Benefit of Global Warming?

While it’s rare (and politically incorrect) to talk about possible benefits of global warming, we’re starting to see positive effects here in Holland. Surprisingly, it looks like having a pool in our yard will actually come in handy as the temperatures here are rising. Our landlord didn’t spend the big bucks to put in a pool heater, so for decades the pool was probably only used a few days a year when a freak heat wave came through. Now, however, it’s only March and it’s already warm enough for the kids to hit the water. Maybe by summer it’ll even be warm enough for me. 

Valuable Lessons Learned in Barcelona...

* Trusting an 8-year-old with a GPS can lead to double backing on the trail to recover it. 

* If your hungry family eats too much sushi, you’ll eventually be escorted out of the all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant.

* You need to save more than just a few bucks to justify flying out of Brussels with the extra stress to get to the airport on time and the ridiculous food prices at the airport.

Immature in Barcelona...

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.

Silliness in Barcelona...

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.

Carnival Barcelona-Style...

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. 

Mi Casa es Su Casa...

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.

Is Gaudi Gaudy?

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.