* Trusting an 8-year-old with a GPS can lead to double backing on the trail to recover it. 
We also look for odd or funny things when visiting a new place. We got a laugh at this special Carnival treat at the bakery. Jimmy dared me to get one, but I just couldn’t do it. I did, however, give this street performer some money so I could take his photo since I thought his outfit (or lack thereof) was the most creative on the tourist end of Las Rambla.
As always, we like to find unique experiences and sights in each place we visit. In Barcelona, the architecture was definitely unique, but rather than include more photos of buildings, I’ve included two unusual inventions we came across. Just as Ashlynn was complaining about her belly being empty, we happened upon a popcorn vending machine. You put in a 1 euro coin and out pops a flat popcorn box. You then open it up, place it in the slot and a few minutes later air-popped popcorn drops in. It wasn’t very good, but made Ashlynn smile. Later that day, we wandered into a funky jewelry store where the girls relaxed on this chair covered in guinea pigs (the stuffed animal, not dead animal variety.) It was incredibly soft, but very lumpy.
When we saw posters for a parade for Carnival, we knew we had to go. We weren’t quite sure what to expect. Would it have the lewdness of Mardi Gras or the wholesomeness of Fastnacht in Germany? It started at 8:30pm with a couple of paper mache giants as the mascots of Carnival. There was only one lewd group--they were nude and painted in red, but went by so fast we never did figure out their message. Our favorite group was this one that stopped right in front of us and performed Michael Jackson’s Thriller. 
Only a few groups had really elaborate costumes, such as this one. There were a lot of groups from Ecuador and Bolivia in traditional costumes, and for some strange reason there were several groups dressed up as bugs. At 10:30pm, we decided to skip the ending to beat the crowds to the metro and to find a place for a late-night tapas dinner, where Curt and Veronique introduced us to some traditional Catalan dishes.
It was very sweet of Curt to allow us to stay with him for 5 nights, especially since his lady friend Veronique had just moved in 3 weeks earlier. The sightseeing tours he took us on included seeing a lot of modernista architecture (Catalonia’s version of art nouveau), the large indoor produce market and the historic city center. On our own, we also toured the Palau de la Musica, which is a beautiful concert hall built in 1908 and another UNESCO site, the aquarium, and the city’s history museum, which features Europe’s largest underground excavation of an ancient Roman city. These photos show us heading out to see the parade for Carnival. The girls made masks and are with Veronique in the small elevator in their building. Curt and I are still smiling despite the overcrowded metro.
Gaudi’s influence in Barcelona extended well past the Sagrada Familia, which led to his works collectively being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We visited two of his better known sights and his home. Above is the entrance to Park Guell, which has great mosaic benches (at the top of the pillars behind us) with views of Barcelona’s skyline. This park wasn’t intended for the public, but was built as a planned urban development that failed since only two houses were sold and one was to Gaudi himself. We also toured Casa Batllo, this unusual apartment building that looks like an underwater castle from The Little Mermaid. The lack of straight lines along with the use of stained glass and mosaics were stunning from the inside as well. While the neighbors might not have been thrilled about his designs, we don’t find Gaudi gaudy.
Luckily the lines weren’t too long, so we didn’t have to see the Sagrada Familia just from the outside. While there is a small section of the temple completed enough to hold masses, the main nave is definitely still under construction. The roof is not completed, but as you can see there is now an interior ceiling for the first time in over 100 years. Gaudi used nature for much of his inspiration as shown in the pillars shaped liked trees, fruits on top of towers outside and staircases shaped like nautilus shells. We were happy to be able to take an elevator up one of the towers and then walk down crossing back and forth between the towers. We finished our tour with a visit to the basement to see the workshop where artists continue to use Gaudi’s methods to make models for future construction.
No trip to Barcelona is complete without a visit to see the Sagrada Familia, the whimsical Catholic church designed by Antoni Gaudi. Construction began in 1882 and Gaudi became involved in 1883. He worked exclusively on it from 1914 until he was killed by a tram in 1926. Many of his plans were destroyed in a fire during the Spanish Civil War, but enough could be reconstructed to continue working on his dream. Currently there are only 8 of the 18 planned towers built, but there are dreams to have it finished by 2026 for the 100th anniversary of his death. The top photo is of the navitity facade that was nearly completed prior to Gaudi’s death. The passion facade on the other side was designed by a contemporary artist based on Gaudi’s plans.
After returning from the mountains, we ventured to the Contemporary Art Museum. Had no idea what to expect, but lucked into seeing one of the coolest exhibits we’ve ever seen, which was by the Brazilian conceptual artist Cildo Meireles. While we were on the 1st floor, we heard breaking glass and thought someone had dropped a tray of glasses. Strangely, we heard it again from the 2nd floor. By the time we got to the 3rd floor, our curiosity was peaked because we continued to periodically hear breaking glass. When we got to the end of the hall, a security guard made us sign a release before allowing us to enter Through, an exhibit where you walk on 8 tons of glass around a maze of barbed wire and other barriers to reach the giant cellophane ball in the center. 
Although photos were off limits, we snuck one (albeit of poor quality) in the final exhibit called Volatile. You take off your shoes and enter a dark room with the floor covered in baby powder. Around the corner is a single candle. It was a strange experience as you walk in the soft substance with powder flying through the air. An interview with the artist said that he likes to play with people’s fears. On our walk home, we stopped by an intriguing gallery showing of Mark Laita, an American photographer, called Created Equal that featured portraits of complete opposites such as a police officer next to a gang member or nuns next to prositutes.
We visited the benedictine monastery, Santa Maria de Montserrat, founded in 1025 AD. Construction of the abbey started in the 15th century and continued for 200 years. Napoleon’s soldiers destroyed it in 1811 and it was rebuilt 50 years later. There are 80 monks currently living and working there. They run the oldest printing press in the world, which dates to 1499. Not surprisingly, we gladly did a tasting of their traditional liqueurs and the walnut won. Perhaps surprisingly, we went to vespers then watched the boy’s choir, but didn’t stick around for the mass.
Interestingly, there were no candles lit in the monastery itself. Instead, there was a covered enclave just outside that made a beautiful display of hope and love.
We enjoyed hiking both days, especially since the sun was shining and we didn’t need our coats. These photos were taken when we took the funicular to the top and hiked back down to the monastery. The 2nd day we did the opposite, by hiking down to the sacred cave (more like a rock wall within a very cute 18th-century chapel where legend has it that the image of the Black Madonna appeared in 880 AD) and taking the funicular back up. The amazing thing about this particular trail was that there were large statues along the way that were truly baffling as to how they were placed there in the early 1900’s. Ashlynn preferred our 3rd hike, despite hitting a dead end, since it was the only one off-road. No paved paths for that kid!
Following advice given by Jimmy’s brother John, we caught a train up to the base of Montserrat (the Serrated Mountain) so we could do some hiking and spend a night up in the mountains. If you look carefully at the above photo, you’ll see the little yellow gondola that makes the 1,785 foot ascent to the monastery and small village at 4,000 feet where we’d be staying. Since it was off-season, the restaurant on the edge of the cliff was closed, but there were plenty of chances to see the awesome views. It was quite crowded despite being off-season until the last gondola left with the last of the crowds. 
After much debate and a Dutch travel agent convincing me I was crazy to consider going to Paris Disney for February break, I finally booked flights to Barcelona, a city which has been high on our list for years (that we’d have a free place to stay with an old hash buddy from San Diego and the sun would be shining helped make the decision easier). When we came up out of the metro from the airport, we were amazed by the architecture of the sea of apartment buildings, most of which were built around 1900. Above is a reflection of the block Curt lives on.
After dropping off our bags, we went for a long walk. Luckily, this city is very pedestrian friendly and the streets were laid out in a grid, so it was very easy to find our way around. Here my silly family are dancing on the steps of a clothing store in the main shopping district.
