Juxtaposition

"Barcelona is my favorite city in Europe," Jonathan announced not long after we rose up from the metro station. I think that he was referring to the city's modernization juxtaposed with the medieval and colonial architecture, Gaudi's art nouveau touch found throughout the city and, of course, the Nike store. Barcelona is intriguing. Modern art can be found at every turn, but so can buildings from Spain's powerful years as a great colonizer, when Ferdinand and Isabella ruled big chunks of the world. Roman ruins can be found as well as medieval neighborhoods. And yachts and high end stores are just as few steps from colorful food markets and narrow alleyways leading to quaint squares.

We began our day walking down the Ramblas, a main pedestrian street that ends at the harbor. We stopped at the street performers and I let the kids put coins in their buckets. Like a wind up doll, with each coin, the performer would suddenly begin their act. An artist mimed painting portraits of the children and a dragon pounced over Ezra.

We kept our eye out for the city's bustling market. We found stands selling fresh edibles from the farm, garden and sea. We found a stall selling blended fruit juices for one euro, so we each chose such combinations as coconut blackberry, kiwi blood orange and banana pineapple. I have to admit, we went back to this stand three times, choosing a new flavor for each of us, before we moved on. We also filled our picnic bag full of fresh fruit and bread, as well as choosing an authentic stand for tapas.

At the harbor we wandered past the sail boats and watched a cruise ship disembark.

We found the Columbus monument, marking the spot to which America's favorite explorer returned. When we found out that we could ride to the top for a panoramic view of the city, we bought tickets and climbed on the very tight elevator. From the top we got bearings of the city, where we were and where we would be going throughout the day.

When we returned to the ground, we obliged Jonathan by finding the Nike store. Jonathan went in to shop for summer clothes, but left with only a pair of socks. The girls wanted to do a little shopping of their own, so our day turned into more of a vacation than an "educational adventure". We then hopped on the metro which took us to Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi's church that has been under construction since 1882. After visiting so many medieval cathedrals, when we entered this cathedral, we almost gasped at it's delicate beauty. This modern cathedral is light with art nouveau tones. Emilie and I agreed that if heaven has a chapel, it may look like the Sagrada Familia.

The kids anticipated our next stop all day. It was the Parc Gruell, a city park set up on a hill over looking Barcelona, created by Gaudi. It is full of whimsical structures, such as the gingerbread like houses at the entry way. We wandered around, enchanted and a little mystified at the park's style.

We found a playground tucked in a corner, where the kids spent their last bit of energy of the day.