Barcelona Dreamin'

Our first big Euro trip with the kids! I was having actual tantrums about not having used any of the long weekends to go on trips so we finally booked something over the last long weekend we would have in a while... Barcelona was the chosen spot! Hubby lived here 14 years ago for 6 months while on a study abroad program (he remembers little - let's give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it's as much the lapsed time as the alcohol involved). It's only an hour flight from basel.

The trip didn't start out as well as we had hoped given there was a delay! But a moving sidewalk is all you need to amuse your kids for an hour or so. And finally we were off!

A delay, oh no!

We landed and made our way to our city apartment. We took the A1 bus that was relatively easy and inexpensive (plus that meant we didn't have to worry about car seats!) For accommodations, we used PTF Zoo apartments. I can recommend them - we couldn't find a single complaint. Great location (a few steps off La Rambla) and setup for a family (1 BR, 1 BA with a living area / kitchen that includes a pullout sofa). Somehow they even had room service (we didn't try it but nice to know it was an option in case we needed it!)

Finding out apartment in the big city

The first day we got in, we really only had time to catch dinner and put the kids to bed. So we rambled out to La Rambla and found a nice touristy place to eat that promised tapas and sangria. I was a bit against the tourist trap but you know what? They had pizza the kids loved, we had awesome people watching to keep them interested past their bedtime, the sangria came in huge glasses, and the waiters LOVED our little ones. We found it to be true that the Spanish are very family-oriented. They were pinching cheeks and playing with our little guy every time we went somewhere.

We found the Gothic cathedral on the way to our apartment

La cena - out "late" with the kiddos

The next morning, we had to wake the kids up early to get them going as we had pre-ordered our tickets to Parc Guell. I love Gaudi and this was something I really wanted to do with the kids. They were full of energy. Unfortunately, because we started so late, we knew we wouldn't make our designated time via metro. So we used Cabify (like Uber for Barcelona) to order a baby taxi (it has baby seats!) However, they only had 1 and we technically should have had 2. The guy realised the next closest friend with a car seat was at least 10 minutes away and we had already spent 10 minutes installing the car seat so we just went with our 3 year old buckled in the middle. He was nervous, we were nervous, and she was excited to ride like a big kid. I am hugely big on safety at home so I don't know why we decided to wing it here but we arrived OK. Still, would recommend you leave time to take the train...

Parc Guell

Parc Guell was nice. We were late but they accepted us anyway. I think they looked at us with 2 kids  running up to the entrance and took pity on us. We had a nice time exploring and early was nice as it wasn't completely overrun yet (though still busy). From there, we got some fresh fruit and coffee at a place nearby and walked down to the nearest metro stop (disclaimer: "nearest" is a misnomer... it was far.... maybe 15 min).

Enjoying the view

Oh hello there!

Nap time for little buddy and that meant opportunity for more exploring with my Mai-Mai. She and I set out for the beach (her idea). We walked down La Rambla. Even though I made her go to bathroom before we left, OF COURSE 10 minutes into our walk, she had to poop. Luckily, there was a McDonalds right there. It said it was only for paying customers so I bought a small fry (finding that pretty much anyone can use it - didn't seem to be anyone making sure you had actually bought anything but I'm a rule follower) and that was taken care of. We continued on, down to the marina and then onward to the beach. LONG walk and I carried my 35 lb. sack of potatoes a lot of it. But the payoff at the end was worth it! We found the playa and also enjoyed a festival with music along the way!

Playing at la playa

My little one was so tired and so was I, so we after our beach time, we hoped in a bike taxi to take us back home. It was only 10euro and what a life saver for our arms and legs!

Bike taxi through Barcelona

Back at the apartment, our little dude was ready and raring to go. We gathered them all up and went for a walk to find lunch. It started raining a bit so we popped into a little place with a cute upstairs. The kids enjoyed some tapas and we were on our merry way.

Family friendly dining

Next was La Sagrada Familia (tickets also pre-booked! Very much recommend this!) We hopped on the metro again and made it there in the nick of time. So awesome! Unfortunately, the kids were NOT into this. Little buddy decided the acoustics would be great for him to test his voice screaming. Mai-mai also decided this was not her cup of tea and laid on the ground to protest. We got the audio tour but only listened to 1 or 2 entries to enjoy it due to the little ones. Nonetheless, the inside is just stunning and we were glad we made the trip. The colours and architecture was fabulous.

La Sagrada Familia - still working on it!

Beautiful afternoon lights

Across from the church is a nice little park, we stopped there for the kids to play with the bubbles, which was a big hit.

Bubbles

We finished off our night with another late nap time and a final dinner nearby at Bar Lobo (recommendation from a colleague friend). Overall, a very successful first day that ended with tired little people and parents!

Ice cream MONSTER

The next morning, we had a nice, easy start to the day. We admit that we did something easy and went and got Starbucks for breakfast. It's our weakness! But whatever, it was great! No regrets. Then we headed out for our first excursion after Z's first nap - the aquarium. Ok, so here's the deal. The aquarium is fine but I can't say it was the great thing ever. But it was a good option for the kids, has a place to eat there, and certainly a nice option given the weather forecast (calling for rain). Afterward, it was sunny so we headed the 15 minutes further to the beach so little dude could feel the ocean. They both loved it and we left feeling tired but happy.

Z toddles toward his first seaside

Mai-mai didn't make it all the way home before falling asleep on daddy's shoulder and then the little guy went down for an epic siesta shortly thereafter. These kids have a hard time hanging with the Spanish schedule. It worked out great, though, because the skies opened up and Mai-mai amused herself watching the rain pour down over the Spanish alleys outside our apartment. I was totally bumming that I missed an opportunity to eat more tapas but NEVER FEAR! My hubby courageously went out and found a take-out tapas place and brought me back shishito peppers, patatas braves, sausages... and sangria!

So much for that lunch plan we had

It was time to bring our weekend to an end so we headed out to see the place David used to live 14 years ago and then off to a final dinner. By that time, the kids were no longer amused by all these new adventures so it was a bit of a hit job - i.e., order, eat fast, and run away. On the way, Amaya really enjoyed some of the typical summer subway smells. hahaha. I love kids - they don't bother trying to hide anything.

Oh that subway smell

Forgot to mention - to keep things nice and light, we used rental equipment. Definitely a great idea - we got a stroller and high chair (barely used it because we ate out so much but nonetheless helpful to have).

Adios, Barcelona! Thanks for a terrific weekend!!!