Barcelona Whirlwind, AM edition

At this point, we have discovered a vital fact about most of the major European cities.

They all have a DOUBLER DECKER BUS tour!

Yes, it was time again to board the double decker to explore as much of Barcelona as we could in one day.

The team mobilized pretty quickly on Sunday morning and the roads were pretty empty up to Barcelona.  I was concerned about parking which proved to be groundless as we swiftly and easily found a place right near Plaça de Catalunya, considered by many to be the true city center and ultimate pigeon hang out.

We got the bus tickets and made our way to the top!  The boys got new headsets and were very impressed that this bus had 16 languages to choose from.  Again, their faces lit up with the joy of the DOUBLE DECKER BUS!

The bus rumbled off and we went by an amazing Gothic Cathedral, the focus of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter (where there was virtually no one wearing all black or excessive mascara).

From there we rolled past the aquarium and into the beach area.  The boys were mesmerized by the giant ferris wheel.  We got off at Barceloneta, the trendy beach area, and walked over to the ferris wheel.

Unfortunately, the carnival was just waking up and the ferris wheel was not open.  We consoled the boys with some delicious local pastries at one of the stands lining the street.

All was well after that chocolate infusion and we walked back to the closest bus stop.  We were relegated to the lower deck given the sheer volume of people.

The next stop was Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Cathedral.  

On the way, the boys began announcing the bus versus trolley battle that ensued as we made our way up from the beaches into the hills of Barcelona.

It started off well for the bus, storming ahead of the trolley!

But then the trolley made its move...

The track and road separated and each vehicle went its own way after that.  

"That's good." Joey explained, "We're each winners this way."

Shortly after that we arrived at Sagrada Familia.

Having seen so many pictures and hearing so much about this famous Gaudi masterpiece, I wasn't sure what to expect when we joined the hundreds of people across the street from the cathedral.

It's crazy.  It's inspiring.  It's so much bigger and quirkier in person.  It soars above you and its overwhelming to see those four towers rise up with all the intricate detailing in seemingly random places.  When you add the tumultuous crowd waving dozens of selfie sticks or lining up in certain areas to take the best picture of the cathedral, it's an experience that everyone should enjoy first hand.

Most of the pictures I took of the cathedral itself don't do it justice. Alisa and the boys did have a nice moment:

The wait was too long to go in the main entrance, but the crypts were open.  We went inside and underneath the west side there was a chapel.  A service was being held as we, along with hundreds of others, walked the periphery of the chapel. 

The attendees of the mass were receiving communion, which was interesting.  It made me think about the larger sense of communion as we all were experiencing this amazing testament to God in our own way, yet all together in this subterranean chapel.

We walked back into the mid-morning sunshine.  I was walking with Sammy and he immediately went to a gravel covered area where some trees were planted.  He seemed more fascinated with throwing rocks in this little garden than anything else he'd seen.

We dragged Sammy away from his beloved rocks and boarded the bus.  

Top deck!  Next stop, Guell Park, another Gaudi creation.

I would have loved to sit in a room with Dr. Suess and Antoni Gaudi and have them describe their idea of art.  There seem to be some similarities in the physical world Seuss drew and the actual architecture Gaudi created.

Guell Park exuded whimsy and beauty.  It also gave you excellent views of Barcelona as it was high up in the hills and had multiple terraced levels.

We went up to some of the higher areas which were winding, hard packed pedestrian dirt roads.  Vendors lined the areas with scarves and trinkets while pigeons flitted from tree to tree.  

The pigeons gave some pay back for all the harassment Joey and Sammy had provided their Madrid brethren.  One of them pooped on Lanna's head.  She took it in stride and the problem was quickly solved.  Her brothers vowed revenge.

We made the slow walk back down the hill to the bus.

Along the way, we saw a very life-like statue of a man in mid-stride.  As it turns out, this was a living, breathing person who has been near Guell Park for the past few months!

This link is amazing as it has video of this guy in exactly the position we saw him.  During the video he does actually move.  It's incredible:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3131583/Shocked-tourists-amazed-discover-new-Barcelona-statue-fact-flesh-blood-VIDEO.html

This style of performance art is apparently pretty popular in many European cities and very much in Barcelona.

The morning had been pretty exhilarating and exhausting.  We got back on the bus and gratefully relaxed in the lower deck.  Joey charmed some ladies from Missouri who were sitting next to us.

The bus rolled back to Plaça de Catalunya.  We had completed the full eastern route of the DOUBLE DECKER BUS.  

Now was time for the western route which will be discussed in our next post!