Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Sangria and Sight Seeing

Day 2 in the city of Barcelona included a sunny morning and an interesting bus ride to Parc Guell

a statue along our way to the bus stop - reminded me of the boys and their love for turtles

an amazing deli we walked by - every inch was full of meat and cheeses


common to see full pig legs set up for carving

Casa Batllo - from the bus on the way to Parc Guell.  It was a bus ride to remember.  When we got on it was standing room only - as we made our way up the street - more and more people got on.  The boys were camped out on our feet below us (like little penguins) as we all squished in tight.  A woman remarked behind me that they must stop allowing people on at some point - nope they just keep on coming.  We eventually arrived at our stop and spilled out of the bus.

Placa Del Tibidabo

Parc Guell - one of several musicians playing music throughout the park

an olive tree that was full of olives

brothers having a good time



taking in the view of Sagrada Familia and the city of Barcelona


the view of the city and the ocean


the hillside behind Parc Guell

another musician - this one was a little more wild  - the boys were amused


a group of school children enjoying lunch while visiting the park.  as the sun was out the park was very busy



although I would have loved to explore the park built by Antoni Gaudi with not another soul in sight and let the boys run wild it was a beautiful place to walk through



beautiful ceiling tile mosaics


more beautiful tile work

entrance to Parc Guell


this guy caught the boys eye

beautiful architecture - I could spend so much time just wandering the streets with my camera
next stop was Sagrada Familia

We Miss You !!!!!

The house is quiet, still and a little bit sad.  Carith left yesterday morning and we all wish she could have stayed longer.  We love her visits and always have a good bit of fun.  Although the weather here was less than we desired we did share some good times.  She joined us for our trip to Barcelona which was wonderful, we made Thanksgiving dinner together, she helped make Christmas decorations, she watched the boys play rugby, she helped the boys build a fort (always a must) and best of all she surprised Ronan on his birthday - a great gift for both the boys.


Ronan's cake that the boys decorated themselves - they had so much fun

the BIG 10



hiding under the big cat in Barcelona



a lovely hat

we had a lovely time during your visit and thank you so much for all your help while you were here.  Thank you, Thank you and Thank you for coming to visit - even with all this English weather.
Love from all of us Carith



Monday, November 26, 2012

Espana

We have eagerly been awaiting our trip to Barcelona.  We celebrated Ronan's 10th birthday on Friday with a very special surprise.  My sister rang our door buzzer and the boys were quite amazed to see their aunt on the video screen.  Carith also joined us on our trip to Barcelona.  We were excited for some warmer weather, good food and much, much exploring.

the day we arrived we spent the afternoon wandering the streets in the old city


 Barcelona Cathedral







Doctors without Borders office in Barcelona




Gaudi Chimneys




an artist on La Rambla

Fairies in the Forest







The lions on the Christopher Columbus monument reminded us of Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe



laundry drying in the breeze over the monument




a great explorer




waiting for delicious crepes and waffles


the perfect snack




Sunday laundry in Barceloneta



bike storage in Barceloneta



headed to the ocean

Dillon was shocked and not very happy to see a group of surfers in the water.  If I had known we would have planned a day for him to be in the water




the boys absolutely loved this climbing structure on the beach






beautiful sand sculptures





Ronan would have enjoyed a few days on the beach making sand castles and sculptures

after our walk around Barceloneta and the beach we took the boys to the aquarium



in a light drizzle we enjoyed the view of the port while on our way to find a cozy warm place for dinner

the port

A good pint to end the day

La Rambla at night - always busy

our walk home after our first full day in Barcelona through dark narrow streets still full of activity and under a beautiful moon.