Barcelona for Columbus Day Weekend!

Our first mini-vacation/adventure by plane in Spain...hey that rhymes!  Fun big city adventure with our neighbors and friends the McMillans!  We did most of our travelling around the city by subway, it was really easy to use and the kids had a great time.  Saturday morning we headed out to Mont Juic Castle, we took the subway and funicular and cable car to get there...the kids had a blast already!

Kids on subway, Kelsey and Lee holding hands, taking care of each other!

Brian and the kids on the cable car.

Luke, Shawn, Victoria and Lee, climbing all over the old cannons, they thought that was great.

Mont Juic Castle

Alyssa, Lee, Victoria, Kelsey, Shawn and Luke being silly and taking in the view of the city below!

View of Mediterranean Sea from the castle.

After the castle, we headed toward the Olympic Stadium.  Then we wondered around a beautiful garden, that took forever to find our way out of.  We headed in the direction we thought would get us out, only to find the gate was locked.  The kids enjoyed running around the garden!


Family photo in Garden of Joah Maragall.



Beautiful fountain in the gardens!

After we finally found a way out of the garden we headed towards the National Art Museum and the Plaza Espana in hopes of finding something for lunch! 


Shawn, Luke, Victoria and Alyssa with museum in the background!

After a very quick lunch, because we were so hungry we ate so fast...we found an amazing park that entertained the kids for quite a while.

Alyssa and Shawn both climbed all the way to the top, this is Alyssa here at the top!

Even Kelsey was trying her best to make her way up the web!

And Shawn too!

And this zipline was a hit with all the kids, Kelsey and Daddy here.

Two tired 2 year olds after playing hard, Lee and Kelsey.

Main market on Las Ramblas, would have loved to see more, but it was very busy and the kids were tired.

This evening, we brought dinner to the apartments for the kids, and Dave and Brian went to a local Irish bar to watch the LSU vs. UF football game.  This was very important since those are the guys schools!  I think it is fair to say we all enjoyed our evening!  Alyssa actually asked to go to bed that night and fell asleep while the other kids all ran around and played!

Day two, once again subway toward the zoo, with a pass through the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona! Enjoyed a fun morning at the zoo.  Shawn and Luke enjoyed reading the map and leading us around the zoo, a great way to teach them how to read a map!

Arc de Triomf

Silly gorillas!

Kids enjoyed these bears, there were two and they really looked like they wanted out of there!

Kelsey looking at the penguin.  It jumped up on that rock and scared Alyssa, she took off!

Boys reading the map, where to next?



Checking out on the of train stations, it was really pretty inside!

 After the zoo we headed towards the old part of town and toward the Gothic Cathedral.  We stopped and had lunch at a nice Mexican restarant, that was really nice!  We passed another church on the way and had entertainment there by a street performer!  We didn't get to go inside the Cathedral as it was too late and  I am sure the kids we happy!

Daddy and Kelsey outside La Hacienda, our lunch spot!

Streets in Barcelona, love the narrow streets.



Our street preformer...Mr. Clown!

Kids watching the clown make fun of innocent bistanders, including a little old lady.



Kids running from the clown, after giving him a tip!

Onto the next innocent bistander...Brian, the clown pretended to rub Brian's bald head.  We all got a good laugh! 

Tired girl, she looked like she was going to fall asleep on daddy's head.



A peak inside the Cathedral.



One of the Gaudi houses, I love this artist, so whimsical!  This was just around the corner from where we stayed!

Last morning, but not the first time at this little pastry shop!  We were headed towards the Sacrada Familia Church and Park Guell before we went to the airport to head home.  Park Guell is another work of Gaudi, one of my favorite places.  Although the kids were a little dissappointed because it wasn't like the park from the other day!

The crew at the pastry shop!

Ali at the pastry shop!



Sagrada Familia

Entrance to Park Guell

Park Guell

Kids on the bus on the way to the airport!

Our sunset when we arrived home that night, really can't beat that!  Hard to believe we live here sometimes!

Our first visitor and all the fun we had!!

Although our parents are probably disappointed that they didn't make it here first, I am sure that no one will be surprised that Erin was our first official visitor!!!  Erin came into town Saturday September 24th and stayed till Tuesday the 27th!  It was a whirlwind trip, and we all had a great time.  Right after we picked her up from the airport in Jerez we took off on a new adventure to Arcos de la Frontera, one of Spain's pueblos blancos or white villages.  We really didn't know exactly where to go, that is why we call them adventures!  But we found the parking and walked up...literally!  I wish I had taken a picture from below to show exactly what I mean...I will do that next time!  The kids did remarkably well after a minor meltdown by Alyssa, but overall walked without needing to be carried.  They were rewarded with ice cream when we reached the top, and then that sustained them till we were done!  We just wandered around the town and took in the sights for a while and then headed home!  We had a babysitter come and stay with the kids that night and Erin and I had a nice relaxing dinner in Puerto and Brian had a work function.  Erin and I enjoyed catching up and just enjoyed the Spanish pace of a meal and not being rushed out!  Sunday we spent at home and the garden store. Erin helped me pick out some beautiful window boxes and then she had the kids help her plant the flowers in them!  Erin was great at giving the kids projects...including building out of dry spagetti and marshmellows, the kids loved it!  We also enjoyed one of Erin's favorites..Spanish tortilla...yummy!! Monday the kids had to school, so Erin and I went to Jerez and shopped at the gypsy market and found lots of fun purchases!!  Then we enjoyed lunch, with an amazing view!  And to finish off our fun, we took the kids to the beach after they got home from school!  Overall, a great visit with a great friend!  Hopefully she will come back for more!

This is a hospital entrance we passed in Arcos, so beautiful, it was hard to believe it was a hospital.

This is a view from Arcos!

Iglesia de Santa Maria

Iglesia de Santa Maria



The narrow streets in Arcos!



Another church in Arcos, beautiful stone amidst all the white!

More fun narrow streets.

Very narrow street, to the left is actually the church wall I believe, and I think cars actually drive through here!

Our beach view from our lunch on Monday!

Erin with a view of Rota in the background!

Kids playing on the same beach we saw from lunch earlier in the day! They had a blast!

Girls head to school!

Alyssa and Kelsey have both started Spanish Immersion progams at the child development center here on base last month.  Alyssa started September 12th and Kelsey on the 19th!  It has been a few weeks now and so far they both are enjoying it.  Alyssa seems very eager to learn Spanish, one week she was singing her numbers in Spanish and the next week she was onto the days of the week!  She is constantly asking what words are in Spanish!  Who knows, she might learn enough to go to Spanish school in town next year!  Kelsey gets excited to go to school, then when we walk in the door she gets a little upset!  Her teachers comfort her by drawing a picture of a car on a sticky note, and it is "Mama's coche," she has it stuck to her all day!  Silly little things!