Day 59 - Montjuic

We liked our visit to Montjuic. We took the teleferico, which gave us excellent views of the city and the sea, and explored the castle which - make no mistake - had a flag from Catalunya and not from Spain. As you walk around the city it is pretty clear that they like to have their own, separate identity, so it is not surprising that the castle would be no different.

Day 59 - La Sagrada Familia

I normally enjoy going to churches in Europe because they remind me of home, but today I liked going to La Sagrada Familia because it was oh, just so different. I loved all the glass work, and the fact that it is so bright inside despite of its massive size. The girls enjoyed it as well, even though Lionel - not surprisingly - thought it was just Ok.

Day 59 - Barcelona Day 3

Today we covered a lot of ground. We started with La Sagrada familia, followed by Montjuic, followed by Camp Nou - which is by far what Lionel enjoyed the most. The girls did a great job hanging in there, but towards the end they definitely started to whine. We took the subway throughout the day, but there was still plenty of walking around. So after coming back to the apartment to rest and take showers (by then it was already close to 7:00 pm), we only went out again for dinner - and we totally chose the restaurant based on distance. Sure, we also went online and considered reviews, but distance was most definitely the main deciding factor.

There were too many pictures from the day to fit in one single blog post, so I am going to split them all and post them next in their own post.

Day 59 - Morning Run

Last night I set my alarm so that this morning I could go for a run. I figured at least 3 miles would be a decent run, and ended up with 7 when it was all said and done.  I left the apartment at 7:20 am, and was actually quite surprised about how awake the city was already by then.

Although it was mostly flat it was also really muggy outside, so I was happy I took water with me as it wasn't an easy run. But I had some nice views, so I stopped from time to time to capture them the best I could.

Day 58 - Playgrounds

Barcelona is a great city, with an even better reputation. So if I were to ask a group of people what place is better, Barcelona or Cincinnati, I am pretty sure that the bulk (if not all of them) would answer something along the lines of "Barcelona, of course" without even a blink. But walking around, and seeing the local "playgrounds", I can assure you that Cincinnati is much better in at least that front. In fact, the comparison is not even close. The playgrounds we have seen are basically in the middle of the street, and have only one or two things in them - not much space, or much to do. I am pretty sure that if kids from around here could see our playgrounds back home, they simply would not believe their eyes.

Day 58 - Barcelona Day 2

Today we meant to get up early, but that didn't quite happen as by the time we were ready to go it was 11:00 am already. Sofia - not surprisingly - was the last one to get up, but we all dragged our feet for one reason or another.

After having a quick breakfast at the apartment we walked to La Sagrada Familia, but it was incredibly crowded. The line to buy tickets basically went all the way around the block, and it was also very hot and muggy. So we walked to a nearby Starbucks and bought tickets online for tomorrow morning. We then decided to make the walk all the way to the beach, which basically takes you through several of the tourist attractions. We walked by the Arc de Triomf (we are still not sure what triumph it specifically celebrates), the Parc de La Ciutadella, and the Zoo, all the way to Port Vell. We actually meant to go to the Barceloneta beach first, but let's say that we made a wrong turn. By the time we were walking back from the port towards the beach it started to rain, so we sought shelter under the tent of a crafts vendor who was kind enough not to kick us out ... but not before getting wet. By then the girls were already whining about being tired of walking, so the rain really didn't help. Sofia started counting the amount of times she had gotten rained on already this summer, and they both started to say that they no longer wanted to go to the beach and that we should just take a taxi to go back home. But you know me, and the story didn't there. I convinced them that it didn't matter if we got wet, and that the beach was already so close that we couldn't give up on it then. Luckily the weather cleared up a bit, so walk to the beach we did. The girls had a good time playing in the water (even though it was a bit cold for my taste) and collecting a bunch of little rocks. Sofia even found one in the shape of a heart. I stood close by to keep an eye on them, and Lionel stayed closer to the wooden path since he had tennis shoes on. I was personally surprised at how rough the sand was, as it really didn't feel like sand at all. It was more like a bunch of little rocks. Lionel rolls his eyes every time I say something along these lines, but I have to say that the sand in Mexico is way, way better.

After the beach we took a taxi back home, took showers, rested for a little while, and headed back out for dinner. Since we had a good meal, the place was only a few blocks away, and it was a rainy night, we decided to go back to the same restaurant as last night. While we were eating it was raining pretty hard, but luckily it cleared up for a little bit and we were able to walk back home without getting soaking wet. The girls are now in bed and I will be quick to follow, as my goal is to start the day tomorrow with a quick outdoor run.

Arc de Triomf

Chasing giant bubbles

Port Vell

Good attitude after getting rained on

Day 57 - Barcelona Apartment

Our Barcelona apartment is nice and comfortable, and has a great view. Lionel in particular likes the view, as it reminds him of Rear Window, the Alfred Hitchcock movie. Since we are on the 8th floor, it is a dream view for any nosy neighbor.