet from us! We cheered on a few runners (in our native language) and I only wished that more Spanish runners printed their names on their shirts, like they do in Chicago, so I could cheer specifically! :) I wondered if Bonnie and Warren were wishing for their running shoes, so they could do a bit of the race themselves. It was a crowded course, and I was glad to be touring instead of racing on such a bright sunny day.

The Sagrada Familia itself was well worth the wait. INCREDIBLE! I had little to no exposure to the architect Gaudi before our visit to Barcelona and I was just amazed by the size, the scope, and the artistry of this man's vision for the "modern gothic" temple. The (dozens of) pictures just don't do it justice.

Part of the fascination for me was seeing a building this grand still under construction - not renovation! I wish I could put into words what it was like seeing it up close. Fantastic.

After the church, we strolled around that neighborhood looking for a lunch spot. The weather was warm and sunny, and Brooks fell asleep in my arms as we walked. We ended up choosing a Spanish restaurant with outdoor seating to soak up some of the warm air and ambiance. We ordered sangria and paella, a traditional Spanish rice dish with chicken and seafood. Yum, yum! We discovered that Brooks doesn't have a shell-fish allergy (good to know, when tasting new food in a foreign country!) and he loved the paella!

We headed back to the hotel to gather our things and take a few final photos on Las Ramblas... We sipped water from the fountain to "guarantee" our return to Barcelona. Unfortunately, while we were feeling at ease and celebrating our successful weekend, the thieves struck... Warren's wallet got picked by some young kids just as he was going through the Metro turnstiles. It was a sad ending to an other-wise wonderful visit.

As we waited for the delayed flight home to London, Brooks decided it was time to really test himself on his walking. We had such fun watching him toddle between the rows of seats in the pre-boarding area. It was a great "Mothering Sunday" milestone (the English celebrate Mothers' day in March!) and I was so glad that Brooks decided to walk while Bonnie and Warren were still there to see it! (So are you ready for 50+ photos?? Yes, I counted...)

The bird market... you could hear them tweeting all the way up the street!


Male Parakeets cost less than $20.00 each, just in case you were curious.


The amazing local food market was in full swing on Saturday morning. I took a million photos of all the things for sale. Here's a smattering...


Fruits...


Veggies...


Cheeses...


29 different kinds of Olives...


Breads...


Mushrooms of every variety...


Spices...


Meat...


These piggies went to market and never came home...


Fish...


Even after the market tour, we were out on Las Ramblas early enough to watch the street performers put on their make-up, wigs and costumes for the day.


Here they are later that day in full garb. I didn't want to tell them that they weren't fooling anyone with their long skirts - it's obvious that they are sitting on stools.


This guy was one of my favorites. His right arm was holding a beautiful woman puppet, who rested her head on his shoulder until someone walked by. She glanced around each time someone put money in the cup and then would settle back onto the monster's shoulder. It was really well done and he had the grace to pull it off.




Brooks liked the sunshine and the color and the noise on the street that day. So much to see... so many faces to smile at.


These guys were doing a betting game on the street and got Warren in on it by slipping a 20 euro bill in his pocket and whispering "it's for the crowd, come on!"... They wanted an obvious looking tourist to place a bet - and win! - so that other tourists would see it and jump in. Each time he bet with their money he won, that is until others started placing real bets. He lost the money they spotted him in the last round and we walked away, but not before the frowning man standing on Warren's foot in the photo told me to put my camera away.



Brooks looks appropriately skeptical.


These guys were amazing. Yes the guy on top is standing on the middle man's head!


Christopher Columbus points the way to the New World.


The lions at the bottom of the Columbus monument reminded me of Trafalgar Square...


We let Brooks wander around on his own two legs after our self-guided walking tour... he was getting a lot more steady on his feet at this point.


This was our lunch spot on Saturday. Brooks is hanging out of the window in his clip on chair. Have I told you how much we LOVE this invention!? I really don't think we'd be nearly as successfully mobile without it.


The balconies off the hotel lobby - the perfect size for two to sit and enjoy the view.


Riding around on Dada's back just wears a little guy out...


I loved the candles and the gilded chapel altars in the medieval cathedral.


Stained glass, soaring arches, and heavy chandeliers - it all fit the mood of the ancient church.


Here was the stand-up tapas bar we went to for supper Saturday night. You can see all the different plates filled with little toothpicky bites.


Brooks enjoyed his perch on the side wall bar at the tapas place...



Yum! Mushrooms!!


At the end of the meal when the little guy was crashing we played a favorite game - taking turns making silly faces at each other. Hey, whatever it takes to keep laughing! :)


Sunday morning, the marathon runners circled Sagrada Familia.


My in-laws, the marathon runners, know all about this stuff...


The Sagrada Familia with its' "drippy" east facing exterior. The theme here is "Nativity".


This is the western facing exterior, themed "Passion". The more modern style was done by a different sculptor/architect and the center-piece of Christ on the cross was incredible.


His "hair" is created to look like an open book - His mind being the Word of God. The two part curtain-like ceiling above him symbolizes the temple veil that was torn at his death.


This is an interior shot of the central part of what will one day be the main aisle/nave. "Glory" will be the theme of that entrance, and before building it, they'll have to knock down a large apartment complex across the street and move a road which is currently in the way.


Hence the daylight pouring in... The aisle still needs to be lengthened quite a bit in that direction, so why close up the wall?


Two views from the western Apostles' tower... I couldn't figure out what those colorful blobs were jutting out of the nave rooftop, until I heard about them in the audio guide. They symbolize the fruit of the spirit and they've been crafted out of venetian glass mosaic... It was Gaudi's way of keeping them colorful and sparkly forever - It's an extremely durable building material, and if it ever gets dirty, then a quick rainstorm will solve the problem and they'll drip-dry to a nice, new shine!




The stained glass was exquisite!


Here's Brooks checking out the model in the church crypt museum...


Gaudi laid the first foundation stone in 1882, and the current architectural team believes they'll need another 50 years to complete the project (our admission proceeds helps to actually pay for the building). We talked about what it would be like for Brooks to go visit the newly opened temple in 50 or 60 years with his son and grandson.


Boy did we enjoy the sunny weather that day!


Brooks slept in my arms at lunchtime on Sunday, under a shady umbrella while we waited for our paella. This was probably his best nap of the trip and I loved cuddling him as we soaked up the warm sunny day.


yummy paella!


We drank from the fountain to return one day...