Barcelona Bound

This summer brought one last hoorah before it was time for little A to start school so to start the summer off we headed to Barcelona.  In true Gasbarro travel fashion it wasn't just our family of 4, 6 or 8 we upped it to 11 this year and it was awesome.  

On Thursday afternoon we headed to the airport for a stop in Atlanta and then went onto Barcelona.  The girls did the very best that they possibly could at their ripe ages of 1 and 4.  

 We arrived at the airport to find Lindsey, Rhonda and Steve hanging out waiting for their lost luggage and I'll go ahead and skip forward in our story and let you know that it was DAYS before their last piece of luggage arrived.  After our crew collected their bags we loaded into taxis and checked into the Hilton Diagonal which was pretty fab.

Executive floor balcony

After a short rest we ventured out to the beach for a little dinner and people watching.  A word of advise for anyone traveling to Europe with kids, keep in mind that there aren't multiple beds in your rooms and you will end up trying to fit your entire family into one bed.  Not a lot of sleep for Grant and I for the days leading to our cruise.

 On our second day in the Big B we jumped on a "bus with no lid" for a tour of the city.  There was incredible architecture and a lot of tacky tourist including our very own Linds.

someone is excited

Mike and Lindsey and their tourist gear.

 A majority of our day was spent in the La Sagrada Familia as there was a lot to see.  In all of our past travels we have gone to some interesting religious landmarks, but this is the first cathedral that hasn't scared or made me feel guilty.  The exterior tells the story of the Nativity and would make you believe it will also be a traditional interior.  After standing in a LONG line, you enter through the temporary doors and there it is...light, bright and beautiful.  I couldn't stop myself from taking a million pictures as it was nothing like I have ever seen before.

 After a few hours we did finally exit the building and went across the street for a long lunch as nothing on vacation with kids seems to be quick.  It was then time for a little vendor shopping and another ride on the bus.

 After a few bus stops we arrived at what was supposed to be the "must see" stop of the day, Gaudi Park.  As we were walking up the steep inclined street and letting a few cuss words slip we arrived at the most incredible park we had ever seen.  Gaudi's work is seen all over Barcelona, but this was the one place where I thought it had been captured the best.

A little didgeridoo playing in the park.

 At this point in the day we were melting from the heat so it was important that we had a little icy treat before jumping on the next bus.

 There were so many other incredible places, architectural wonders and pieces of art to see in Barcelona that I couldn't show you pictures of them all.

My favorite picture for the entire day.