To kick of Mama Margaret’s summer holiday, we flew to Barcelona and after just three days she said ‘I could live here!’
In her usual way, she flew in Thursday and we left Friday morning for Spain- making the most of every moment with her grandbabies. Touring in the heat meant we’d take things poco y poco. It meant ice cream when we needed a pick-me-up and lots of water.
We walked La Rambla and made our first stop at La Boquería food market. We snacked on nectarines and jamón while Sachi entertained us by chasing pigeons away from the food stalls.
In Barri Gòtic, we learnt it was Barcelona’s three day weekend to celebrate St Joan and the summer solstice. We witnessed participants building human towers and massive paper machine figurines. For the full weekend, fireworks abound! We did a little shopping as well with Saya picking out her parents’ outfits – pink shirts for both of us.
By evening, our travel sheen was in full effect. The girls were covered in sweat, dust, and soap from chasing bubbles in Barri Gòtic. I voted to for an early evening to be able to shower and head to bed. But Margaret was so nice and stayed with the girls while Corey and I went to Gorria for Basqque food! It didn’t look like much but a small plate of tuna with lettuce or simmered white beans were beautifully comforting. It was my favorite meal of the trip!
On the walk home, we stumbled upon a local street party complete with locals starting a bonfire, singers revving up the crowd, and a sign that read “tourists go home, immigrants welcome”. Very apt.
The following morning we had the first entry time for La Sagrada Familia. I somehow forgot to buy a ticket for myself in all my planning but Corey worked his magic and we got into the cathedral. It’s still incredible and still so necessary to arrive in the morning. The facades on all sides are a sight to see!
We enjoyed a coffee and pastry stop, and then put Sachi down for a nap back home. Everyone took some respite from the hot weather and had some chill time in the air con.
In the afternoon, we made our way to Poble Espanyol. I loved this new spot and wish we had more time to visit. It’s tourist-focused in that you pay a fee to enter, and then you walk around shopping for local art. Some of the artisans also have workspaces for kids or hands-on projects which they support you to complete for a fee. My girls painted little wooden houses at the madera shop. The Poble ‘village’ is built to mirror the local neighborhoods in various parts of Spain, complete with a playground, town center, and venue space. I’d recommend the space for adults and kids alike.
On our cab to Restaurante Barceloneta, the girls ‘ooh-ed’ at the boats in the port and asked repeatedly to swim in the sea. But once we sat down, they forgot about swimming and we had the most leisurely dinner. Wine, clams, and an intriguing lobster… and the girls tried everything. My favorite was watching Sachi try clams for the first time.
We spent twilight in the waves. The temperature of the water and air was perfect. Summer was in full effect. Our hearts were full.
Sunday was more heat and a journey to Parc Guell. This landmark experience was such a change from when we first visited when Jamie studied abroad. There’s now a fee for visiting the entire park and the sheer number of tourists at 10am were enough that certain areas were roped off in a one-way waking system for crowd control. It was still nice to see Gaudi’s architecture and play around the columns with the girls, but I missed how big the park used to feel.
After lunch, the temperature made me want to tour an air conditioned mall but we ended up finding a playground with a bit of shade before heading to the airport. It was such a sweet trip, and I can’t wait for more long weekends! The best part was that this was that start of Mama Margaret’s trip so we were able to hang out for the next week together back in London!
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