Barcelona

        Be warned: I’m going to open this post with one of my patented non-expert observations, so please don’t take this to the bank. In my short and limited experience, when comparing people of different nationalities, I have decided that Spanish people are my favorite. This is not to devalue any of my friends of other nationalities, who are fantastic. It is only to say that when considering everyone I’ve met here, the Spanish, as a group, come out on top. They are friendly, fun, family oriented, like to eat, and like to sleep late. So it’s no surprise that when we visited Barcelona last weekend, it also came out on top as my favorite place we’ve been.



Buildings near Catalunya Place



                Even though the weather wasn’t as warm as usual for this time of year (we were told), the temperatures were a good 20 degrees warmer than in Geneva, and – wonder of wonders – we saw the sun! We arrived in the city on Sunday afternoon, and, in typical Admiraal fashion, determined to see as much as we could of the city while putting as many kilometers on our feet as humanly possible. Strictly speaking, this was Drew’s trip, as he had chosen Barcelona as the place in Europe he most wanted to visit. He, however, didn’t have much on his agenda of things to do there beyond consuming as much tapas as possible. Thus, our first stop was a tapas bar, where we sat outside next to a heater and were served by a jovial waiter who teased the kids and laughed at our mix of Spanish, English, and French (whenever I tried to speak in Spanish, French words accidentally came out. Apparently, that is now my default foreign language). The only casualty of our polyglot speech was that Eric ordered hot chocolate and got water (“chocolate” does sound a little like “agua”).

It was (almost) warm enough to ear outside.

                We then headed for Tibidabo, which is an amusement park on a mountain overlooking the city. We weren’t planning to go to the park, but we wanted to see the view and visit Sagrat Cor, a church on the same mountain. We had begun the day with a bus ride to the airport, then Easy Jet to Barcelona (our first experience with Easy Jet was great; we had heard lots of horror stories about overstuffed planes, delays, etc., but experienced none of that), then a train into the center of town. We took another train, another bus, and a funicular (just to mix things up) to the top of the mountain. The view was amazing – the city, the Pyranees (I think) in the distance, and the Mediterranean Sea. It is so exciting for me to see all these geographical features that before I knew only from fourth grade maps! We then decided that it would be quicker to walk down the mountain than to wait for the funicular. After walking for an hour and ending up back at Tibidabo, we decided that we had been wrong and rode down. On the way back to the hotel, we added the Metro to our repertoire of transportation for the day.  I can say that the people of Barcelona are not so busy having fun that they don’t take care of their public transit system – the Metro was clean, on time, and fast, and the T-10 tickets we purchased (10 rides for less than 10 Euro) were the best deal of the trip.

The view from Tibidabo

                We were looking for a restaurant, and while I was perusing an outside menu, the proprietor came out to promote his establishment. He sang the praises of several menu items, informed us of special deals for the “babies,” told us that, while pizza was not on the menu, he’d be happy to whip some up, and generally shooed us into the place in a kind of pleasantly pushy way. Again, our waiter had fun teasing the kids, and the food was great. Maybe we were just really hungry from all the walking. By the time we finished dinner, it was dark, so our visit to the Mediterranean was brief. It was enough to convince Drew that he wanted to return with his camera the next day, though. We did, and I’m sure many of you can guess which family member ended up with wet feet from wading in the sea in February. This nameless person said that the joy of the experience made the wet and sand worth it.

Johanna and the Alien by the Mediterranean

                Besides returning to the sea, our one full day in Barcelona took us to the Sagrada Familia cathedral, which a friend had described, with complete accuracy, as “looking like a church designed by Dr. Seuss.”



Sagrada Familia, which is apparently continually under construction



       Actually, it was designed by architect Antoni  Gaudi, who also designed Park Guell, which was our next stop and probably the consensus favorite. The colorful buildings, winding paths, musicians and vendors everywhere gave the park a festive atmosphere that made the interminable climbs (almost) painless. Barcelona does seem to be a city that keeps ascending.

The famous Gaudi lizard at Park Guell (with Luc and the Alien)

Gaudi's house, which is in Park Guell

       We ended the day by wandering through the Barrio Gotico, Barcelona’s old town, and eating more tapas (of course) on Las Ramblas, a street famous for its outdoor markets but somewhat muted by the unseasonably chilly weather. Our waitress this time was French, and she told us (nicely) that she thinks Swiss people have funny French accents. Probably true, though I certainly wouldn’t know. Strangely, the restaurant menu was in French, English, and Italian, with no Spanish in sight . . . we had clearly chosen a tapas bar that catered to tourists.

                We had to leave the next morning, so we didn’t see the Olympic stadium, the home field of Barcelona’s famously successful football team, or Monjuic Castle. Clearly, it is imperative that we return. Also, I’m not sure that Drew has eaten enough tapas. . . .