A Day at the Beach

Barcelona, Spain -- Day 2

Today was a bit of a vacation day from our “strenuous” travel day yesterday.  Also, once the kids spent some time on the beach, there was no question what was on top of their list for today.  It was another beautiful day, and we decided to walk north of the Barcelonita area to what we had read were nicer beaches.  We made a detour through the Ciudadela park, which used to be a fort built by Phillip V after the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) to keep an eye on the Catalonians.  

The architecture and feel of Barcelona are clearly different from that of Madrid – much more modern, less formal, and a bit more random.  Unlike the uniform, classical architecture we’d seen in Madrid, there are some pretty unusual constructions here.

We kept walking north, eventually ending up by a casino and a bustling promenade along the beach lined with shops and restaurants on one side and the beach and stunningly blue Mediterranean on the other.  We had to keep reminding ourselves that it was Sunday... and we were on the beach... in Barcelona!  Pretty cool. 

Although the beach was crowded and we hadn’t had breakfast, the kids broke out in a run and headed for the water as soon as we were close.  The European custom of bathing topless didn’t elicit more than a passing comment from them.  (One of the 30 facts I had regaled them days earlier was that in Spain, nudity is legal).

I figured, when in Rome, do as the Romans, so took off my top to fit in.

Since we couldn’t pry the kids away from the sand and water, Meg and I headed out to find food, coffee and a Diet Coke (or at least the closest Spanish equivalent, to Meg's chagrin).  The views were amazing, and I finally got a got picture of the shining brass fish sculpture that was part of the preparations for the '92 Olympics.  Somehow I strained my left foot yesterday carrying the suitcases and bags up the stairs at the hotel, so I acquired a pair of very stylish Brazil flip flops.

It's amazing how much time the kids can spend playing in the sand, which gave Meg and I a few hours to walk around.  They found an unclaimed ball floating in the water, so we all had fun trying to bat it around in the wind and waves. A nice lazy walk back to our hotel made for a pretty nice first day full day in Barcelona.

The final activity of the night was heading out on the Metro to find Park Guell, one of the main tourist attractions designed by famed architect, Antoni Gaudi.  The land for the park was originally intended as a housing development.  When that project failed, Gaudi was asked to design a public space in this upscale and hilly area of town.  In his typical original, quirky, and slightly bizarre manner, he created Park Guell.  

Since we didn’t arrive until just about 9 p.m. we decided to be cheapskates and not pay the 8 euro per person entrance fee.  The souvenir vendors pointed out the side entrance where we could enter and explore the areas of the park not requiring a paid ticket.  Once the sun set, we were so famished we settled on the first restaurant we found, a nondescript, Chinese-run diner.  Kylie ordered steak, french fries, and an egg... and ate every bite.