Moving. Again.

When we returned from Barcelona we rented a car for the first time since the week we originally arrived back the first week of August.  We knew we would need a vehicle to get our things from house A to Apartment B. 

We spent nearly the entire New Year's Eve day moving our things, acquiring a few more items (rugs, chairs, lamps, storage shelves) It got worse before it got better. 
But we were getting there. It really helped that we spent the first few weeks of December moving in all the furniture piece by piece so now all we had to do was move our clothing, etc. 
Still, it took longer than it probably should have but within 48 hours of returning from Barcelona we were nearly all set up.  I have always HATED moving but I have to say moving with less stuff is SO much easier.

We all missed my sister this time around.  She was so good at "getting it done"  Just not stopping until everything had a spot.  But in the end I think we did pretty good.  Now to keep it organized. 

Marty's studio all set up

Bye Bye Barcelona

Our final day in Barcelona we started it off the way we had the previous 3 by sleeping in until close to 9AM.  What had gotten into us??   I have to say our bed was super comfy and we kept hoping our new bed in our new apartment would be equally as comfortable.  The bed we have been sleeping on for the past 5 months has been so super uncomfortable it would be hard to not at least be a bit better. 
We decided to go back to the Milk restaurant for our final breakfast in Barcelona.  Yummy again.  Then we wandered through the streets looking for a small souvenir for each kid.  We have decided to collect small things from each city we visit during our year in Europe.  We happened upon a big graffiti demonstration and mostly just soaked up the nearly 70 degree day.  The sun felt so good on our skin and the sunshine was good for our souls. 
We arrived late into Berlin with very happy memories of our time with good friends in Berlin and Barcelona.  Thanks again, Chris, Amanda, Elliott and Sydney!!! 

Picasso, Barceloneta and Birthday Celebrations

Friday was Elliott's 11th birthday. How cool to celebrate with your best friend in a city as cool as Barcelona?

We all went to a diner called Bernie's (in honor of their dog named Bernie and Bernie Sanders)  For the second day in a row we were treated to a good, old American breakfast.  Pancakes used to be a nearly daily breakfast for the kids and we have had them maybe twice since arriving in Berlin 5+ months ago.  The kids were in HEAVEN.

After breakfast the birthday girl wanted to go to the Pablo Picasso Museum so Josie joined the Neves family.  Marty and Benjamin wanted to take an early siesta and on the way home decided to get a Spanish haircut.  Benjamin's hair was so long and Marty decided since it was only 5 Euro he'd get his hair cleaned up as well and was treated to a straight razor shave.

I wanted to walk around and see the other Gaudi architecture around Barcelona.  I think Gaudi's stuff is such an interesting mix of whimsical and gothic.  So cool.  

We met up later in the afternoon for lunch at a cool beach side restaurant.  It was bright and sunny but not all that warm.  It reminded us a bit of Alki.  There were these two incredible bubble guys making bubbles with handmade bubble sticks made from strings and sticks.  Benjamin has always loved bubbles. 

A Joan Miro sculpture in the middle of a street in Barcelona.  

The streets around Barceloneta reminded me a bit of Cuba and Mexico mixed together

After another daily siesta we all had a festive dinner at Sensi Tapas - again right around the corner from our hotel - for Elliott's birthday.  SO SO yummy.  Thanks Neves for the dinner and for letting join in on the celebration!!

Then to ice cream again for dessert.  Good thing we don't live here.. between the sleeping in, the daily siestas and after dinner ice cream we would be in a world of hurt.  But for vacation it was perfect. 

We topped off the night with a visit to the Blanki store... a very strange mix of mostly crap.  We equated it to a 1980's Spencer's store.  Benjamin was, of course, mostly interested in the poop pillows. 

Park Güell and Sagrada Familia

A game of tag after breakfast
as the rest of Barcelona sleeps

Thursday morning we headed to a delicious breakfast spot called "Milk Bar and Bistro" around 9:30.  Things really don't wake up in Barcelona until well after 9.  We were on the "early side"  We were embracing this going to bed later and sleeping in like never before.

After breakfast we all piled on the subway system and headed toward the famous Park Güell which was designed by world renowned artist and architect Antoni Gaudí.It took us a bit to adapt to the Spanish train system.  In Germany it is all completely on the honor system.  There are no gates or ticket takers.  If you ride on the train, tram, bus, etc.  you are expected to have a valid ticket.  And as far as I can tell the vast majority of Germans do have valid tickets.  They enforce this system with random security checkers.  They are unmarked employees of the BVG (company in Berlin that runs transportation) If you are checked and fail to produce a valid ticket it is a 60 Euro fine.  We have been checked maybe 4 times since living here and thankfully always have had a valid ticket.  I'm scared of these security checkers as everyone, including Julie, say they are super mean and can be aggressive and most people are a bit fearful of them. When we have been checked we have always been on the U-bahn or S-bahn but never on a tram or a bus.  In Spain you had to use a valid ticket to get through a turnstile to allow you onto the train platform.  We figured it out and were on our way.

Park Güell was just a handful of train stops away but up an enormous hillside.  So many people go to this park that they had functioning escalators built into part of the hillside to help pedestrians up the steep hills.

Marty and I went to Spain for our honeymoon (Madrid, Segovia, San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Barcelona) It was the first couple weeks of August 2005.  We didn't know when we planned our trip that nearly all Spaniards go to the beach during August and in particular the first couple weeks of August.  When we landed in Madrid we both commented on how quiet it was for such a big city.  Segovia was also pretty quiet (both of these cities are inland) Next we headed to San Sebastian and were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people!  Things were packed!  Hotels were super expensive.  We obviously knew this before arriving but didn't realize that this was because of the fact that the month of August is the time that Spaniards escape the city and head to the coasts.  I remember when we booked there were low, medium, high and the top of list: August for prices.  In 2005 when we headed to Barcelona it was record breaking temperatures and the streets and all touristy areas were PACKED because Barcelona is again on the coast. 

We, in particular, Marty didn't have the best impression of Barcelona due to the heat and the number of people there in August. We did go to both Park Güell and Sagrada Familia on our 2005 trip and do have fond memories of those 2 places so we were excited to take the family and the Neves there.
The Park was under some kind of renovations this time and unfortunately most of the mosaic part was covered up.  It is still a pretty impressive park inspired by and scattered with Gaudí flair.

After a couple hours walking around the park we headed back down the hillside, this time no escalators, and walked over to La Sagrada Familia cathedral. 

This is the largest unfinished catholic church in the world.  It is slowly being completed with an estimated completion date of 2026. It is kind of funny in that it looked in about the same stage of completion when we were last there back 12+ years ago. 

Still very unique and a bit "gaudy".  The kids were just interested in playing at the park right at the base.

Best friends at the base of Sagrada Familia
taking a break from the playground. 

After our full morning and afternoon the rest of the group take a siesta.  By the way, our family really took to the Spanish late to bed and late to rise as well as the Spanish daily afternoon siesta.   I just couldn't sit in a hotel room knowing that BARCELONA was right at my footsteps so I headed to La Boqueria market and wandered through happily taking photos and talking to random people and soaking up the atmosphere. 

That night we ate at another great Barcelona restaurant right around the corner from our hotel called La Fonda.  I really, REALLY enjoyed the food in Barcelona.  And our hotel was right in the heart of the city with limitless restaurant option.  Ice cream for dessert again.  It is vacation after all.

Aimlessly Wandering in Barca

After our late night dinner we all slept in past 8am.  We were already adapting to the Spanish lifestyle. We all went to breakfast and then Josie, me and the 4 Neves wandered through the streets of Barcelona.

We happened upon a museum of random (mostly crucifixes) and some other oddities.
We came across Plaza Catalunya and it was all decked out with a Spanish Christmas market.  The entire plaza was filled with dozens of these random, funky wooden game contraptions.
In the evening we went just around the corner from our hotel for an amazing tapas dinner where most of us just bellied up to the bar and pointed out the tapas we wanted from a huge selection of prepared single sized portions in front of us.  Dinner, of course, completed with delicious sangria.  And then ice cream and a street serenade to close out the day.