Barcelona and a Bit More

Well, I really haven't been doing so well with the blog lately.  I blame it 100% on Downton Abbey.  I've been sucked in, but with only three episodes to watch (gasp...what will I do??) I will certainly have more time to catch up with sharing what has been going on in our household.  

February 5th and 6th, I had the pleasure of showing my friend Steph around Brussels.  Steph and Randy are friends from our church back in Morton.  I enjoyed showing her the city and introducing her to our chocolate, waffles, and frites.  It would have been nice to have Randy join us, but he had to work.  Such a bummer that work thing can be. :)  They were then off to Switzerland for a few days, but we were thrilled to have the two of them stay with us Sunday night before their Monday morning flight.  Chris loved introducing them to his favorite Belgium treat....beer!

February 11th was the start of the kids' winter break.  Most folks tend to head to the slopes in Europe for "ski week", but with limited vacation time we set out in search of a little sun.  So, Barcelona Spain was our destination.  We didn't leave until Valentine's Day, so it was a quick look at the cards and candies before our 7 A.M. departure for the airport. 

We were thrilled to find that sun when we arrived in Barcelona.  The first thing Allison did was put on her cool, retro 1980's shades. :)  

Every business has a door they can pull down for closing time and most are covered with graffiti, but that was fine with me because I loved the colorful shots.

This is actually the doorway to our apartment.  We were a little skeptical as the door was a nice shade of red in the pictures.  But, that is the risk you take when renting an apartment.  The building dates back to 1739, and I'm quite sure the floors were original.  You couldn't take a step without it sounding like you might fall through, but it was very roomy with three bedrooms.  We just had to be careful we didn't plug in too many things at once (like radiators) because we would blow a fuse.  Who needs heat anyway, right?!  Ha!

Once we were settled, it was time to set out and discover the city.  After a delicious lunch of paella, we visited this famous market off the Ramblas.  It had everything you could possibly need....fresh meat, vegetables, fish, more fish, spices, fruit, and the kids LOVED the candy.  I was in search of the the whole pigs you could buy right out of the case, but I had to settle for skinned rabbits and skinned goat heads...gag!  More pictures of that later.  I know you're excited. :)

More fun colors!

We found our way up to Place Catalunya for what was probably the kids favorite part of the trip....the pigeons!  We now refer to Thomas as the "bird whisperer" because they literally flocked to him.  No pun intended.  

This is "George", and he seemed to be quite fond of Thomas.  Most likely because he let him eat right out of the bag.  How could we tell which one was "George"?  Well, he was, by far, the ugliest bird in Barcelona.

Allison, however, was not quite as comfortable with the pigeons.  I could have posted 20 more pictures and all with different facial expressions. 

Walking down Las Ramblas...a busy and popular street in Barcelona where you can buy flowers, rabbits, souvenirs, watch street performers, and get pick-pocketed all at the same time.  Thankfully, we didn't have any pick pocketing incidents, but we did enjoy everything else it had to offer.  Phew!

We found our way down to the Christopher Columbus statue at the end of the Ramblas.   This is the site where Columbus reported his findings to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand after his return from the new world.  Thomas did a very lengthy study of Columbus last year, and was thrilled to share his knowledge with us.

Just beyond Columbus is the harbor Port Vell.

I think someone was ready for a break.

Here's the entrance to our apartment building.  Now just head up four more flights that get increasingly more narrow as you go...and throw in that none of the stairwell lights worked...so thank goodness we have the flashlight app.  Hey, what do you expect for 100 euros a night!

Our journey continued on Day 1 to the cathedral in the Gothic quarter known as La Seu.  It was named after the patron Saint Eulalia.  Construction of the current church was started in 1298.  The cathedral is famous for the 14th century cloister with a courtyard that houses 13 geese.  Each goose represents a year in the life of Eulalia who was just 13 when she was tortured to death in the 4th century by the Romans for her religion.

Remember, he is a bird whisperer.  This picture makes me giggle every time I look at it.

The gorgeous inside!  This cathedral was Gaudi's inspiration for the Sagrada Familia.  More on that tomorrow.

The cathedral has more than 16 side chapels, and there was a crowd around this statue of Jesus.  It looked important, so I thought I had better take a picture.  I discovered on the way home, while reading on the plane, that this is Christ of Lepanto.  It was said to have been carried into a 1571 battle on the prow of a ship.  Legend has it that the contorted rightward slant of the Christ figure is due to a deft move to dodge an approaching cannonball..a sign of impeding victory over the enemy Turks.  Thank you to the Barcelona Trip Advisor City Guide for that information!

So, that sums up day one in Barcelona.  Check back for more fun in the very near future...only three episodes of Downton left.  Shouldn't be too long. ;)

Until next time,
Wendy