Barcelona Day 2 Post

Our second trip to Barcelona was much more organized and fluid than our first trip to the city. The day before I went on a run around Vilanova with a stop at the train station to buy tickets and figure out a departure time. This was my first run in almost three weeks and it felt great, it was also a nice way to find new areas of Vilanova. The one bummer, I also checked on our car that has been parked in a public lot and found one of the mirrors was smashed - thank goodness for insurance. I will eventually get to Barcelona but first I need to make mention of the dinner we made that night June 22nd. On our way back from the beach we stopped at the market and purchased mussels, shrimp, calamari steaks, and salmon. At 8 PM we motivated to the roof top, fired up the grill, and had a fantastic seafood dinner accompanied by one of Carrie's salads and a bottle of Rioja. After dinner we headed downstairs to watch Germany dismantle Greece and move on the the quarter finals.

Heading to Barcelona

Our ride for the day

June 23rd (St. John's Eve) we left the apartment at 9 AM, which was very impressive based on the 11:30 bedtime for the kids the previous evening.  We caught the 9:42 train to Barcelona and emerged from the Passeig de Gracia station at 10:30. We made a quick stop to Starbucks which was needed and enjoyed. Our plan for the day involved seeing Barcelona using the Barcelona Bus Turistic. Any way, shape or tour form when traveling is something that I completely avoid. This has changed with children. We had one more day to see Barcelona and a double decker bus with stops throughout Barcelona made sense. We were able to get off when we wanted and stay as long as we wanted. I must say it was actually enjoyable!!!

Catalunya Square

La Predrera (Gaudi on Acid?)

We met the bus in Catalunya square and we were off - we passed a number of Gaudi's buildings during the first part of our trip. Most of his work reminds me of a Tim Burton movie - I am convinced Gaudi took LSD. Our first stop was Poble Espanol for a view of the city and a quick walk about. 

Our next stop was a place that I missed last time I was in Barcelona and I was not going to miss this time - The Olympic Stadium and museum. This was a real treat, I was impressed with the architecture of the stadium. We also went to the Olympic museum, which was only our 2nd museum since we have been in Europe. The kids, Carrie, and I really enjoyed learning about the history of the Olympics.

Olympic Stadium

 I was also surprised at the significance of the Barcelona Olympics - 19 Bosnian athletes competed without a country so they competed under the Olympic flag, Russia competed for the first time as a unified country, Germany competed for the first time as a unified country, South Africa competed for the first time in 36 years, Cuba and North Korea for the first time in 12 years - and of course The Dream Team. 

Carrie made me post a picture on the bus 

Our final stop for the day was Pla De Palau in the Ribera district and close to the harbor. We decided that lunch was a good idea since it was 3:30 and breakfast was at 9. We found a cool tapas restaurant with a cool patio to people watch. Lunch was gazpacho, potatoes, chicken wings, chorizo, and bread. Then we were off to find Gelato. The kids enjoyed an ice cream as we wandered through the streets of the Ribera district - it was a very funky area with cool shops, and a wide array of restaurants. We stumbled upon the Picasso Museum which is one of my all time favorite museums. The line was about 200 people deep and not moving, it looked miserable. At 5 we decided to head home, luckily we were near the main train station in Barcelona, Estacio De Franca. I wanted the kids to see a real station and this one did not disappoint as this stations serves most countries in Europe.

After we returned home, the kids put on their Spain Jerseys and we headed out to watch the Spain vs France match on the La Rambla. We found a tapas/pinxtos bar showing the game. Spain went up 1-0  and the place erupted and then everyone ran outside to set off fireworks. Carrie and I enjoyed our first Sangria since our arrival in Spain, not sure why it has taken so long. The TV was fairly small in the bar so we made a group decision to head back to our place and watch the second half. Spain won 2-0. After the game we headed to our rooftop to watch fireworks explode all over town in celebration of St. John. The town was going crazy - Spain win and St. John's Eve was recipe for craziness. I realized I had not eaten very much and was really hungry so Eli and I headed out at midnight to find something to eat. The scene on the street was smoke, fireworks, drunkenness..... I found a Doner Kebab and was instructed by the cook to head down to the beach where the real party would go until 6:00 am. If the party I was witnessing outside was not the real party, I was content to head home. 

Overall it was an awesome day in Barcelona. The bus option made for a relaxing way to see Barcelona. I truly enjoyed Barcelona and would love to come back. Today is our final day in Spain, tomorrow we head to the South of France.