~Me encanta Barcelona~

~We arrived in Barcelona and we were excited to get started with our adventures. The skies were blue and the sun was shining.. this was exactly what we were hoping for..... so we checked into our apartment and then headed out to discover this incredible city of Barcelona. This monument is placed at the site where Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493 after his discovery of America the year before. Just like good ol' Columbus... these 4 Americans were ecstatic to be stepping foot onto Barcelona soil many years later~


~The narrow cobblestone streets were similar to the other fabulous European locations that we have previously traveled to.... although the big difference was all of the palm trees in the pots on the porches... that is how you know you are in a tropical paradise~

~We decided that we should just join him.... it was a great way to start the trip. Much more relaxed, and ready to just chill! Don't worry family... we didn't corrupt Mom & Larry, I didn't pick up any bad habits... besides.. I only smoke when I drink - and it was too early in the morning for a cocktail!~

~One of my favorite things about being in Barcelona (other than being here with my parents and without my two little ones) was being on the water. It was beauty all around us - it was fun walking around the boat harbors~

~Barcelona Harbor with the beautiful palm trees lining the streets ~ We walked along the water the first night because it had a great breeze which was nice on a hot day~

~I love to see the sun reflecting on the water - it was a great first day and we had a fabulous purple & pink sunset this evening~

~We got a new camera, which makes it possible to take pictures of ourselves... with the help of Steve's long arms. This is a walk along the boardwalk - do we look like a couple of relaxed bear cubs ready for some Spanish fun?~

~Barcelona is a beautiful city with many things to see. I just loved the fact that it was something different and new to explore. I loved the architecture and the city vibe. We slept in until 10 a.m. everyday and we were up until 1-2 a.m. This city doesn't sleep!~

~It was so fun to be able to be here with my mom. We were so spoiled having them here in Europe with us. We got to see Italy, lots of Germany, parts of Switzerland, and now Spain - we were in hog heaven~

~We decided to be true tourists on this trip. There was way too much to see in Barcelona by foot - so we decided to buy a two day pass for a hop on / hop off tourist bus - it took us to all of the top things to see. It was a smart decision~

~ Ride em' cowboy! I always like to capture it when Steve climbs up something... this time it was a giant Lion Statue - like I keep saying.. he is such a billy goat~

~You cannot come to Barcelona and not walk down the very busy pedestrian street La Rambla. It is filled with vendors lining the walkway. This is a huge market off of the street that was filled with any and everything!~

~You know you are not in America when...... there are giant slabs of meat hanging out in the hot sun for you to buy! Thanks but no thanks... I think I am now a vegetarian~

~I will never erase these memories of these views from my head - Spain is a beautiful place with its' pink buildings, palm trees and the beautiful, blue Mediterranean~

~Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi - From the outside the façade of Casa Batlló looks like it has been made from skulls and bones. The "Skulls" are in fact balconies and the "bones" are supporting pillars. Gaudi's work is admired by architects around the World as being one of the most unique and distinctive architectural styles~

~Casa Mila by Antonio Gaudi - This building used to be called Casa Mila but nowadays it's more commonly known as La Pedrera which means "quarry" . Gaudi was instrumental in completing this building and his characteristic wavy brick work and colorful tiles are also evident on this masterpiece~

~Gaudi's work was greatly influenced by forms of nature and this is reflected by the use of curved construction stones, twisted iron sculptures, and organic-like forms which are traits of Gaudi's Barcelona architecture~

~La Sagrada Familia - A Giant Temple designed by the master architect Antonio Gaudi. This building has been under construction since 1882 and they've still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it will be finished~

~We were having a fun time seeing all of the sights. It was so nice to be able to hold Steve's hand instead of Cole & Kades for a couple of days ~

~When I say that we spent a lot of time on these buses... I mean it! It was a big part of our trip. We sat on the top level of the double decker bus and rolled our sleeves up so we could go sightseeing and get a tan!~

~The Palau Nacional which houses the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya~

~This is a tower that was built for the 1992 Summer Olympics that were held in Barcelona~

~We decided that we couldn't come to Barcelona and not spend at least a half a day on the beach. We just arrived and we were putting our towels on our chairs when we were approached and asked if we wanted a massage. You will never hear Steve pass up on the opportunity to get a massage (especially one for $5). It was funny... but he was a good sport. And the extra bonus was that he started out with a pound of baby oil on his back - let the frying begin~ This was fun the first time... but we got asked if we wanted a massage by hundreds of these "professionals" that would walk up and down the beach all day long~

~We definitely got a cultural Spain experience when we arrived on the beach. The best people watching I have had in a VERY long time. If you look closely you will notice that most of the women on the beach are topless. Who wants tan lines? ... those are so overrated~

~This is a beautiful picture of beautiful Spanish people... I mean the beautiful Meditteranean. It was so much fun swimming in the warm water, instead of freezing to death like we are so accustomed to from the Oregon Coast. We did get some good tans ~

~Is it just me or does Larry have a really guilty look on his face? Everytime I looked at him he had his face in his book.... sorry for doing this to you Mom & Larry - but you cannot come to Barcelona and not spend time on the beach... and you cannot spend time on the beach in Spain and not see beautiful, topless women - they go hand in hand~

~ After a few hours on the beach we decided that we wanted to make a quick stop at the Park Guell - A magical park with amazing buildings, sculptures, and tile work designed by Gaudi~

~We had a great time exploring together~

~Between these pillars they had musicians playing their instruments. It was beautiful because the tiles made the music amplify out into the park~

~Our apartment loft was absolutely amazing and probably was my most favorite part of our trip. We are standing in front of one of two front doors that are 22' in height. We opened them up to glimpse an incredible view of the 2000 year old Roman wall (the original city boundary)... and it was only seven feet away!

~Every morning when we would wake up, and every night when we would return back to our apartment we would open up the huge front doors - it was the only way to get a good breeze going through. The funny thing is that since there was nothing like this place around... people thought that it was a coffee shop and would walk right into our apartment. They started looking around like they were shopping... we would have to say... "excuse me..this is our home." They would be so embarrassed and we just would laugh. People would climb up on bricks outside just to look in the windows at us - I am telling you.. it was amazing! We talked to lots of people and gave out lots of information for people who wanted to rent here when they would come back: http://www.vrbo.com/19523~

~To the left was a true European bathroom; it is located on an exterior terrace. When it rained.. we would get wet going out to use the bathroom. The shower is in an enclosed room, as is the toilet on this terrace. It was interesting going to the bathroom outside. My mom struggled with this a little bit and said that she felt like she was at girl's camp - I don't think that meant she liked it.... I love unique, and I definitely got that here! To the top right is a loft that we had to climb a ladder up to for our bedroom - I felt like I was living a Spanish version of Swiss Family Robinson! This place was my favorite place I have stayed so far~

~On our last night we decided that we wanted to spend some time on the water. We took a jazz cruise on a large Catamaran. It was beautiful... but the weather started turning ugly on us really fast. We had to huddle together to not get wet.. but we had some good views and definitely made some good memories~

~This was a great way to end our trip. We got to sail, we ate a fabulous dinner, and then went back to play cards in our amazing apartment. We had a wonderful trip to Barcelona~