Back in Barcelona!

9 years ago, Pete and I had a wonderful pre-kids trip to Barcelona. We'd always wanted to go back and we don't know why it took us so long! I found ridiculous airfare ($70) for a weekend in early October and then held my breath until we were actually on the plane (fears of COVID canceling plans, a tear in my passport that I glued back together... shhh). 

Having been before and seen most of the big sights, I wanted to keep this trip mostly child-friendly. I also didn't want to spend too much time traveling all over the city, so we stayed in a hotel near the beach just North of the main downtown. 

First up, a stop in a cafe for breakfast (hot chocolate that was the consistency of chocolate pudding!) and a local playground. 

Buenos dias! 

We met fellow expats on our trip to Madrid a few years ago. They had traveled the world in search of the best place to live and had settled on Barcelona. We exchanged contact info in case we ever found ourselves in each other's cities. So I reached out to Gaby and while they weren't around when we were there, she sent lots of recommendations for kid-friendly places (and adult places, too). She recommended the Casa Batllo Gaudi museum for their kid-friendly interactive tour. We hadn't been on our first visit so I was excited to see it! The kid's guide was like a phone that they pointed around the rooms, and things became animated on the screen. It was really cool. Those around us without kids seemed pretty jealous ;) I was also excited to see the roof and the view. We had considered booking an early evening concert on the roof, but waited too long to book tickets. 

Gaudi designed this house for a wealthy family.

He was inspired by nature. The staircase invoked a spine. 

Mushroom fireplace nook with small benches for cozy encounters

Unique stained glass. Kids finding the magic. 

Feelings of being in the ocea

Elegant servant quarters on the top floor.

Freixenet rose.

I'm a sucker for a 6 euro photo of everyone smiling! This was taken on the uppermost baloncy on the street side of the building.

Chainmail art installation going down all of the stairs.

Cool multimedia black box

Back out in the city, we walked towards Plaza Cataluyna and then down the Ramblas to the Quim de la bocqueria market. Pete and I had a fun experience there in the past, sitting down at the food stall of the infamous Juanito Bayen and posing with his "thumbs up." Imagine our great joy in seeing that he was still there- now 87 years old. He's been working there for 70 years! I hope that man gets a break soon! 

The market is really best enjoyed when you can leisurly stroll and sit and try new, adventurous foods. Not for when you need to find kid friendly food stat! I'll keep the memories of our first visit and try to forget eating various fried things on a slab of concrete by the garbage bins. 

We continued through the Gothic quarter and el Born, taking in all of the amazing architecture. 

Our final destination was La Ciudadela Park. I had remembered thinking that the fountain there was the most beautiful I'd ever seen. 9 years and countless European cities later, that is still true! The color of the water, the gold statue on top, the cascading waterfall and sculptures. I could stare at it all day! And I nearly did because the kids were entertained for what felt like hours by a man blowing large bubbles in front of the fountain. Anytime it looked like he was going to pack up, the kids would drop him another euro and he'd continue entertaining them! 

Kids (and Pete) down there somewhere with the bubble man

        

Our mode of transit on our last visit was the metro. This time, we used Cabify (no Uber) all over the city to save these tired little legs. We cabbed home, rested a while at the hotel and then walked down the street to a delicous pizza spot to end the night.