Barcelona, Spain part 2

The continuation of our Barca session. 

Remains of the Olympics

More of the same.

Since bullfighting has been outlawed in Catalonia, former plazas have been turned into shopping centers...sad. 

Why not! 

A walk through the Gothic quarter at night is worth doing.

Welcome to the dark ages. 

Camp Nou was the highlight for most of our kids.  

Forgot to wear my Real Madrid FC shirt.

I like that both bullrings and football stadiums have a chapel. I can hear it now, Dear God-let us win. 

At least someone had the sense to turn these into volume knobs.

Cathedral de Barcelona. Ms. D's brother was avidly taking pictures. I asked him why soo many photos, he replied that this needed to be documented so that would never happen again. He compares cathedrals to that of the holocaust!  

Stolen Mexican gold for God.

On the floor of the cathedral. Look familiar? The good news is that if you look hard enough, you'll eventually find what you're looking for. 

In contrast, Sagrada Familia lacks the trophies of the Spanish Conquest. A trip to Barcelona isn't complete without a visit here. Words and photos can't compare to physically being in the space. Sadly, our groups's tour was cancelled and only one of our student's was wiling to tag along with us on her free time. In short, we kidnapped Malak for the evening! 

One step inside and you'll realize how insignificant you really are and I'm speaking beyond religion...

Detail of the door.

No gold here.

Ceiling.

Detail.

In the basement there is a museum on Gaudi's process. 

Different species of turtles are at the foot of the columns. 

Try this at home.

Arch de Triomf leads to Parc de la Ciutadella. 

Kids tweaking out on BMX bikes.

Malak waits patiently for her vegan burger and patatas bravas. We loved that she was willing to try everything. 

My friend Patrick recommended the Frederic Marès Museum, and anything he says to go see is more or less a direct order. Want your mind blown? 

The first couple of floors are littered with religious sculptures and deities...hinting a little on the sublime (you might want to look up the real definition of that word). 

The original pop-up Bible. The two tops floors are an experience if you want to see what collecting items with commitment and passion is all about. There were scissors, smoking pipes, tarot cards, machines, toys, dolls...name it, it was there.