Finally!  We (just the kids and I) flew in Europe for the first time since 2019!  We were going to go to Crete in July, but it was canceled due to a strike.  So I booked Barcelona and was a nervous wreck leading up to it, because I didn’t know how or if it would work after all the restrictions.  Turns out, it was quite easy.  What a relief!

The metro is great there.  Ashton loved it.  So easy, fast and simple.

We walked around the city center all day for 3 full days, probably racking up around 25 miles total.  Saw the sites, ate, and soaked in all the things.  I loved being around the Spanish language again, although I realized how little I remember it.  In fact, even though I can barely get by in Italy, I found that all I could think of there were Italian words!  One time I bought admission tickets from a lady who didn’t speak English and I didn’t know the Spanish words, but it turned out she was Italian, so, to my great relief, I could ask her my questions in Italian!  I miss Spanish, though, and would like to re-learn it.

We saw a flamenco show, ate churros (apparently Costco is doing a good job… or maybe it is Spain that is doing well at making them like Costco does), empanadas, fresh juices, sandwiches, and cafe con leche.  We did miss some of the food, but maybe we can get back to Spain again one day with my foodie husband. We saw some graffiti being created.

This fairy lady is a real person.  They sit really still and look like statues until you give them money, then they move and take a photo with you.  In the distance is a monument to Christopher Columbus.

There were really huge yachts in the harbor.  Like epic millionaire ones.

Ashton and I went on a date to Cirque Mystique, which included performers from Cirque du Soleil. We had tickets to CdS in 2020 in Rome, but they were canceled, so this was our make-up.  It was amazing.  Afterward we enjoyed a harp player in the metro station and went out for ramen.  Turns out Ashton really likes ramen and maybe more japanese food.  We had fun.

The next day we brought Cedar to the ramen, who gobbled it up and finished off ours too.  He loved it.  We also enjoyed empanadas and tapas together.

There are a lot of great urban parks in the city, that include gravel instead of grass, dog parks, great playgrounds, space for people of all ages to play sports and relax, and ping-pong!  Also, there were dogs walking all through the city off-leash, just walking with their owners!

The last day we rented bikes and rode them all over, including along the beach.  We saw a lot of things, including an epic Crossfit-type exercise station on the beach.  This city has a lot of healthy looking people, and actually all kinds of people of all sorts.  There were a TON of people there, including a TON TON TON of tourists.  Americans as well.  It’s great to know that tourism is alive after Covid.