We've Made it to Barcelona!

Buenos Noches from Barcelona!

FRIDAY, 30APR
On Friday, Ellen and I decided to spend some one-on-one time with Hope and Connor. I had Hope in the morning and we had a late breakfast together and then explored the neighborhood around the Pantheon / University District. We found a little garden and Hope enjoyed taking photos of the flowers and old buildings. Ellen had Connor in the morning and they went back to the playground at Luxembourg Gardens. Naps in the afternoon and then we all hopped the metro together and decided to explore the Louvre museum area and the little fashion district around the Louvre. We had a late dinner in a little cafe fronting the hustle and bustle. We shared a plate of french fries, ham and cheese omelet and sandwich with an eye-popping price tag. We arrived back at the apartment late and got the kids to bed late (again), but the kids did a great job and they earned enough brownie points / stickers for an ice cream treat on the walk home.

SATURDAY, 01MAY
Our last day in Paris. Sad to leave. We really enjoyed our stay and I feel like we only saw just a glimpse of the city. Things we didn't see - Champs Elysees, inside the Notre Dame, inside the Louvre, river boat cruise on the Seine. Maybe next trip. We packed up in the morning and walked around Place Monge (our little neighborhood) for about an hour and had lunch in a little cafe. Great food for lunch. Pasta and pesto salad and the kids actually ate their lunch today. We packed up the rest of our gear and very efficiently took the metro and changed trains to reach the Charles de Gaule metro stop only to find out that the Charles de Gaule metro stop is no where near the freakin Charles de Gaule airport!!!! Who knew?? Anyway, some friendly tourists and friendly locals helped point us in the right direction. Thank goodness we had left the apartment with plenty of time and therefore had enough time to change metro trains again and reach the airport with plenty of time to catch our flight - that was 1+ hour late. We had snacks in the airport and the kids did a great job. Connor and Hope both made friends on the airplane. We arrived in Barcelona about an hour and a half late and we had a little difficulty connecting with Jeanne and Larry. We expected to meet them at the airport, but come to find out they actually flew from the Canary Islands to Girona - another Barcelona areas airport. Ellen and the kids and I had dinner in the Barcelona airport. :o( Not great, but necessary. Two Barcelona trains later, we arrived at the BCN apartment at about 11:00pm. Jeanne and Larry met us at the apartment. It was a long day and we got the kids to bed late again. The kids where so excited to see Nee Nee and Gramps!!!!! and so were we.

SUNDAY, 02MAY
Jeanne and Larry took the kids to eat breakfast at a local bakery this morning. They tried to take them to a McDonald's, but turns out the McDonald's here doesn't serve breakfast. Ellen and I slept-in this morning!!!! So nice to have a few extra hours of sleep. It was a beautiful day today, bright and sunny but a bit windy. Ellen and I had a late lunch with Hope today. Tapas style sandwiches and snacks at a little Spanish Bar. Our little neighborhood (Gracia) is sleepy today - because it is Sunday. The apartment is very nice and has plenty of space for the six of us to spread out a little. The apartment is about 4-5 blocks from the Sagrada Familia (Guadi's famous church still under construction). Its different - but pretty amazing. We hope to have time to take a tour of the inside. It is nice to know a little more of the language here than we did in France (we know no French, and most locals didn't speak English). The six of us went for a little walk this afternoon. Took the kids to a neighborhood playground. Although not as nice as the Parisian parks and playgrounds, Hope and Connor didn't mind. They enjoyed running around and playing just the same. We found dinner in a cafe on a pedestrian veranda a few blocks from the apartment. Hope and Connor had a great day today and earned enough stickers to get their reward - really cool and different ice cream. Kids in bed by 8:00pm tonight!!!!! We hope that will pay dividends tomorrow as well. We are looking forward to exploring the city this week. We are in Barcelona until Thursday and then off to Bologna Italy. Check out the new photos posted on www.hollowaysineurope.blogspot.com