Brian and I had a pretty great spring break (despite the fact the weather was warmer back in Austria). But our kids were the ones who really went wild. So I'll share with you some of their highlights!
Montjuïc Magic Fountains
Our first night in Barcelona the kids stayed up extra late (the show started at 9pm) and went to the Magic Fountain show. Ellie loved dancing to the music in the spray of the water from the fountain illuminated by many bright colors.
Cathedral of Barcelona
The kids are daily Mass goers, so they had high expectations for where to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. To appease them, we went to the historic Cathedral of Barcelona in the city's Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic). They loved the Neo-Gothic facade, the impressive interior, and watching locals dance the sardana after Mass right in front of the cathedral. And Jesus and His infinite outpouring of Love and Mercy!!
Museu de la Xocolata (Chocolate Museum)
After seeing a frieze designed by Picasso (1960) near the cathedral, the kids really wanted to go to the Picasso Museum. But the line was over an hour long, so we persuaded them to go to the Chocolate Museum a couple of blocks away instead.
Columbus Monument & Waterfront
The kids love learning the history of their native land, so they enjoyed seeing the spot where Christopher Columbus debarked after returning from America. They also loved the carnival rides and playgrounds along the waterfront of the Mediterranean Sea.
Montjuïc Castle
Cool castle. Even cooler way to get there!
Ciutadella Park & Zoo
The kids love a good metro ride. So we rode to the Arc del Triomf and walked down to the best park ever.
Parc Güell
The kids love Modernista architecture, especially the works of Antoni Gaudí, so they couldn't wait to see his magic in this colorful park. Well, turns out they could wait, because they slept through our stroll through this huge park. We didn't buy the tickets or wait the two hours here to enter the official entrance to see the stairway, columns, or lizard up close - but we still enjoyed what we could see while the kids slept!
Casa Batlló
We did buy tickets in advance to visit the mansion designed by Gaudí. This apartment was crazier than anything you'll see in a Dr. Seuss book! There's barely a straight line in the house and you feel like you're in a funhouse rather than what was someone's home.
Sagrada Família (Holy Family Church)
Gaudí's vision and work in the park and the apartment were impressive, but the kids were blown away by his most famous work - the unfinished (construction is on-going and may be complete 2026), super-sized church, Sagrada Família.
L'aquarium
The seal show at the zoo wasn't good enough for our animal-loving kids, so we made our way to the aquarium off of Port Vell.
Basilica Santa Maria del Mar
The kids loved seeing the magnificent stained glass window at the Catalan Gothic Santa Maria del Mar.
La Rambla
They also loved walking down the tree-lined pedestrian mall, fighting the crowds to see the little shops, flowers stands, La Boqueria (produce market) - and the souvenir stores along the way like Eli & Ana.
Tapas & Treats
Eating (and drinking) was definitely a treat in Barcelona. Francis especially loved the tapas, whereas Ellie's favorite was the famous churros con chocolate at Granja La Pallaresa. You can definitely see who takes after his father and her mother.
As you can hopefully see now by all of the photos, the kids had an amazing time travelling to Barcelona! That being said -- if you ask Ellie what her favorite part was, she'll tell you it was going on the little ride and getting a (free) balloon (that popped 10 minutes later) and riding the bus from the airport to the hotel. So, bottom line, if you can't bring your kids to Spain anytime soon, try the local parking lot carnival rides - and if you're really generous, take the bus to get there! :)
What an amazing trip!! Of course my favorite part were the churros at the end. :)
ReplyDeleteThe churros were one of my highlights too :) :) Hope you're feeling better!!
DeleteIt seems like all of Europe is an amusement park. Every place you have traveled (or at least the pics shown) has been remarkable. The architecture and intricacy of the cathedrals, museums or it seems like all the buildings is magnificent. There's always so many people, but not like the city. All of the little shops and street vendors. Perfect placement of Ellie on Brian's shoulders. I was picturing you and Brian zip lining looking for monkeys to bring back home.
ReplyDeleteI would have enjoyed Eating my way through the chocolate museum. my love to all.d
Thanks!! Barcelona definitely had a ton of amazing sights to photograph!! Most of the places we've visited are the touristy or historic areas - so I'm sure not all is as glamorous. That being said, everywhere I've seen in Austria is totally picturesque and I'm constantly in awe of the beauty!
ReplyDeleteThe chocolate museum wasn't that big...but the tickets to enter were in chocolate bars so I had eaten mine and Francis' before we left :) :)
Love you!