Barcelona, Spain

During half-term, we decided to head south in search of some sun and fun. Barcelona was our destination. We found a really cool apartment in the l'eixample district. We had a really cool set-up with 2 bedrooms and a loft where Marshall and John slept. The architecture was amazing and every corner offered up new sites. This shot is from Montjuic. There is an amazing castle/fort on the top of the hill and it overlooks the harbor. During the civil war in spain, if you landed in the prison here, you were more than likely never seen again. This shot is from one of the walls of the castle. Barcelona experienced a great redevelopment as part of the 1992 Olympics. After we took the funicular and then a cable car to the peak of Montjuic, we toured and then began a trek down the hill. This walked covered some of the coolest parks and playgrounds we have uncovered. There were slides built into the mountain side. We came upon a ropes course about half way down the hill. They had a zipline that chewed up a nice chunk of time. Mom and Dad even found a nice little cafe where we could sneak off for a drink while the kids played. Tibadabo was another treat. We had both just read a book called Shadow in the Wind and it speaks of Tibadabo. You take a tram to the top and there is an amazing church and wrapped all around it is an amusement park. Of course, game over when the kids saw that. Just picture the view from all the rides looking out over Barcelona and the harbour.

We took a day trip to Montserat which is a monestary that is about and hour and a half trainride outside of Barcelona. You take a very high cablecar ride to the top and you can explore the grounds or take hikes around the miles of trails that lead up into the mountains. We spent an entire day up in the hills. Weather was most excellent.

Of course, Barcelona visits are not complete without a whole dose of Gaudi. We took in the major sites like La Familia Sagrada, Park Guell, and the block known as the Quarry. We posted a bunch of pictures on Vivian's facebook page. This is a great place to check them out. The Gothic district is the old city center and there are excellent remains from the Roman times. Friday night was a celebration weekend and there were rock bands set to perform in squares all over the district. Of course, we melted down before we got to enjoy the late night of celebration but it was still cool to see it all getting started.