Barcelona,Spain

We made our first major venture off the island of Ireland, going to Spain for a week. It was an amazing trip. As Justine says, it wasn't a vacation, it was an adventure.

We drove to Galway, spent the night, watching our 1st cinema, The Social Network, which I highly recommend. I am not a big facebook fan, but the movie is pretty cool. Read "You are not a Gadget" to see why some of us are not on Facebook. We took the 3 hour bus to Dublin, arriving in the middle of the Dublin marathon run. There were thousands of runners, and their cheering entourages. We did not get to see much of Dublin, as the roads were jammed. We were encouraged by the sights, promising to return there as a destination, instead as an embarkation point. We did stroll down the famous Grafton street, looking at various shops, and we explored the old Trinity College campus, where the Book of Kells is housed. This book is from around 500 A.D. and it documents some of the roots of Christianity in old Ireland.

We flew from Dublin to Barcelona, Spain, arriving late in the evening. The hotel shuttle was tardy, and we discovered the Spanish taxis refused to take 5 passengers. A couple of times on this journey, we actually took taxis, always two, splitting our family! The next day, we took the hotel shuttle into Barcelona, getting dropped at a plaza. We hopped onto a double decker open top sight seeing bus, and had the best ride of the trip. We proceeded to see most of the famous and incredible architectural creations of Barcelona, on a beautiful cloudless day, listening to a recorded narration during this tour. This was a highlight of the trip, for sure. Many of the photos that Paris and I took are posted on this blog. We could literally touch the leafs of the trees lining the streets, as the bus wound around the city.

We saw many highlights, including:

• Barri Gotic (the old Gothic style architecture district, built on an old Roman town)
  


• Sagrada Familia (An incredible church designed by Gaudi, the most famous Spanish Catalan architect. Construction started in the 1800's and is ongoing! I think this church, when finished, is the in the running for the 8th wonder of the world. Ultimately, there will be a total of eighteen spires, representing the twelve apostles, the four evangelists, the virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. The project is massive, and it is expected to continue for decades more.
  


• La Pedrera (A large stone building with elaborate wrought iron balconies, again designed by the futuristic Gaudi, evoking the motion of waves)
  


• Street Lamps (lining many avenues, by Gaudi)
  


• Arc de Triomf (modeled after the one in Paris)
  


• La Vila Olympica ( part of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics)
  


• Cap de Barcelona (designed by Roy Lichtenstein, for the Barcelona Olympics, made of ceramic tile)
  

We spent many hours wandering the narrow cobble stone allies, lined by tall, old buildings, with unique, small shops lining the allies. There were clothing shops, tapa bars, pastry shops galore. We would get lost, then wander into a local square, with, for instance, a 700 year old church. We went inside, and listened to a choir, with the voices resonating in the tall, dark, mysterious interior, lit by stained glass windows and colorful candles and multiple galleries, each dedicated to a Saint, hundreds of years old. Some of them contained the person's remains.

We ventured on La Rambla, a mile long avenue that was for pedestrians, with outdoor stalls and performers. The painted statue type performers were common, and quite amusing for our children.

The tapa bars were a new adventure. They would have plates of exotic looking food, from which you would pick your choices, for a smorgasbord of local cuisine. Choices included: seafoods, cheeses, salads and meat filled pastries. When finished, you got the bill, called "la dolorosa" or "the sadness".

We stayed at a hotel a few miles from the center of Baarcelona, in the Sant Marti area. We would get off the bus, and walk on a smaller version of La Rambla to our hotel. The major part of the avenue was a pedestrian walkway, down the center of the street. It was filled with tables for outdoor eating. There were neighborhood shops and restaurants lining the avenue. You felt quite safe walking there after dark, which was when things really picked up. I enjoyed taking one of the kids to a local tapa bar nightly for a beer and a meal of new foods.

We also went to the Aquarium, which the kids loved. We saw some illegal vendors, selling African carvings, and famous purse knock offs (which intrigued our daughters). When the vendors would see the police coming, they would grab the four corners of their blanket displaying their wares, and bundle it over their shoulder and literally run off. It was amusing to see. The aquarium had 3 of the world's most poisonous fish, that the kids were facinated to see.

We often rode the subway, it was there I had an encounter with a pickpocket. Fortunately, I was on the alert, and I avoided becoming a victim, as I saw this person with his hands folded across his forearms, covered by a draped sweater, making his move on me. I was pinned by him and 2 partners against the subway door, so I pushed him off, and moved away. I later saw him and a partner bump another rider, then quickly leave the train.

I have been fortunate to have travelled a lot in my life, and I would rate the city of Barcelona near the top of my favorites!

Next blog-Madrid.