We sat down and watched an ingenious entrepreneur use two sticks, some rope, and a bucket of soapy water to create some of the biggest bubbles ever.
Joey and Sammy were riveted by these enormous bubbles. Like moths to the flame, they were quickly chasing after these behemoths, jumping in the air, and celebrating their success whenever they touched one and burst it.
Several other kids were there too and it became a multicultural event. At one point they were joined by kids from China and India. No matter where they hailed, these kids all went crazy for bubbles!
Since this trip began, I could think of a few things that are so relaxing and enjoyable to watch. Now I've found at least two more: watching kids chase bubbles and watching kids chase pigeons.
This was a double bonus. After the bubble entrepreneur went to refill his bucket, the boys could focus their attention on Plaça de Catalunya.
It was filled with pigeons.
Now they could avenge their sister's soiled head! Now they could wreak havoc on the European pigeon consortium!
With vigilante vigor, the rushed into the plaza.
Their strategy was excellent and they split up to cover more ground. The pigeons never expected this and they were separated from their precious breadcrumbs for at least 45 seconds, maybe even a full minute as the dynamic duo criss crossed the square.
Finally, their lust for revenge was abated and they sat down for a well deserved snack (ironically creating more crumbs for their nemesis).
We enjoyed relaxing on a shady bench as the warm autumn sun bathed the square in light. The people watching remained excellent amidst the quiet sound of the fountains.
We took a few more pictures of the Plaza before getting on the second route of Barcelona's Double Decker.
This route took us up into the hills and to Montjuic and the Olympic Stadium.
Since 1992, the place has been holding up pretty well. It was an impressive stadium and the boys enjoyed the views.
We walked outside the stadium and down into an expansive area with an arena and open area.
The arena was humming with activity. The bass could be heard thumping from where we stood. Unfortunately it wasn't the second coming of the 1992 Dream Team (and sadly this wasn't the arena they played in). It was Herbalife!
Apparently they wanted to create an Olympic type event for their many sponsors. We caught the exact tail end of the festivities.
Prior to the arena opening up and disgorging and the Herbalifers, we enjoyed some quiet time in this impressive open space.
And then Herbalife exploded out with French, Swiss, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, and Germans streaming out of the arena. A majority of them stopped quickly to light up cigarettes (which did seem oxymoronic based off Herbalife's purported goal of global nutrition and weight loss).
We were swept up in the rush and went out to the main street near the Olympic Stadium.
As our second wind from watching the boys chase bubbles and pigeons, we decided it would be best not to get on the double decker since it would go for another hour away from the harbor and the ferris wheel.
We decided to try our luck with cabs. This failed on two fronts. The first was due to the Herbalife invasion and the second was due to the fact most cabs only take 4 people. Little Lanna is certainly a person with a fiery personality but we thought the cabbies wouldn't consider her a person just yet. Unfortunately, they did.
We did wave down a cab and Alisa, Sammy, and Lanna headed out. Joey and I waved at other cabs, we showed off our legs, we tried to look desperate. No dice.
So we walked down and stumbled across the funicular!
Joey was ecstatic. We got our tickets and watched the funicular come in!
The trip back was amazing. The windows were open so we had a panoramic view of Barcelona with the fresh sea air breezing through. Joey loved it!
Once back on the ground, we were near the Ferris Wheel and hurried over to catch up.
The Ferris Wheel was in full swing and the carnival was popping!
We jumped on the Ferris Wheel and everyone had a blast. Sammy enjoyed it more than anyone else (after enjoying a hot dog leaving some ketchup war paint). The view, although not as impressive as the funicular, still gave us a great perspective on the carnival down below.
The boys then drove some bumper cars (which Sammy emphatically hated) and rode the carousel. They had a second helping of hamburgers and fries to top it all off.
Before leaving the carnival they did some monster poses with the Ferris Wheel.
We decided to walk back and look for some popsicles. We wanted to enjoy the full Rambla experience.
It was such a joy to walk in the warm Barcelona night as darkness started to fall. The marina was lit up and the boys were so happy running by the water.
When we hit the Rambla, it was awash in activity. People were everywhere and the restaurants were in full swing. We did find some popsicles and the boys enjoyed them on the long walk back.
Walking through the Rambla is something I hope everyone has a chance to experience. It's so vibrant, full of artists (several more statue artists were there, though none as good as the one we saw at Guell Park), musicians, and people trying to sell the latest gadget. This season's gadget was an object they tossed 20-30 feet in the air and then lit up as it came down. It had a propeller to slow the fall so this multicolored thing would slowly float back.
As we walked the Rambla, I took a picture looking back. It captures a small part of the activity but none of the noises or scents from the numerous restaurants. (It does have a tiny blue light in the sky which is one of those crazy gadgets).
As the Rambla ended, we again walked through Plaça de Catalunya and waved good bye to Barcelona's Double Decker.
The day felt like it was a week long. We were exhausted but so thrilled with what we were able to experience in Barcelona that day.
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