Barcelona - Day 3

On our third day in Barcelona, we took the double decker, open-top tour bus which may sound cheesy but it was a good way to get an overview of the city. You're allowed to jump on and off the bus at any of the stops which provided us with the freedom we wanted; add that to the audio overview and guidebook on the sites, and it turned out to be a good fit for us.

Barcelona has so much to offer that we had to be choosy for our first time there. After beaching it, we wanted to get a taste of the cultural side and explore some Gaudi even though the extreme heat and extensive crowds were wearing down the kids (and um, the parents too). We tried to reinforce enjoying the moment and the incredible sites that could take your breath away.

Photos: Sagrada Família (Sacred Family) above and below





First on the list, the Sagrada Família, a massive, Catholic church that has been under construction in Spain since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026. Considered the master-work of renowned Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), the vast scale and idiosyncratic design have made it a Barcelona highlight for many years. I couldn't get a good picture of it due to its size so in addition to our own photos, I've added one from the web to demonstrate its breadth. The unusual sculptures (our pics) gives a sense of Gaudi's definitive style too. We weren't able to make it inside due to the huge crowds but will table that for another visit.















After the Sagrada Familia and some city touring, we visited Guell Park which is a Candy Land of gingerbread houses and Dr. Suess-style landscapes (it was clear that Guell Park and Gaudi's work are the inspiration behind "Horton Hears a Who" and "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"). As its name suggests, the park was commissioned by Gaudi’s friend, Eusebi Guell around the turn of the 20th century, and was intended to be a garden city where 60 family residents could live healthily and peacefully. It turned out that only two of the houses sold (one of which was to Gaudi himself) and eventually the city of Barcelona bought the project. It's remarkable style included the traditional symbol of the park: a large, colorful tile mosaic dragon along and a central plaza overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Photos: Guell Park below


















































Photos: FC Barcelona vs AC Milan soccer game and honoring Ronaldinho

We capped the day off with the Barcelona vs AC Milan soccer game an exhibition match between these two rivals. The stadium held 90K spectators and almost every seat was taken. 90,000 people – that's 2x the whole city of Concord. Colin was beside himself before the game and couldn't stop talking about it all day. Hours before we needed to get ready, Colin was planning our time and strategy to get to the game. While Colin wore his new Puyol shirt, Parker and Kels also donned their new Barca shirts.

The game itself was a blast other than a initial snafu with someone else taking our seats and claiming we were sitting 'somewhere else.' We wound up having to call an usher to help us out in espanol to regain our rightful seats. No biggie in the end though, thank goodness.





Barcelona dominated the game and while the fans were passionate, it all -surprisingly- had a friendly feel, and they even cheered when Milan scored a goal. The Barcelona squad was unbelievable. David Villa, Iniesta, and Puyol were the starting stars. Their subs were Dani Alves, Messi, Pique, and Pedro. Xavi Hernandez didn't even play! Now imagine when they're all playing at the same time! At the end of regular play, the teams were tied. The fans clearly wanted overtime which would have meant 30 more minutes of soccer but they went straight into penalty kicks instead which always provides excitement. The Barcelona goalie held fast and they won the penalty kicks 3-1, and ultimately then took the game.

Also making this a special game was the fact that Brazilian soccer star, Ronaldinho, who played for Barcelona for years, had recently moved to AC Milan. He's well-loved by Barcelona (Barca as they call themselves) and they had a recognition ceremony for him at the end of the game.