Barcelona - Day 2

On Saturday, June 25th, was our last full day together as a family.  We started out early in the morning, too early for some because I set up our tour at 9 am, oops.

Waiting for our metro to get here.  Thankfully we had figured out the schedule and were old hands at it now.  :-)

The cousins all in good spirits to start the day!!!  Love those smiles!!!!!

I think Al was still trying to wake up.  LOL

Thankfully at breakfast he was able to get his coffee and looks much more awake after that!

The first place that we were headed was the Picasso Museum.  As you look down the street you would never know that there was a museum on this street, other than the people waiting to get in.

The two monkeys doing some climbing before the museum opens.  Unfortunately we weren't able to take any pictures in the museum.  The first part of it wasn't so good, he had really weird sketches in the first two rooms.  After that there were some of his earlier paintings, which I liked.  I don't like his later ones.

The Monument a Francesc Macià, honoring the former president of the Generalitat (the Catalan government). The sculpture was created in 1991 by Josep Subirachs, a sculptor who also worked on the Passion Facade of the Sagrada Familia..

Al chilling on the hop on hop off bus.  It was a little hot on the top side.

Michael and Gabby on the bus.  Michael was not real thrilled if you can't tell.  LOL

This is called "The Work" by Llucia Osle.

Al was taking a picture through the rear view mirror.  I love how it looks!!!

This is Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Batlló.    The Modernist building was created to be the most eye-catching family home in 20th-century Barcelona for the Battlo family.   Gaudi gave Casa Battlo a façade that is original, fantastical and full of imagination. He replaced the original facade with a new composition of stone and glass. He ordered the external walls to be redesigned to give them a wavy shape, which was then plastered with lime mortar and covered with a mosaic of fragments of coloured glass and ceramic discs.

It was built between 1904-1906.  At the top of the façade, the roof is in the shape of an animal’s back with large iridescent scales. The spine which forms the ornamental top is composed of huge spherical pieces of masonry in colours which change as you move along the roof-tree from one end to the other.  The balcony railings in the shape of masks are made of wrought iron cast in a single piece and are secured by two anchor points in such a way that the balconies partly project outwards.

The kids moved down to the bottom of the bus and were much cooler and as you can see much happier!!!

Kaitlyn and AJ enjoying the ride now!

A view of "La Pedero" which we saw yesterday.

This is a dragon shaped statue with a slide on it for the kids.

This is the Dona I Ocell Sculpture.  It is a modern statue that stands about 70 feet tall and sits on a simple island in the middle of a small pool.  t was done by Joan Miro and completed in 1982, a year before Miro's death at age ninety.

The monumental fountain that rises up in the centre of the Plaça Espanya marks the gateway to the avenue leading to the grounds of the 1929 International Exhibition.  the main sculptures that represent the three seas surrounding the Iberian Peninsula and the main rivers run through it: the Ebro, the Tagus and the Guadalquivir. The Oste brothers designed the figures on the corners. They depict abundance, health and navigation.

The cauldron surmounting the ensemble was designed by Frederic Llobet. The use of fine materials such as marble, wrought iron and bronze, and the imposing scale of the monument, which stands 33 metres high, create an ensemble of great impact. The flame that burns in the cauldron completes the majesty of this great work.

These are the Venetian Towers that are 154 feet high.  They are modeled on the Bell Tower of the St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.  They were built by Ramon Raventos for the 1929 International Exhibition.

The National Palace was the flagship of the 1929 Exhibition, drawing lots of attention from the crowds that descended upon the Catalan region for the event. It was originally designed by the Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadalfach.

Barcelona built a number of structures at the Montjuic Hill for the Olympics of 1992. One of the most eye-catching is the white slender communications tower that was erected between 1989 and 1991 at the Anella Olímpica (Olympic Ring) - the complex where most of the sports facilities were built - to transmit television coverage of the Olympic Games. The elegant tower soon became a symbol of the Olympics and the city of Barcelona.

The magic fountain of Montjuïc's (Font màgica de Montjuïc in Catalan) first performance was on May 19, 1929 during the Great Universal Exhibition.  Over 3000 workers were commissioned to work on the project and less than 1 year later the magic fountain was born.

The 200-foot column honors Christopher Columbus.  This Catalan answer Nelson's Column on London's Trafalgar Square.  The base of the monument, ringed with four winged victories (taking flight to the four corners of the earth), is loaded with symbolism: statues and reliefs of mapmakers, navigators, early explorers preaching to subservient Native Americans, and the four regions of Spain.

Michael wanted to have a picture with a lion!!!!

We started walking down the Ramblas, Barcelona's most famous boulevard.  Named for the long-gone stream (rambla) whose course it followed.  The Ramblas features flower vendors, and "human statues."

Michael really liked this one, so we gave them a little money and Michael LOVED getting his picture taken!!

 

The crew heading down the Ramblas!

The kids and David were excited because they found a Burger King for lunch!!!!

Dad and Al enjoying a "small" beer.

Myself, Julie and Mom enjoying some pop before lunch.

It was a very busy street.  What was funny is that there were guys who sold knock offs on blankets.  When they saw the police coming, they were packed up in less than 10 seconds maybe less and headed out fast!

On our way back to the hotel we saw this HUGE vending machine.  It had a little of everything!!!

Mom and Dad decided they wanted to stop and enjoy some people watching while the rest of us headed back to the hotel.

The kids are getting so big and independent.

Our last evening we decided to play a little more hand and foot.  It had been such a WONDERFUL vacation!!!  Nobody wanted it to end and all of us to go our own ways.  But one nice thing we know it will not be our last family vacation!!!

The next day Al and family left really, really early in the morning.  We slept in a little and headed to the airport.  The boys found a moving side walk and were having lots of fun on it!!

The boys were doing all sorts of silly things and I told them to have fun!

Mom and Dad hanging out at the airport until our flight.  Thankfully we had an uneventful flight and drive home, after our shuttle finally decided to come pick us up.  We weren't sure for a little bit, but we made it back home and I promised Dad I would give him a few days to recover before we headed off on our next vacation!