Much to my surprise Ada did not wake me up this morning. I woke up and got ready for the day and Maria informed me that Ada woke up around 4 am and didn´t get back to sleep until aroung 6 am. Therefore, she was still sleeping. Marie and I sat down to breakfast and shortly later Ada woke up and we fed her breakfast as well. We left the apartment and made our way down the street. We passed a park and we stopped to let Ada play for a little bit. I helped push her on the swing and make her way through the jungle gym. Roger and Maria took lots of pictures, and video I think. After Ada got her fill of the park we made our way to a street named Diagonal del Mar. It runs diagonally through Barcelona with a big walking area in the middle. The area it is placed in has been rebuilt since 2004 and is therefore very new and upcoming. Roger explained that it used to be a very industrial part of town, but they are turning it all into housing and a new nice part of Barcelona. Since it was Sunday practically everything was closed, the city was almost dead except for families enjoying outdoor activities. Restaurants open a little later in the day, but shops stay closed all day.
We came across a park right off the street that was opened about 6 months ago. The entire park is building with wires for ivy to grow over in the summer. Of course the wires were mostly bare now, but I can imagine how pretty it will be in the summer with all the plants. The park itself was really cool, the design and all the sculptures inside were fun to look at and see. I took a lot of pictures here. They even had pingpong tables set up made out of metal and stone. The park is divided into three parts and we walked into two of them to see all the sights. I think its one of the best designed parks I have ever seen.
We continued our stroll down the Diagonal del Mar looking at all the new buildings and the new fancy apartments. Roger said they will be looking for an apartment in this area possibly next year. The financial crisis is making the prices go lower and lower, which is good for them. We ended at the Forum of the International Convention...perhaps that is not the real name, I forget now. Roger said they built all these buildings for this large International Convention in 2004, but it didn´t get the turn out they expected. There was a couple of huge buildings and a great outdoor area that is used for concerts and things. This is all right next to the ocean and the view is amazing. The weather today was a little cold for Barcelona standards and it was cloudy mostly all day. It was not the greatest day to be by the ocean, but it is still much warmer than home and anywhere else I have been so I was happy. We made our way down to the bottom of the area where there was a small park near the water line. Again, we let Ada out of her stroller and played with her a little in the park. She was having a great time and when it was time to leave Maria pulled out her mini stroller for her to push. Ada walked her stroller all the way up the big hill and loved it. She didn´t want any help even when she was struggling.
We walked over to the Mall of the Diagonal del Mar for lunch. We stopped at a sort of fast food sandwich shop, but with a large selection of baugette sandwhiches. Roger ordered us the family variety meal and we sat down to eat. the meal included a variety of baguette sandwhiches, french fries, chicken nuggets (for Ada) and a large liter of Coke. It was pretty good for on the go. We spent about an hour or so there before it was time to move on.
Next we walked a couple of miles, or a few...it was a long time....along the seashore. We were able to see the ocean and the piers, certainly not something I get to see very often. Also, it was a great close up of all the new apartment buildings. We spent a few hours walking along the seashore, stopping a coulpe of times to admire the view. We came to La Barceloneta and Port Olimpic and took some pictures. The sun was going down in the sky underneath the cloud line and it looked lovely. We then turned towards the city and saw the old fishing area where all the fisherman used to dock their boats and sell their products at the market. The old market building is now a Museum of the History of Catalonya. The area was bustling with people and we strolled by a few stands. Roger purchased some sugar covered almonds...yum!
We walked passed the Christopher Columus statue and I mentioned that in my book it says he is pointing towards Italy and not the US in the statue. (Small side note). We found ourselves back on Las Ramblas, but a different part of course. The street was so crowded it was a bit insane getting through with a stroller and all. It didn´t seem to affect Roger and Maria, but I will admit it was a little overwhelming with all the people. We walked on Las Ramblas for a while and Maria would stop to point things out to me, for instance the famous Opera house and the Opera cafe. A famous chocolate shop and the most famous market in Barcelona (which was closed).We turned down an alleyway and Roger showed me two of the three buildings he works in. They were beautiful and they were located in such a fun part of Barcelona. I would love to work in that area! We works right across the street from the Museu d´art contemporani de Barcelona - The Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art. Behind the museum is a small square called "the woman´s square," but Roger and Maria couldn´t explain why. It was still really pretty and we stopped in a shop so I could browse around.
We walked passed a lot of things and Maria would be sure to point them out to me. It was a great day of walking and seeing Barcelona. We walked practically the whole day and were able to see a lot. It was a great tour and its hard to explain unless you were there. :) So you should all be here with me!
We took the metro home and we were all happy to sit down and rest once we got here. At least I was! I played with Ada for a little bit and then it was her bath time. I got a small nap in while Roger and Maria bathed her and got her dressed. Next it was dinner time and Ada was not interested at all in her dinner. I was able to feed her a couple bites, but Roger and Maria struggled for a long time trying to get her to eat. I tried to stay out of it, I´m not sure how to handle those situations! Roger and I are sitting on the couch, he is reading the newspaper and watching the news all in Spanish (I think). They bought me a newspaper today so I could read about Obama´s announcement, they want me to try to understand it in Spanish. I was able to understand the headline, subline and some of the text, but its a long article and a bit exhausting. I think later I will grab the Spanish dictionary and go to town. Its fun to challenge myself here.
After Ada was in bed Roger and Maria made dinner...fish and fish. :) We ate a fish very similar to grouper out of a seashell, which was a little different for me. The fish was delicious, I am just not used to eating out of a shell. Maria also made some little fried fish pancakes and they tasted great. We chatted for a long time at the dinner table and it is always nice to get to know Roger and Maria more.
As you read, our theme for the day was walking...my legs and eyes are very tired, but it was a fun day of entertaining Ada and seeing Barcelona. Besides it was good for me to walk instead of add on the common holiday weight!
Adios, Anna
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