Christmas in Barcelona

In this second year, our family is trying to take advantage of how centrally located France is to so many cool places in Southern Europe.  Last year, we didn't venture out much, and we never stayed overnight anywhere.  This year, we decided, needed to be different or we will always regret it.  So, despite the inconvenience, cost, and any other excuse we might have had, we headed to Barcelona to spend Christmas in Spain.  Getting ready for a 4-day family trip is always a pain, but I have to say: this turned out to be the best family vacation we have ever had together.  Barcelona has lots of culture, a laid-back atmosphere, tons to see and do, but mostly, it was just fun, for both us and the kids.

Like all major European cities, Barcelona has an incredibly efficient and convenient subway system.  The girls are pros on subways by now, and they did very well with all the walking, escalators, and crowds. Just as a test run, we ventured out the first evening to see the Magic Fountains of Montjuic (set to Christmas music) and the giant commercial mall converted from the bull-fighting arena.

After I die, if I ever get to choose a day to relive on Earth, it will probably by Christmas Day, 2011 in Barcelona.  It was such a perfect day, and I hope my children will always remember it.

We woke up early and immediately headed to the Sagrada Familia cathedral, which is an incredibly original and unusual cathedral designed by Antonio Gaudi.  I have been to lots of European cathedrals, and though I think they are all a little dark and cold (tomb-like), they are still awe-inspiring and beautiful, and I appreciate their purpose.  This one, however, is a marvel of architecture in a way that's hard to describe.  It is so different than any other I have seen, and I was just blown away by it.  I won't go into too much detail here, but I'll just mention that Gaudi felt closest to God in nature, so he designed this cathedral to feel like a forest.  The columns are not straight up and down--they curve and then branch at the top like trees.  Also, there are hundreds of round skylights with stained glass at the top than make it seem like light is filtering down through a canopy to the forest floor.  It was an unbelievably cool effect and made the cathedral seem much warmer and brighter than any other one I've ever seen.

The girls loved finding so many interesting things carved into the outside of the building (we played "I Spy" on all the sculptures).  They liked the outside as well as the inside!  We appreicated seeing the many scenes from the nativity and life of the Savior on Christmas Day even more than we normally would have.

This cathedral is a work of astonishing architechural grandeur.  Jason saw it last year at this same time with Matt and Chris, and I was so grateful he insisted that I be able to see it too.

This tank held only the most poisonous fish in the world.
Jason and the kids were searching for a stonefish.

The rest of the day was so relaxing and delightful.  We visited the Barcelona Aquarium, which was more than just your run-of-the-mill aquarium.  It was world class, and it entertained my kids for three hours.  I couldn't get them to look at me for many pictures--they were captivated by the interesting sea life inside the many tanks and displays at the aqaurium.

Maisy in front of a display of lobsters



This was one of several activities for kids on the boardwalk

As if this day couldn't get any bettter, we then walked along the Barcelona boardwalk, enjoyed a little carnival with activities for kids, saw a 3-D IMAX movie with popcorn, and then headed to a Flamenco show in Poble Espanyol at Tablao de Carmen with drinks and tapas.  Honestly, a PERFECT day.

Jason works so hard and needed some rest and relaxation on this trip. 
I was thrilled for his sake the weather was so nice--sunny and about 60 degrees.

It so easily could have been rainy and cold, and Jason really enjoyed himself. 

These bumper boats were a huge hit with the kids

La Pedrera,
an apartment bulding designed by Gaudi

We did a lot of other fun things the rest of our trip as well.  We saw another cool building designed by Gaudi called "La Pedrera," went to the Barcelona Zoo (or "thoo", as they pronounce it), which was truly an excellent zoo as far as zoos go, and ended our trip by seeing the famous Picasso museum.

On the roof of La Pedrera where the kids were posing for us and lots of others, including Japanese tourists.

Maisy took this picture of us!

Like always, Jocelyn was fascinated by the peacocks (called Royal Turkeys in Spanish). 
She actually tried to pull a feather out of one of the many birds walking freely through the zoo.

Maisy loved the giant tortoise

Jeni with one of the zoo's three brown bears

I'm not one to click my own castanets, but I had a great idea to entertain the kids in the museum, and maybe someone reading this blog might want to do the same thing.  I was worried the kids would be bored in the Picasso museum, so before we left, I printed a page with 20 thumbnail pictures of paintings from the museum's permanent collection.  I then told the girls that if they could find a painting in the museum from their paper and write its name by its picture, I would give them .20 Euro cents for each title they could find.  Maisy just had to find it and check a box.  It was magic!  The girls were captivated by fnding the paintings, as if it were a treasure hunt.  And it gave Jason and me time to actually look at Picasso's art.  We found 16 of the 20, and at the end, the girls said, "Please, Mom, let us go back and try to find the last four!  We need to find them all!"  Jason and I were actually ready to leave before they were.  The best part was that when I asked them their favorite painting, they could actually repeat back to me the titles of the ones they liked. The girls running around and looking for paintings created some attention from the guards, the other visitors, and several people asked us where they could get a similar sheet for themselves or their kids.

Also, I take back anything negative I have ever thought or said about Picasso.  The man was a genius.  He was well-trained and could make beautiful still life paintings, landscapes, portraits, large murals, anything you could imagine.  It was only later (after his time with all the Bohemians in Paris) that he wanted to push himself, experimenting with cubism in a sort of strange style all his own.  I liked it all, and I was mesmerized by his talent.  Our local Picasso museum in Antibes is a waste of time compared to this one. Many of the paintings from the Barcelona museum were done while Picasso lived in Cannes and Mougins, France (where the kids go to school).

So, my girls and I really enjoyed our first trip to Spain.  Jason, as always, was an excellent guide even driving around the city without GPS at times, and his Spanish-speaking ability rocks.  I loved being able to understand the locals better than I do in France, but I found I was really shy to speak Spanish back to them.  I kept greeting people with "Bonjour," instead of "Hola."  I'm so messed up, and now I realize I don't know either language very well.  (Oh well; at least English was widely spoken and understood in Barcelona, and I'll have to keep practicing my French.)

Feliz Navidad and Happy New Year to you all!  We hope you had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones.  We think of you often, and we wish you all the best in 2012!