Subway, bus, taxi & tours!
Today was the first day of sabbatical that we had to get up for a planned event. Luckily most kids slept well and even though Ainsley was up past 11 pm, she was ready to go. We stopped at the bakery and ate along our short walk to meet our tour guide at La Sagrada Familia - one of the most famous buildings in Barcelona.
Construction began on this church in the late 1800s and is expected to finally be finished within the next 10 years! The principal architect is again Antoni Gaudi and the similarities between Casa Botllo and the church were clear. The use of nature and animals in the buildings structure was striking. Our tour guide focused her tour on pointing out things for the kids. They found many animals in the design of the west entrance which portrayed the story of Christmas. The crucifixion was sculpted on the east entrance. The colors and design of the stained glass represented flowers on the inside of the building. The ceiling was incredibly tall and the church can seat 9000 people. It was truly a stunning building.
After taking some more pictures at the church, we took the subway to the bus station and rode a bus to Parc Gruell also designed by Antoni Gaudi. Situated on the side of a mountain, the park offers stunning views of the city and the Mediterranean. Once again, the Gaudi influence of animals and nature was evident throughout the park. Beautiful gardens and public spaces lined the paths. The park was originally designed as a neighborhood with many single family homes but only a few were built. Currently, only one remains as a private residence and the other houses have been turned into museums, including the house Antoni Gaudi lived in until his death in 1926.
Our tour wrapped up and the kids were exhausted! To expedite the process of returning home, we hailed a taxi back to the apartment which was great fun for the kids. We enjoyed our cheese and sausage from the market yesterday for a late lunch. After a bit of downtime in the apartment, we met up with Janet again and off we went to find a playground. The kids enjoyed swinging on the monkey bars and climbing the jungle gym. Nearby was a soccer field so we had to check that out as well. At least 5 different teams and age groups were practicing on the field at the same time. The field was below street level and the streets on both sides were bridges which housed basketball courts below. Liam loved watching soccer in Barcelona!
It started to rain so we began our journey back towards the apartment for dinner. We grabbed our rain jackets and headed out to a pizza restaurant nearby with a stop for gelato afterwards. Our last day in Barcelona was busy but we can confidently say we hit all the highlights of the city during our time here.
We board the cruise tomorrow at noon and the kids could hardly fall asleep they’re so excited (but it could also be the gelato at 9:30!).
Kevin