Croatia! I mean... Barcelona!

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Author:  Brandon (Dad)

I'm writing this blog post right after the Croatia/Argentina game, so I'm on a bit of a football high.

No blog posts for a bit... that must mean we've been busy. 

After leaving San Sebastian on an early Wednesday morning train, we arrived in Barcelona in the early afternoon.  It was a very nice five hour train ride through the countryside in Northern Spain. 

We found our way to our apartment, which sits in the Gothic Quarter.  It's a small place with a very lively neighborhood, about a quarter mile walk from La Rambla.  We spent most of Wednesday night wandering through the amazing alleyways of the district, popping in to a couple of bar/cafes to watch the World Cup matches. 

La Rambla!




With Spain playing a World Cup match, we didn't want to miss the opportunity to watch the game in a fun setting with locals.  We were able to find a nice spot, literally underneath the opera house on La Rambla.  Spain won, so everyone seemed happy.

On the pitch at Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona!

We got up tomorrow and rode a taxi over to Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona, one of the biggest and most successful soccer teams in the world.  The stadium complex was enormous.  It made Liverpool's Anfield seem small by comparison.  There were a TON of people on the stadium tour we took, so it didn't have a very personal feel.  Still extremely impressive, though.  We bought Luke and Livi matching Lionel Messi shirts. 

Following our stadium tour, we got another taxi back to the old town, grabbed a bite to eat and visited the Pablo Picasso museum.  It was quite impressive as well, but Luke wasn't really feeling it.  In fact, he thought it was extremely boring. 

We hit a bar to watch the end of the Denmark/Australia match, then went on a long walk towards the beach in Barceloneta, to another spot to watch the first half of France/Peru, then to another to watch the end of it. 

The last week has featured a lot of bar hopping and football watching.  Yeah.  I'm having a great time.

Another spot to watch the World Cup!

We went to a Catalonian restaurant tonight to eat paella and watch the Croatia/Argentina match.  Unfortunately, Luke was getting tired, so we only made it through a half before racing home to watch the end.  Croatia 3-0!

It's kind of interesting to see how loyal they are to their Catalonian heritage.  Much like San Sebastian and the Basque Country, the people here think of themselves as Catalonian first, Spanish second. 

A couple notes from our first day and a half in Barcelona:

  • The architecture is absolutely amazing.  It's a lot of fun to get lost wandering through the alleys of the Gothic Quarter.
  • There are a crazy amount of Americans here.  Certainly didn't notice this in San Sebastian, but I'm pretty sure about 75% of the people in this town are Americans on vacation.  
  • Surprisingly, Luke is having the hardest time eating... really thought it would be Livi.  We got a hamburger in him tonight.
Not sure what we'll do tomorrow, but I'm sure we'll come up with something. 

Until next time...
Location: Barcelona, Spain

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