Barcelona--This Time with the Kids

{Sagrada Familia from Parc Guell}

Hi everybody. Remember me? Did you think I'd gotten stuck in a permanent siesta down in Barcelona?

I almost did. We got right into the Spanish routine of staying up and sleeping in late. It is summer, after all.









Even the kids didn't go to sleep before 11pm.With the Littlest in our bed, all knees and elbows and falling through the space between two pushed together twin beds, it wasn't the most restful sleep we've had, but that didn't matter because we had just so much fun during the day.

{me and Bestie A atop the castille}

I've been to Barcelona four times now and each time the city shows a different side of herself. Right up there with Vicky and Cristina, Barcelona is a girl; a varied, dynamic, dangerous,exciting and just sophisticated enough girl you like hanging out with and would like to get to know better.

{second generation of besties}

The first time, I spent the majority of the trip in the police station, laughing until I cried as Bestie K spoke Spanish and filed a formal theft report for the contents of her purse, down to and including a brand new lip gloss. By chance, we ran into the pregnant Serbian refugee who'd pinched it in the capuccino bar later that night and spent the next hours surrounded by shocking amounts of Spanish hotness that made me break out in a sweat (seriously the most attractive police I've ever seen) and get all tongue-tied and googly. A few months later K received a nice apology and a check for 300 US dollars from the lovely girl, Barcelona herself. She's sad and embarrassed about all the stealing, really she is.

{shady, breezy perch at Parc Guell}

The second time I went with P-Daddy and we basked in the peaceful glow of a quick getaway without any kids. Late nights dinners, museums, some shopping. Not a thieving pregnant lady in sight.

Then there was the trip with my Irish friends dancing until (almost) dawn, napping on the beach and not seeing one thing that you'd call 'cultural'.

This last time, we went up high to Montjuic, took the cable cars all the way to the Castillo and looked down on the Mediterranean and the ships coming and going in the harbor.

{cannons at castillo de montjuic}

We hiked up the hill to the Parc Guell, almost lost the Littlest while distracted by the view of Sagrada Familia (P-Daddy now calls it 'Sangria Familia') and couldn't budge from a shady, breezy perch at the top, while a three piece band played tinkling Spanish guitar music below.

{oh, the things i could do!}

 It was all about playgrounds, zip-lines and parks this time around and I think it was my favorite view of the city. We tried the idea of the Miro Foundation but backed out gracefully as the Littlest started licking the glass doors, our cue to cut our losses and sit in the park with crockery pitchers of sangria instead.

{parks and ice cream}

We said our tearful goodbyes, braved the smoke, fire and helicopters blazing and buzzing at the French-Spanish border and came home to a houseful of Canadians in limbo and all their bags, boxes, kids and booze.

We're off to Aix and the clever Kirsty's for the weekend. I'll let you know how much fun we get up to there. I love summer, don't you?

Bon weekend!