Segways in Sitches~Biking in Barcelona~Chocolate and Churros

Hola! 

We decided to spend our spring break visiting Barcelona, Spain.
It was so beautiful and we had such a great time discovering this beautiful city with 
Michelle, Gram-Gram and Grandpa

Joshy had the crowds laughing wearing his Germany hat through the airport. 

What a crack-up!

We could hardly keep the kids from the beach. That is the only place 

they wanted to be. Luckily we were not far from it although they would 

have preferred setting up a tent so we never left the sand...

As we have learned in our travels, renting a house for the week is much more economical for a family of our size as well as easy going. So our first stop is usually the grocery store. Only we learned that opening hours varied from day to day and shop to shop in Spain. But this was our first market stop and the shop owner was really funny and helpful. We definitely discovered within minutes we were going to 
struggle with not knowing the language better. 

BUT...we have now learned greetings and how to say sorry in quite a few languages!

Ty riding the ride outside the shop. Very exciting....

Really gorgeous views from the home we rented..

On a morning walk :)

Our first stop...The stunning Sagrada Familia designed, but still unfinished, by Gaudi. 

It's an incredibly stunning Roman Catholic Church that has been under construction for the past 133 years. It began construction in 1882. Gaudi died during the construction, so it remains unfinished as the residents battle how it should look and designed. 

The stained glass windows were over-the-top amazing and breathtaking. The light that filtered into the cathedral was awe-inspiring. The details on the ceiling were like nothing we had ever seen. There was symbolism within the structure everywhere you looked. Gaudi was very geometric. The outside was VERY gothic looking but as new designers have taken over the project, its has become much more contemporary looking. 

*Note to possible visitor...go on line and get your tickets early. 

We avoided a VERY long queue by booking them online.

Having lunch out in the sun just down from the church. 

You will quickly notice that there are intermittent "beach" scenes. We went every chance we could get. The kids could not get enough of it. 

Sitches

We were guided by friends to visit a neighboring town called Sitches about an hour from Barcelona. 

Wow! It was beautiful. 

Love the narrow streets and little shops you can just 

meander through looking at all sorts of treasures.

So we decided to try our hand at Segways along the coast line. What a riot! 

The kids LOVED it. 

Josh got to drive the motorcycle with one of the owners, Titi. She was so great with him and they kept whizzing past us saying "Hola Mama! Hola Papa!" Very cute~

"What up home-slice?.."

The tour guide insisted on us kissing... :)

Seriously cool grandparents!!

They even gave Josh lessons. He was 'over-the-moon' excited to finally give it a try. 

At one of our stops, we got to see one of the famous "The Little Mermaid" statues', 

a replica from the first one created in Denmark.

Titi loved Josh...(Joshy buddy, you better get used to it.)

The guys with Oscar our other tour guide

Barcelona Bike Tour

Biking has become a family favorite activity. It is a fantastic way to see a new city. Our tour guide was very informative and we learned so much about Barcelona's history. 

We couldn't get over the architecture. So beautiful with its detail and narrow, windy streets. 

The stunning Archdiocese of Barcelona Catholic Cathedral within the city center.

Josh was a trooper as he and Spencer brought up the rear. Ty, Ike and Anne all did a fantastic job riding through the busy streets of Barcelona. This is a picture of Barcelona's Arc de Triomf...Interestingly enough, Barcelona was asked first if they wanted to build the Eiffel Tower in their city for the World Fair. They decided it wasn't going to be that great and built this instead...hummmm I wonder what they are thinking now?!

Is this a sweet pic or what?!

The Beautiful Ciutadella Park ~ Wow! It was my favorite. It has ornamental falls

We ended going back another time too. 

Back to the beach! 
The kids had a competition on who could build the best sand castle village. 
Okay...the adults got a little involved too. 

Spence was convinced the kids couldn't bury him deep enough to be difficult to get out. By the time they had dug a great big hole and filled it up with him in it, 

Spencer COULD NOT move. It was so funny. 

These kinds of pictures absolutely melt my heart...

Playing a little football on the beach

Ya! I caught this one!

Okay...so Spencer was incharge of uploading these pictures if I would do the writing...A little out of order...but oh well...here are a few more fun pictures of the bicycle ride.

 We took the kids to see the Magic Fountain of Montjuic one evening. 

 We got to experience part of the Spanish Easter celebration that evening. The crowds were thick in front of the Cathedral and there was a parade in honor of the Holy Week called the Semana Santa. Each float depicts a different event of the Savior's life with a major emphasis on Mary. The people in the parade were dressed in heavy, dark clothing with tall pointy hats which I understand is symbolic of a part of the repentance process. 

Our first hot chocolate at churros! Oh my! It was like taking a drink of melted chocolate! 

Anne came with us to eat tapas. So so delicious...

Park Gaudi Guell, another wow...

Street mimes walking around entertaining to earn euros.

I wanted to go on the row-boats. It was so funny watching the kids learn how row a boat.

Ty and Josh spent a great deal of time popping bubbles from a street entertainer. 

Their hair was wet from all the bubble soap!

My personal favorite..Belgian waffles with nutella and strawberries

Poor little Josh was worn slap-out.

So we left for the airport all happy and cheerful and boarded the plane to leave. After about 40 minutes of delay, the pilot came on and said France was having an airstrike so they were canceling all flights flying over France. We got off our plane and went with the hundreds of other people in the same predicament and proceeded to stand in a line for HOURS! We tried to find every way possible out of Spain but to no avail. After about 8 hours of standing inline they started re-routing everyone's flights. We were re-routed for the next morning through Thessaloniki, Greece. We were to be there for six hours then fly from there to London. 

We jumped off the plane in Greece, grabbed a taxi and went to the "Great White Tower".  We walked along the coast and found a restaurant. We had our first (and hopefully not last)

authentic Greek dinner. It was so delicious. Josh even ate mussles! 
He ordered them and ate them all! What?? 

Best quote of the trip was Ty's, "Mom and Dad! Thanks for the day! Breakfast in Spain, lunch in Greece and to bed in England!"Crazy ending to a fabulous trip.