Tapas, Tapas, and more Tapas!

We were lucky enough to put another pin in our map this week!  Monday morning we headed out for a week in Barcelona.....and to say that I was a little excited would be a huge understatement!!

I excited for the beach, the language, the possibility of sunshine, the food, and the chance to spend a week simply exploring with my two boys!!  And Barcelona sure didn't disappoint!!

• We hoped on and off the subway and toured some of the most unique buildings and parks I have ever seen.  Gaudi spent LOTS of time designing some pretty amazing and awe inspiring dwellings, and we had lots of fun walking through what was nothing short of a wonderland!
• We spent time at both the aquarium and the zoo listening to our little man squeal at all of the animals, and even got to watch a sea lion show (in Spanish of course :P)
• We ate tapas, tapas, and more tapas....with a couple plates of paella added in for good measure! Not to mention LOTS of fresh fruit!  I have never seen so many fruit vendors in my life, and even encountered several fruits I had never seen before! 
• We walked the beach and stuck our toes in the ocean....and only our toes because sadly it was COLD
• We took a sky ride up to a castle and were rewarded with some of the best views this side of the Mississippi!
• We practiced our Spanish!  And although I pride myself in knowing quite a bit of Spanish it was funny to see how many times we caught ourselves throwing in German phrases....
• And we may have even drank a couple of glasses of Sangria!

I have to say that although we were going non-stop from the moment we landed to the moment we took off again Barcelona is probably in the top 2 places we have ever been!!  I loved being able to see the ocean and spending time in the sand and then turning around and immediately being greeted by the European history I have grown to love.  I am definitely going to miss the culture, architecture, and feeling that comes from being in cities that were standing long before the US was even a dream.  It is becoming extremely real that we leave this country in less than 8 months and although I am eager to get home there are parts of this place that will be hard to let go!  Visiting Barcelona is just another reminder of how much there is to soak in and how lucky we are to live this life.

Didn't get enough here....click this to see more pictures!